Marvel’s newest show, “Iron Fist,” premiered on Netflix Friday, March 17, and it did not disappoint. The season runs for 13 episodes, with each episode being an hour long.

The show tells the story of Danny Rand (Finn Jones), a boy whose parents were killed in a plane crash when he was young. He lived among monks for 15 years, and then returned to his home in New York in order to take over his father’s company, Rand Industries.

Once there, he learns his childhood friends Joy and Ward Meachum (Jessica Stroup and Tom Pelphrey) have become the CEOs of Rand, a cult known as the Hand has infiltrated Rand, and that a woman called “Madame Gao” has been using Rand to transport her cocaine trade. He then meets Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), who helps him try to take down Gao and the rest of the Hand.

The show is packed full of Marvel references. Each of the protagonists (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage) of other Marvel Netflix shows are referred to multiple times and name dropped at least once each, which was greatly appreciated for avid Marvel fans. Joy Meachum is said to have hired a private eye, saying that “she was worth every penny,” hinting she hired Jessica Jones. Fans of Marvel recognize Nurse Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), who appears in all of the other Marvel Netflix shows, reading a letter from Seagate Penitentiary that was written by Luke Cage.

Multiple characters make references to Daredevil, calling him the devil of Hell’s Kitchen, until Gao finally mentions him by name. Karen Page, Daredevil’s love interest, is also mentioned several times, connecting the shows further. The Avengers are referenced many times; at one point an “incredible green guy” is mentioned, who is no doubt the Hulk’s/Bruce Banner’s (Mark Ruffalo) Battle with Abomination in Harlem during The Incredible Hulk (2008).

The show continues the war against the Hand, which was technically started in Daredevil season one, but didn’t fully ignite until season two. The character of Stick (Scott Glenn) was a major player in dealing with the Hand in those, and to not see him in “Iron Fist” was a little disappointing.

The show featured a complex story arc in the form of the Meachum’s. They have to deal with anything Rand causes at Rand Inc., and Ward has to deal with drug addiction and his father making a deal with Gao. This developed the Meachum’s into incredible characters for future seasons, however, it felt dragged on and slow at some points, making some fans feel it was time to return to the main plot.

Throughout the duration of the show, Rand makes references to an old friend Davos, who shows up to help in the last two episodes, which was quite welcome.

In Daredevil, fans were introduced to Nelson and Murdock, attorneys at law. From that moment on, every time anyone has legal trouble in this universe, many fans will wish the character in trouble will call N&M. Until Luke Cage, where Claire Temple says she will call “a good lawyer,” that never came close to happening. And that didn’t change for “Iron Fist.” To make up for this, fans were treated to the appearance of Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), who fans will remember from Jessica Jones (and a cameo in Daredevil), when Rand needs legal representation.

Overall, the show deserves 8/10 stars. The characters were great, but some points felt dragged on. The Hand was so prevalent that Stick showing up would have made the Marvel Netflix universe (MNU) seem a little more connected, and other Netflix Marvel shows (Jessica Jones, Daredevil S2, Luke Cage, etc.) were so exceptional that this show had high expectations to meet.

“Iron Fist” is a black sheep in the MNU. It has quite a different pacing from going slow and steady and then building up action while still refining the characters. Shows including Luke Cage and Daredevil either had already introduced the character and were simply expanding on the story, or had a fast, action-packed tempo that occasionally took a break for lawyer scenes that developed characters further. Nonetheless, “Iron Fist” is an excellent show. Despite its oddities, it stands out among other Marvel shows and is a great addition to the Marvel universe.