When it comes to it's Marvel shows, Netflix is not quite pitching a perfect game anymore. They started off strong with "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones," but "Iron Fist" and the devil of Hell's Kitchen's second season proved less popular. Still, with the exception of Danny Rand, each series benefitted from a fantastic and memorable lead.
When "Marvel's The Defenders" was announced, fans were excited but skeptical. Netflix needed to be able to balance a huge cast and introduce villains worthy of the heroes' time. After watching the first season's eight episodes, we are generally satisfied but feel it was far from perfect.
As positive articles tend to be less popular, let us talk about what sucked about "Marvel's The Defenders".
The Hand
"Marvel's The Defenders" took the easy option, instead of introducing a new villain, they decided to just bring over characters from the stand alone shows. The Hand was founded by five ninjas banished from the K'un-Lun, who discovered immortality. Their whole goal is to take over New York to find the substance that continues to extend their lives.
Let us be honest, they were pretty darn boring. Even with A-list celebrities like Sigourney Weaver, all their scenes amounted to a series of long-winded and cheesy speeches about destiny and power. Since we were already familiar with these characters, they came across as tired and outdated.
As this was the first season, it does make sense to not introduce a new antagonist to allow for the main characters to bond, but a lot of screen-time is dedicated to the Hand.
Kung fu fighting
Action scenes are hard to get right, especially when there is a lack of special effects to cover up the shortcomings. Most of the battles in "Marvel's The Defenders" struggled to leave an impression, as they take place in one dark room after another as the heroes kung fu their way through a bunch of faceless enemies.
Despite being superhero shows, only "Iron Fist" focused heavily on action, while the other series used it more sparingly.
Cookie cutter banter
Despite being called "Marvel's The Defenders", the four heroes do not spend enough time together. They are always finding a reason to separate them, so when they do share a scene, it amounts to a few one liners and a whole lot of angst. We know that they have decent chemistry, with the exception of the charisma black hole that is Danny Rand, but Netflix seemed hesitant to let them do their thing.
