David Giesbrecht/Netflix
From left, Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum, Finn Jones as Danny Rand, and Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum on "Marvel's Iron Fist."
"Well I think there's multiple factors," Jones told UK's Metro of the series' terrible reviews. "What I will say is these shows are not made for critics, they are first and foremost made for the fans."
Previously rated a rare 0% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Netflix's fourth "Defenders" series has since climbed to a still very low 14% on the site. On another review aggregator, Metacritic, the show has earned a score of 32, which means it has received "generally unfavorable reviews." Currently, it's the worst-reviewed new TV show of 2017.
In my review of the show for Business Insider, I similarly panned the series' writing, pacing, and fight scenes, and for not living up to the standards Netflix set with previous Marvel series, "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," and "Luke Cage."
In addition to the blistering reviews of "Iron Fist," the shows' martial-arts focus has drawn attention among some who believe the title character should have been played by an Asian actor. Jones even temporarily left Twitter after a conflict with one such critic.
But the actor believes that fans will come to a different conclusion than the show's critics.
"I also think some of the reviews we saw were seeing the show through a very specific lens, and I think when the fans of the Marvel Netflix world and fans of the comic books view the show through the lens of just wanting to enjoy a superhero show, then they will really enjoy what they see," he said. "I think it's a fantastic show which is really fun and I think it stands up there with the other Defenders' shows without a doubt."
Fans will get their chance to weigh in on "Iron Fist" when it debuts on Netflix Friday, March 17.