The long anticipated Defenders series, which combines the characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist made its debut on August 18th, and it did not disappoint.
Striking a perfect harmony between the big screen Super Heroes that Marvel has sponsored lately, and the small screen Super Heroes of the CW, Netflix is definitely carving out its own memorable niche of darker, lovable heroes by combing great acting, characters, humor and action into one intense power-package.
While you can watch Defenders as a stand alone series, it makes much more sense if you have watched the individual super hero series beforehand. Each super hero has their own unique personality, style and back ground story–all of which come through in Defenders Season 1, but which make much more sense if you have seen them on their own first. You will also have a greater grasp of who their foe is and the combining storylines.
I have to applaud Netflix for great casting in these series because each actor does a great job in their part. I have a soft-spot for Daredevil (played by Charlie Cox), because Matt Murdock is a more complicated character–a moral Catholic pro-bono lawyer, who is also a vigilante and a leader. Jessica Jones(played by Krysten Ritter) is a unique character that grows on you as well. She is unapologetically fierce and abrasive. Acting as if she doesn’t care, but always coming through when it matters. You will grow to love her. Luke Cage(played by Mike Colter) is the indestructible good guy with a checkered past who is always trying to hold back and make up for his former wrongs. While Danny Rand a.k.a. Iron Fist (played by Finn Jones) is the wealthy golden-boy orphan who although can be somewhat irritating in his childishness is really just trying to figure out his place. His girlfriend Colleen surmises it well when she says that although he may have legendary power, deep down he is really just a lost little boy still looking for his family.
In Season 1 of the Defenders, Netflix even brought out some big names, by using Sigourney Weaver as the main character for The Hand. Sigourney’s role was surprising and yet she played it expertly and brought a sense of class and infamy to the Hand, which previously we have not known much about. Just been teased in different series about their far reach and what their gold and ambitions are. They are masters of time who have endured under the radar for centuries by making formidable connections and using their power to destroy cities.
Perhaps the most surprising role is that of Elektra, played by Elodie Yung. Hers is an intensely complicated role, and although we were introduced to her in Daredevil and watched her character evolve and then ultimately die, now we are introduced to her in a completely different light after her resurrection. It is her, and yet it is not her. And she adds an element of surprise and fierceness to the end result that even The Hand did not anticipate.
The main differences between a series like Defenders versus other big screen super hero teams like Marvel’s Avengers, is a more realistic and mundane story plot and characters. And the characters themselves are more complicated and real. None of them fit neatly into the box of “good guy”, and they must fly under the public radar much differently than the Avengers who are well-known in the public eye. Some could say their backgrounds are more similarly aligned to that of the recent Zack Snyder Batman films, only these super heroes truly do have power and abilities instead of just the cool gadgets that Batman has.
Without divulging into the season’s story plot or ruining the ending for those of you who have yet to watch it, all I can say is that you do not want to be left out. If you like Super Heroes at all–or even if you don’t!–you will want to check to this series for its amazing suspense, intensity and just an overall exhilarating experience.
