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Dead Fist

(Iron Fist + Deadman)

Name: Danny Brand

Biography: Born heir to the multi-million dollar Brand Corporation, it seemed like Danny was destined for an easy life of wealth and success. However, that all changed when Danny was just nine years old. His father, Wendell Brand (Wendell Rand + Gary Brand), took his son, his wife, and his business partner, Harold Matson (Harold Meachum + The Hook) on a trip to Tibet.

Danny's father told them about a mystical city called K'un-Parbat (K'un-Lun + Nanda Parbat) that he used to live in when he was younger. The entrance to the city could only be found in the Himalayan Mountains once every ten years. Now was that time, he felt that he simply must bring them to K'un-Parbat and show it to them in all its glory.

Unfortunately for them all, Harold had no interest in K'un-Parbat. All he wanted was to take full control of the Brand Corporation for himself. While they were climbing, Harold pushed Wendell into a deep chasm and was getting ready to kill Danny and his mother.

The two living Brands ran for their lives until they saw a suspension bridge. Danny's mother told him to run to the other side while she held off Harold. Danny didn't want to abandon his mother, but she gave him no choice. Danny started to cross the bridge just as Harold had caught up to them. Danny's mother tried to fight him off, but he came prepared, bringing a pistol with him for the hike and waiting for the right opportunity to use it.

Danny heard a loud gunshot and turned around to see his mother lying on the snow, bleeding. When he saw Harold standing over her, Danny ran for the other side of the bridge. But Harold just cut the ropes from the side he was on, causing it and Danny to fall. And with that, the entire Brand family was dead. But one of them would get a second chance at life.

Danny woke up in what appeared to be a temple, where he met a man calling himself the Thundermaster (Lei Kung the Thunderer + Judomaster). Thundermaster explained that he was now in K'un-Parbat. Their patron, the dragon goddess Shou-Kushna (Shou-Lao the Undying + Rama Kushna), saw what happened just outside K'un-Parbat's doors and took pity on him. She couldn't repair his body, but she did bring his spirit into the city. There, he would grow and live a normal life, but once he stepped outside of K'un-Parbat, he would become a spirit, forced to wander the Earth for all eternity.

For the next ten years, the Thundermaster took Danny under his wing and trained him in the ways of martial arts. By the time he was nineteen, he was given the opportunity to inherit the power of the Iron Fist, the greatest source of chi energy on the planet. This would make Danny virtually unstoppable. In order to claim it, he'd need to defeat Shou-Kushna in battle.

He approached the goddess in her cave, where she was guarding a brazier containing her heart. It was a grueling battle, one that left a permanent scar on Danny's chest. But in the end, the dragon was slain and Danny plunged his hands into the brazier, becoming the new Iron Fist.

With his newfound power, Danny left K'un-Parbat in order to seek revenge on Harold Matson. As soon as he stepped outside the city, his skin turned chalk-white, he could fly, and his hands went through everything he touched. Just like the Thundermaster warned, Danny was now a ghost. But even death would not stop him in avenging his parents.

Danny travelled to New York, flew through the walls of Rand Corp's main office and stood face to face with Harold Matson. Though he was not what he expected. On that day, Harold saw Danny's spirit being lifted out of the chasm he fell into before disappearing and became paranoid that his angry spirit would come for revenge. He had spent the entire decade that Danny was in K'un-Parbat in fear of his return. Not only that, but he had also caught a severe case of frostbite while in the Himalayas, taking away his legs and replacing his left hand with a hook. All that remained of Harold Matson was a broken shell of a man.

Danny didn't need to take revenge, life had already done it for him. So Danny decided to spare Harold and left behind Brand Industries and his old life forever. Now all that was left for him was to find purpose in his afterlife.

After running into the hero, Powerline (Luke Cage + Black Lightning) taking on some criminals, Danny possessed one of them and joined Powerline in the fight. Once they were done, Danny introduced himself as Dead Fist and decided he'd like to be a hero too. So Powerline suggested they set up their own business, the Outsiders for Hire (Outsiders + Heroes for Hire), offering investigative and protective services for those who need a hero fast. While the two certainly had their differences, they became the best of friends.

Eventually, Danny would be pulled into a bigger world of superheroes and would be asked to join the Avengers League (Avengers + Justice League) and the Defense Society (Defenders + Justice Society). His life, if you can call it that, has certainly gone in an unexpected direction. But it's one Danny is proud to have and he has proven time and time again that the only thing stronger than an iron fist is a dead one.

Powers & Abilities: As a ghost, Dead Fist can fly and walk through solid objects. Normally, people can't see or hear him unless he is possessing someone. When he does, they gain his costume and the power of the Iron Fist but immediately loses them when he unpossesses them, leaving them with no memory of the experience.

When he has a body, Dead Fist demonstrates why he's one of the greatest martial artists on the entire planet. Not just in K'un-Parbat martial arts, but also karate, aikido, muay thai, pressure points and others. No matter what body he's in, his hand-to-hand skills are unparalleled. He even learned how to control his own nervous system, dulling his sense of pain and slowing down his bleeding, though he can't do this during a fight as it requires a lot of concentration.

He'd have to be this skilled in order to defeat Shou-Kushna and claim the power of the Iron Fist. Doing so gave him the ability to manipulate his chi, allowing him to perform superhuman feats, the most notable of which is the Iron Fist itself. By channeling chi into his fist, Danny can punch with a force equal to a nuclear bomb. And that's just the start of what his chi can do.

While he's still learning the full range of his abilities with the Iron Fist, Dead Fist can use chi control to heal wounds, absorb it from others, or fire his chi as a projectile attack. He can even create illusions and hypnotize people with the Iron Fist. Probably the most out-there ability of his is the Mind Meld, where he merges his consciousness with another person's, making them share all knowledge, memories, and emotions.

Appearance: Danny was born with brown eyes, blond hair, and Caucasian skin. After becoming a ghost, his skin and eyes turned completely white and he became bald.

As a ghost, he's forced to wear the same Iron Fist outfit he had on when he left K'un-Parbat. This consists of a one piece red leotard that cuts off halfway up the forearms and down the calves. The leotard also has a high yellow collar showing off Danny's chest and the black dragon shaped scar he received from his battle with Shou-Kushna. He also wears a yellow sash around his waist, yellow tai chi shoes, and a yellow bandana that covers the top half of his head.