The Iron Fist named Orson Randall first met a young orphaned boy named Wendell in a bar somewhere in Nepal. How Wendell came to be there is unknown but he ended up saving Orson's life who then took the boy in as his ward. He raised Wendell like a son teaching him how to fight and telling him stories of K'un-Lun where he had grown up. Along with their allies; the Confederates of the Curious, they traveled the world finding adventure using Orson's father's money and technology. Wendell wanted to be the next Iron Fist like his mentor but Orson got angry whenever Wendell mentioned it and told him Shou-Lao would kill him if he ever tried. After Wendell was shot on a mission Orson left him blind so Wendell decided to find K'un-Lun and become the Iron Fist to spite his former mentor.
Finding his way to the K'un-Lun mountains in Tibet where legend said the mystical city appears Wendell saw two men being attacked by a dragon. Firing his rifle at the dragon it retreated and Wendell ended up saving the lives of Tu-An Lord of K'un-Lun called Yu-Ti, the August Personage in Jade and his son Nu-An. Yu-Ti adopted young Wendell and apprenticed him to Lei Kung the Thunderer who immediately recognized who had trained the boy. Since everyone in K'un-Lun believed Orson to be dead Wendell became known as Wendell Rand-K'ai. Training in Lei Kung's temple Wendell's greatest sparring partner and closest friend was Davos the son of Lei Kung their sensai. Eventually it came down to Davos and Wendell for the honor of becoming the Iron Fist and they would have to fight each other before the winner would face Shou-Lao.
During their ritualistic combat Wendell gained the upper hand but Davos refused to yield preferring to die rather than quit. Yu-Ti had to step in and declare Wendell the winner before Wendell was forced to kill Davos. In Davos' mind he hadn't yielded therefore he hadn't lost. Believing that Yu-Ti and his own father preferred the outworlder and had conspired against Davos decided to face Shou-Lao that night. The dragon brutalized Davos but before it struck the killing blow it turned away leaving him near death and completely dishonored. When it was Wendell's turn to face the dragon he couldn't get the image of Davos broken body and Orson's words out of his mind. Instead of facing the dragon Wendell turned away and went to Davos telling that he couldn't face the dragon after seeing what it did to him. The injured Davos laughed at his former friend calling him a coward so Wendell fled K'un-Lun to Earth to kill Orson for spoiling his dreams.
Tracking Orson down Wendell was ready to fight and even kill his mentor but when he found him in a drug induced haze Wendell's anger completely dissolved. Orson realized that the mantle of the Iron Fist wasn't a gift, it was a curse of violence and death and he wanted better for Wendell. It wasn't that Orson wanted Wendell to fail he just knew it wasn't his destiny, but his destiny would be to father a great Iron Fist. After the death of his first wife Shakari and with Orson pretending to be dead and Wendell as his sole beneficiary he shortened his name to Rand and moved to New York City to pursue his destiny. In New York Wendell found a partner, Harold Meachum, and built Rand-Meachum Inc and found a wife Heather Duncan and fathered a son they named Danny. After ten years Wendell planned to bring Heather and Danny to K'un-Lun and Harold Meachum insisted on accompanying them.
No path to or from K'un-Lun stays the same same, so Wendell couldn't find the paths he had used when he first found the city or the one he used to leave. While crossing a crevasse; Danny slipped, pulling his mother with him onto a ledge, while his father fell the opposite way holding the rope and was left dangling over a sheer drop. Instead of saving his business partner, Meachum cut the safety rope letting Wendell fall so he could take over the whole company himself. Heather and Danny ran from Meachum to find their own way down the mountain, but were soon found by a pack of hungry wolves. Nu-An, who had always sought power, became Yu-Ti after his father's death and witnessed his adopted brother's death through a magic crystal.
Other Media
TV
Iron Fist (2017)
Wendell Rand is the deceased father of Danny Rand. He and his wife, Heather, were killed in a plane crash, leaving Danny as the only survivor. He is portrayed by David Furr.
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