Looking Back at Marvel’s The Defenders

By Avik Basak

When Marvel produced Daredevil, their first web series in collaboration with Netflix, they stated that it would be followed by Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist to ultimately lead to a crossover event, The Defenders. Since then, this mega team up of Marvel’s TV section of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) started to generate some hype. It was not expected to be something as grand as The Avengers as that was a full-fledged theatrical movie and as a result had the budget and resources. On the contrary, the miniseries, just like its comic counterpart, was expected to be much lesser in scale with a smaller backdrop compared to the other team of big guys in the MCU.

As soon as Daredevil premiered on Netflix, people knew the proposed team up would be a lot darker and a lot grounded than the movies or the other TV serials produced by Marvel. After the blind crime-fighting lawyer of New York, the introduction of the struggling superhero turned private investigator Jessica Jones raised the bar even more. While Luke Cage and Iron Fist were not quite up to the mark of their predecessors, they were quite decent; hence the expectations from The Defenders became quite high.

The miniseries released on the portal on 18^th August and it took me about two days to complete it. It was not hard as the series is so thrilling and full of cliffhangers that it forces you to binge-watch. So if you ask me, I would say the series is somewhat successful in standing up to its potential.

Yeah, it took me a while to gather my thoughts but now I am ready to share them with you. So let's take a look at these things that went right and wrong with this miniseries.

What Went Right

The “Non-Team”

The Defenders in the comics are often described as a “Non-Team” as each member of the team comes with their own agendas. The series stays true to the spirit of the comics and maintains this notion as the main characters here shown working different cases and clues that lead to a common enemy and as a result, they decide to team up and play along until the threat neutralises. Unlike The Avengers, they do not look forward to the idea of staying and fighting as a team with much excitement as we can hear Jessica say in a scene, “This war, or whatever it is, this is not my problem. I just want to get answers for my client.”

Staying True to the Characters

Now, this is something that Marvel has always done in their cinematic universe, they have always stayed true to the soul of their characters and The Defenders is not an exception. The miniseries not only continues the story of the characters, which were previously well established in their respective solo series but also justifies their contributions to the events that take place in this team up.

The Darker Theme

The Netflix section of Marvel’s set of TV series has always been on the darker side and this team up just continues that tradition. With comparatively grounded characters than The Avengers, it kinds of makes sense when the show runners opt to go on this path and certainly makes it a different kind of crossover event than anything we have seen before from this studio (Or Television Division or whatever they like to call themselves).

The Performances

Okay, I do not need to say anything about this because if you are a Marvel fan like me then you would know that the acting part has always been top notched with all their properties, hence it is only obvious that this team up would also reach the same standards. Almost everyone, no matter how small a role they had, does justice with their parts and makes it a delightful watch.

The “Team up”

Yes, the best part of the series is the team up itself. The way the first two episodes are written and directed that bring these four distinct individuals together is amazing and worth a round of applause. Yes, the overall series is well written and well directed but the first two episodes really stand out from the rest.

What Went Wrong

Treatment of Elektra

If you have seen the trailers then you would know that Elektra will be brought back from the dead and will play a crucial role in the series. The resurrection part is fine with me but what I do not like is the way she becomes towards the end of the series. I would not reveal what actually happens with her but I did not find it as a pleasant twist.

The VFX

Though most of the Marvel TV series have been good on their visual effects, there are a few (Only a few) scenes in this crossover event that look a bit sloppy and you can point out the VFX flaws without putting much effort. We can surely overlook those but because this is a Marvel product, it just stings a little.

Overall, it is a great series and as I said before, surely meets the expectations (At least I found it like that). So, if you have not watched it yet, do that as soon as possible because you would be in for a treat.

So, what do you think about this Marvel team up? Do let me know in the comments section.