This is the crossover we all been waiting for. Marvel’s street-level superheroes team up to save their beloved city, everything is gonna be okay… right?
Before I get into the topic I’d like to say that the best thing about Marvel Netflix is that it gives complexity to the concept of heroism, it shows that having powers & saving people is not always gonna be cool or rewarding. people have different responsibilities & lives to uphold.
The Defenders unites the four Marvel Netflix heroes Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, & Iron Fist for a not-so-easy adventure. It’s basically Marvel’s Netflix Avengers but with booze & sex scenes.
The first few episodes focus on establishing the characters after their respective seasons. After each episode, all of their worlds become even more connected. They establish the side characters that mean the most to the heroes which puts them in an emotional state to save them and their city. I absolutely love the slow-pacing in the beginning, it established more character development.
Everybody was speculating about how the main heroes would interact with one another. If you’re a comic book fan, then you’ll already know the beautiful friendship that Luke Cage and Danny Rand will have. Speaking of Iron Fist, his show was the least of my favorites, the story arc was underdeveloped and I agree about the bad casting, but in this series, Danny is a little more tolerable to watch. He becomes the catalyst for the whole series. Colleen Wing is still a sword-wielding warrior that everyone loves and she actually manages to make Danny a little more sympathetic.
Matt and Jessica became my favorite duo in this series. I was looking forward to Jessica’s day drinking and eye-rolling and how it compares or contrasts with Matt’s seriousness and catholic-guilt. They gradually get closer throughout the show and it is absolutely great. We also get to see Claire & Luke’s relationship with each other and it’s really healthy even though us comic book fans still dream that Jessica and Luke will get together, they even show subliminal messages with their connection to each other so it will probably be sooner or later.
Elektra had an amazing story arc in this of this series with her being brought back to life by the Hand if you remember her death in season two of Daredevil. She deals with herself learning to fight again and be a weapon of the Hand. Things also get too close to home when she faces against the Defenders and her lover Matt in the series. It’s astonishing how well they did justice on how different Elektra and Matt are and how they still work so well together.
Throughout the show, we see Misty Knight still being the beautiful bad-ass that she is trying to get to the bottom of this mystical situation that is the Hand. We get to see a comic book reference regarding Misty Knight in the end that I guarantee will have every comic book fan screaming. I also love the Misty Knight and Colleen Wing friendship blossoming in the end which I hope will lead into the “Daughters of the Dragon” duo between them like in the comics.
And finally, Sigourney Weaver as the main villain and being a significant part of the Hand is simply amazing. Her acting is so brilliant and she plays the role of her character so well. She managed to be menacing and sympathetic at the same time. Her relationship with Elektra is kind of odd but understandable in a way. I absolutely loved her in the series, she was great!
The Defenders become one of the most enjoyable Marvel content out there for me. I loved how the side characters get a spotlight in this. The Defenders may not be your typical happy-go-lucky superhero but they are still there to save people. I recommend this show to everyone!
