by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
When the city needs saving, four reluctant heroes are forced to put aside their differences and come together to protect the citizens of New York from an army of ninjas. That’s right. It is finally time for Marvel’s The Defenders on Netflix! Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist are back and now must take on Alexandra, the Leader of the Hand, and the newly returned Elektra. Thanks to our friends at Netflix, ComicsOnline has seen the first four episodes of the new series.
Extremely minor spoilers follow.
The five seasons of Marvel Netflix shows have been building to a massive stand-off against The Hand. Daredevil has faced off against these fierce warriors during each of his respective seasons, and Iron First spent the entirety of his opening season attempting to take back his family’s company from their control. With the puzzle pieces finally coming together, the leadership of this evil organization has been exposed, and the heroes of New York will be faced with challenges beyond their wildest dreams. After being struck by a mysterious illness, a woman named Alexandra tasks Madam Gao with accelerating her timetable for The Hand’s plans for New York City. What role does the newly returned Black Sky (a.k.a. Elektra) play in these villainous schemes? Why does Alexandra need Danny Rand? Will our heroes step up to save the city before it is destroyed?
In terms of dynamics, the Matt Murdock/Jessica Jones and Luke Cake/Iron Fist team-ups are the strongest in these opening episodes. Following the events of Daredevil Season 2, Matt has attempted to refocus his life on his career and has moved away from roaming the streets as a costumed hero. After getting introduced to Jessica, that plan is seemingly thrown out the window, as his attempts to stop her from getting mixed up with The Hand fall flat. Luke and Danny’s first encounter couldn’t have been any better, as a case of mistaken identity leads to a brawl between the two heroes. Who wins between Iron Fist and Luke Cage? You’ll have to see for yourself. Once the four heroes are finally assembled, the fun truly begins. If you’ve seen the trailers for the series, then you are aware of a scene that takes place in a Chinese restaurant. This becomes the unlikely locale for the group to discuss their unique situations and see if they can handle working together to get some answers.
After years of development, The Defenders was the perfect way to bring all of the Marvel Netflix characters together. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist each had extremely different filming styles and tones, and while the first two episodes struggled with finding it’s own distinctive tone, this is quickly rectified once all of the characters are united. The series gets better with each passing episode, and you will find it a challenge not to binge the entire series in one sitting. Showrunners Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez have crafted something special for the fans, and hopefully we will have more group outings with The Defenders in the near future.
Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more coverage of The Defenders, as well as everything geek pop culture!
