(LOGO PROVIDED VIA IMDB.COM)
***WARING: REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. I PROMISE I WILL REALLY TRY NOT TO GIVE ANY***
(TRAILER PROVIDED VIA YOUTUBE)
STARRING:
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
Mike Colter as Luke Cage
Finn Jones as Danny Rand/The Immortal Iron Fist
Elodie Yung as Elektra Natchios
Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing
Scott Glen as Stick
Sigourney Weaver as Alexandra Reid
Wai Ching Ho as Madame Gao
Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
Simone Missick as Misty Knight
Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple
Debrorah Ann Woll as Karen Page
Marvel and Netflix have brought together their brand of heroes in the form of a team television series called The Defenders. This eight episode series brings together Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and The Immortal Iron Fist Danny Rand in an exciting battle against the evil organization know as The Hand. Every character that has ever meant anything in this branch of the MCU makes an appearance in this series and no one is wasted on some campy cameo. Each character is important in their own way and plays a role, even if small, to how our heroes save the day. They all have purpose and their stories are all advanced.
This series is fun. It gives you insights to the characters that haven't been shown before and it fixes other things such as Danny Rand. Honestly, everyone can agree that the first season of Iron Fist was a bit of a let down and Danny Rand was a little disappointing. Marvel heard us and I feel they made him a better character. I actually care about where he goes from here.
Luke Cage; even though he is the impenetrable muscle of the group, he also is the heart of them all. When he finally agreed with the team about how to stop The Hand's plan once and for all, he is the one who makes them all swear that there would be no innocent lives taken. Not that they challenged him, but he was the one that took that stand initially.
While Jessica Jones was also seen as a power house, her detective skills were used quite a bit. I really enjoyed watching her and Matt Murdock investigating together. Jessica probably had the most growth during this series out of all of the heroes. She went from being a loner drunk to becoming someone who truly cared for her team.
Earlier, I said Luke Cage was the heart of the group. However Matt Murdock, the devil of Hell's Kitchen, was the soul. His sacrifice is what inspires the team to remain heroes. He inspires Danny Rand to tell the group his "last words." "Keep my city safe." I found that his actions often inspired the group to raise the bar throughout the series. He was the perfect example of a true hero.
The return and use of Elektra was well written. We finally got to know who The Hand was and what their purpose was. Elektra was a key to that and Sigourney Weaver's Alexandra Reid was the main puppeteer. If The Hand had a head, it would be Alexandra. Their control behind the scenes was almost as powerful as Hydra's. They were a true force to be reckoned with.
At the end of this season, I find myself excited for what comes next. I care about seeing Danny Rand put on the suit. I want to see how they bring Luke and Jessica together to fulfill their destiny together. Of course I can't wait to see the return of Daredevil. The thing I want to see most is The Defenders join The Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers in Infinite War. It's one shared universe. They all belong on screen together. I am also hoping for a Heroes for Hire spin off series as well. It could happen.
As a whole, The Defenders works and it works well. I give the series 4 out of 5 stars and I'm very happy Marvel keeps everything intertwined together. Events in this series play a part in the bigger MCU and I feel confident that these character have a great future with the Marcel Cinematic Universe.
EXCLUSIVE TEASER:
