The Defenders Preview

The Defenders is less than a month away and with what looks like the final trailer now out I thought it would be useful (and fun) to go through everything we know (excluding spoilers for the first episode, which was shown at SDCC). For convenience (and my sanity) I'll refer to the seasons of the various shows by acronyms (so that DD1 refers to Daredevil season one, etc), and for trailers it will be trailer one (T1), trailer two (T2), Stan Lee's trailer (SLT)), while the teasers are Te1 (featuring the group on an elevator), Te2 (featuring Gao and Alexandra), Te3 (Matt Murdock and Father Lanthom).

SPOILERS ahead for all the previous Netflix seasons

[UPDATE: I've found a decent chronology online that creates some errors with what's below, so here's a more accurate and comprehensive one.]

Let's start with what's happened in regards to the Hand throughout the other five seasons of Netflix prior to the team-up (with a few other tidbits thrown in). Here are the events in chronological order (as best as I can determine--we know Marvel has an actual timeline for all this, but given we don't have access to that, I made do with citations in the shows and what I could gather online, such as here--the point is less about absolute accuracy and more a general tenor of events); I've colour-coded it to break up the wall of text:
-1979 Carl Lucas (Luke Cage) is born
-1982 Jessica Jones is born
-1985 Matt Murdock is born; Elektra is also born around this time (DD2)
-1990 Danny Rand is born
-1994 Matt is blinded by chemical goo via an overturned Rand Corps truck; Stick shows up to teach him how to properly use his abilities, but this relationship is short-lived, as Stick abandons him when he starts to feel attached (DD1)
-around the same time Stick finds Elektra, intended to be Black Sky, but he decides not to kill her because he's become attached to her, instead training her to be a member of the Chaste (DD2)
-late 1990s Jessica's parents and brother are killed in a car accident and she gets her powers via the treatments by IGH for her injuries; she's then adopted by Dorothy Walker (JJ)
-2000 Gao's faction of the hand makes a deal with Harold Meachem--in exchange for curing his cancer (which required his death and resurrection), he allows them untrammeled influence at Rand Corps; Danny Rand survives the Harold-arranged plane crash and vanishes into K'un-Lun (IF)
-c.2004 Elektra is sent to Matt by Stick to recruit him; she develops feelings for him, but he eventually rejects her because of her violent nature (DD2)
-late 2000s Luke Cage is put in jail for a crime he didn't commit (the timing is an inference based on the pop icons he references to Squabbles)--the lower limit seems to be about 2006, as that's when the youngest (Zoe Kravitz) turned 18 (LC); it's unclear how long he spends in jail, when he breaks out, or how long he is married to Reva

-after the "incident" (ie, The Avengers), 2012, Gao, Nobu, Owlsley, and the Ranskahov's come to dominate the New York crime scene (DD1)

-within this time period Colleen Wing is recruited by Bakuto to join his faction of the Hand (IF)
-sometime between 2012-2013 Wilson Fisk returns to New York and persuades the various criminal factions to work together; it's unclear if he understands that Gao and Nobu work for the Hand, but he's solicitous to both, particularly Gao (DD1)
-2013, Jessica briefly attempts to be a hero, but is found by Kilgrave who seizes control of her (JJ)
-January, 2014, Jessica Jones escapes Kilgrave's clutches and Reva dies (JJ)
-autumn of 2014, Matt Murdock is able to confront and shutdown Fisk; in the process the Ranskahov's die and the Russian mob loses power; Nobu is killed and his faction of Yakuza are forced to change tactics (DD1); this change in the criminal landscape leaves space for both Cottonmouth and Diamondback to become more powerful (LC), as well as the Black Smith (DD2), who is able to out-compete Gao's heroin operation; it also indirectly leads to the death of Frank Castle's family (DD2)
-early 2015 the events of Jessica Jones unfold (JJ; nothing Hand-related happens); Jessica's reputation as a PI is heightened by the end and, among other things, she works for Joy Meachem subsequently (IF); it's at this time that Frank Castle's family dies in a botched sting operation (DD2)
-a few months later (spring or summer of 2015) the events of Luke Cage unfold (nothing Hand-related happens); Luke returns to jail until the proof he's found can be used to prove him innocent (LC); he writes letters to new love Claire (IF)
-around the same time the now recovered Castle destroys the Irish Mob, Mexican Cartel, and the Dogs of Hell within New York (DD2); Castle also kills the Black Smith, eliminating Gao's competition for heroin--subsequently Wilson Fisk let's Castle escape from jail in order for him to kill off his competition; Elektra returns to Matt to stop Nobu's (now resurrected) faction of the Hand, who are using the Roxxon Corps to assist them (among the things they are doing is digging a giant hole in Midland Circle); in the process she dies and Nobu is killed permanently by Stick (DD2)
-A couple of months later Danny Rand returns to New York (summer or fall 2015); he comes into conflict with Gao's faction of the Hand (which has just completed work on a new kind of heroin) and is ultimately able to defeat her; he then gets entangled with Bakuto's faction; Bakuto is killed and the Hand is pushed out of Rand Corps with the help of Ward and Joy Meachem, but Gao is freed (IF)

What is the Hand trying to accomplish? Nobu's focus was Black Sky and securing the building the Hand wanted to dig it's hole (which Fisk provides him). Gao, up until this point, has done little more than sell heroin (all her actions, including using Rand to acquire a pier, are related to this--the heroin, presumably, is a method of control as well as being incredibly lucrative). Bakuto seems to be an echo of Nobu, but uses different methods (when he briefly seizes control of Rand his only action is to drain Gao's accounts to his own). I presume all three serve (or served) Alexandra, but we don't yet know why she tolerated their divisiveness. Reviewers have compared her to Wilson Fisk, but Fisk was preemptive in trying to avoid internal strife.

What We Know

The scripts for the show were completed in the summer of 2016 (written by DD2 showrunners Ramirez and Doug Petrie), which is before both Luke Cage or Iron Fist debuted. The show was filmed after The Punisher (even though it will premiere first) and immediately following Iron Fist. This means there was no consideration for how those shows were received. The writing duo also wrote DD2, so that gives us some idea of what we can expect (unfortunately the elements regarding the Hand and Elektra are the weakest parts of that season). We also know that the main villain was slightly re-written once Sigourney Weaver was cast.

In terms of what's happened to the heroes between their shows and the series, we've been given some information:
-Daredevil has given up the mask after Elektra's death and is trying to be just a lawyer (Te3 relates to this); as the Hand has featured in both his seasons, he's intrinsically linked to the plot
-Jessica Jones is struggling to deal with success and the aftermath of Kilgrave; the lingering plot element from her show is about IGH (how she and others got their powers), which isn't likely to matter here; from T1 her PI work links her to events
-Luke is getting out of Seagate Prison (perhaps with the help of Matt Murdock, who presumably Claire meant when she said she knew a good lawyer), and returning to his life as the hero of Harlem; the unfinished business he has is with Mariah and Shades, but is unrelated to the team-up, so from trailers it's unclear what's connecting him to the Hand (non-spoiler reviews indicate that criminals from Harlem are some of those being used to handle the grunt work for the Hand, which acts as his connection)

-Danny is continuing to try and deal with the Hand--that's his objective as the Iron Fist--Gao is free and the organisation in general remains strong
-among the various secondary characters slated to appear in the show the biggest changes are with those from DD, as Foggy is now a partner in Hogarth's law firm and Karen is now a reporter at the New York Bulletin (DD2)

Showrunner Marco Ramirez said "Every one of [The Defenders] is following their own trail of bread crumbs, trying to unpack a mystery in New York." Ramirez has also described the show as a mystery or crime show, making a fairly sharp distinction from what shapes The Avengers, even though this team-up is inspired by it.

The Story of the Trailers

We know from T1 that both Jessica Jones and Misty Knight are pursuing the same suspect (although we don't know why there's a city-wide manhunt for him or why Jessica was trying to help him). He dies, Misty arrests Jessica, and Matt Murdock arrives as her attorney (T1). As yet we don't know why Matt shows up to help Jessica (why not Hogarth, for instance?), as she does not know who he is, so he's doing it for his own reasons (perhaps related to the various activities of the Hand, or it could be that he, too, was looking for the man--there's a scene of Matt on a rooftop (T1) looking down that might be related). I think this could be the second episode of the series, given that the first will largely be a recap for where each hero is at, but it could also form the climax of the first episode.

As for how the others get involved, prior to seeing reviews I thought Luke might get involved because of Misty's work or more probably Claire, but it seems outside the footage shown something is going on in Harlem that gets his attention; from T1 Luke and Danny run into each other while Danny is chasing a man; Claire talks them through their initial conflict. Interestingly, Colleen is absent from most of these scenes--that might just be a trick of the trailer (we see her enter the building with Danny (T1) that he subsequently chases the man out of before having his fight with Luke), but it's also possible she's run into trouble. Incidentally, the two pairings (Jessica and Matt, Danny and Luke) make sense not just thematically but also logistically--the former two both operate in Hell's Kitchen, while Colleen's dojo is near Luke's territory (and thus a place Danny would spend time at).

There's a shot of a building on fire (T2)--while this could be the Midland Circle building after the big fight (see below), I think it's something that happens early--possibly the triggering event for Jessica and others. There's a shot of Claire next to a fire truck (T2) and Luke near sirens that might be connected to this.

The event we've seen the most footage of is a fight inside a big office building (the offices of Midland Circle according to Entertainment Weekly, last seen in DD2). In T2 we see Danny attacking or being attacked in a corporate boardroom chaired by Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver's character)--this scene appeared without that context in T1, but is clearly the one that leads to the hallway fight we've seen in both trailers (as well as the elevator shot we got in Te1 months ago). From T1 it seems as though Jessica and Matt go into the building together (since he borrows Jessica's scarf), but it's not yet clear what brings Luke there (Danny is alone when he either confronts or is confronted by Alexandra). Elektra, now resurrected (see below) fights them here (as seen in T1). While this is clearly early in the series, I'd guess it's at least a few episodes in.

The foursome then goes to a Chinese restaurant (the Royal Dragon) to rest. This is where Danny attempts to bring them together as a team (he mentions the Hand hunting their friends and family and says it in a way indicating all four already know this is actively happening). The various rebuffs to Danny from both trailers come from this sequence. Stick then arrives (T1) to tell them to get it together, but is followed by Alexandra and Elektra. One interesting note is that, while clearly Jessica knows who Matt is, he still has the scarf on in the Chinese restaurant to begin with, but not later, so I wonder if Stick is the one who gives away his secret identity or if he tells them himself--subsequently it's clear the other Defenders know who he is. It seems as though Alexandra talks to them before the fight occurs (T2; given the broken state of the restaurant after the fight). At a guess I think they lose this fight and Alexandra gives them the option to quit (I suspect this because that tends to be how stories like this go--the threat needs to be firmly established). It's incredible to think that two large fight sequences would occur virtually back-to-back like this, but presumably the show has a massive amount of frenetic energy.

Prior to all of this Elektra is resurrected as Black Sky (teased in DD2 and whose purpose we learned in DD1); from comments made she returns with no memories of who she was (this is quite different from the other resurrections we've seen, that of Nobu in DD2 as well as Harold Meachem in IF--seemingly also Bakuto). She's intended to be the instrument that brings whatever Alexandra's plan is to fruition (she speaks of getting back what was once ours, as in the Hand's, but we don't know what that is). Speaking of that plan, from Te2 we know that it's being rushed by Alexandra--Gao councils her to wait, but is told to proceed immediately. This tells us that Alexandra is both in charge of the Hand (as expected) and that her situation is urgent. I believe her verbal confrontation with Stick (T2) happens before the Midlands Circle fight, as she believes the battle is over (presumably against the Chaste; it's possible that they have this talk after she's sent people to attack the allies and friends of the Defenders and believes them neutralized). What we don't know is why she isn't afraid of the Avengers stopping her (this might not be explained, but I expect it will be--for those keeping track at this point both Hulk and Thor have left Earth).

It's difficult to say when the brief scenes we get of friends looking worried is (probably early)--there's a shot of Foggy comforting Karen and another of Trish looking at what's presumably her car either smashed into the ground or slipping into a sinkhole (I'd guess the former, both T2). We've had no shots of Malcolm or Hogarth yet, both of whom we know will appear, while I think Claire's shot of concern is definitely early in the show.

When exactly Matt decides to put on his costume and resume being Daredevil isn't clear, but we see what seems to be a fight between he and Danny (T2) while he's in the costume (minus the mask) that Jessica stops. This is part of a sequence seen in both trailers that seems to be training of some sort, but I wonder if this escalates because of a debate over what to do about Elektra--Matt undoubtedly wanting to save her, with the others (perhaps goaded by Stick) believing she must die. I also think Stick might help teach Danny better ways to control and use his abilities--we know from comments made by Bakuto (IF) that there's much he doesn't understand about what an Iron Fist can do and who better to teach Danny than a member of the Chaste (also sworn enemies of the Hand)?

A later fight scene, one with Matt in full costume, appears to be in the tunnels underneath the city (likely the hole below Midlands Circle). This was barely seen in T1 (Danny fighting Elektra), but several shots appear in T2. It's uncertain the context of the fight, but it contains the biggest Iron Fist moment we've seen from Danny since the money shot in his final episode, as one punch blows back a group of Hand fighters. Whether this fight is leading towards the show's climax or not can't be parsed from what we've seen.

We've had it confirmed that the Punisher will appear in the show (SLT and elsewhere), but how much we don't know. Outside making an appearance we have no idea how much (or little) he'll contribute to fighting the Hand (or how this will connect to his own show, which was filmed beforehand). I'd guess he appears briefly--the show wasn't really designed for him and it makes more sense for his own show that he doesn't have a group of superfriends on-tap.

Beyond this there are a number of scenes that lack enough context to safely place them, but here's what I think we can squeeze out of them. The subway scene (T2) smacks of being towards the end of the show, but it could be shortly after they've all met.

More definitively is the scene of Matt weraing a suit fighting in an alleyway (T1). This seems part of the same phase, albeit beforehand, of the big Midlands Circle fight.

There's a scene of Colleen Wing fighting the resurrected Bakuto (T2). I'm assuming this is earlier in the show, as thus far it doesn't seem like Colleen fights with the group as a whole.

There are a pair of disconnected Luke and Jessica scenes (T2) that could be early or in the middle; one where they are fighting as a team, another where an upset Jessica is storming away from Luke (presumably the latter is earlier).

Finally we have two Daredevil scenes without context. One (SLT) he's leaping from a building to rescue a falling woman; in the other he and Jessica are fighting in what looks like a club of some sort (T2). We know these are later in the show because Matt is in costume.

That's as far as the trailers take us. It's reasonable to expect the first episode to largely be a recap, the second establishing the plot and villain, and things heating up beyond that. I think the dose of secondary characters will be light--we'll visit them all, but other than Colleen none are really able to battle the Hand in their current incarnation (if Trish was Hellcat we'd see her here). What's still unknown is what Alexandra (or the Hand) is trying to do. One of the frustrations of Iron Fist is the uncertainty of what the mystical ninja's were doing, but at last we will get some answers. I also expect Elektra to change sides--it's cliche, but also what happens to her in both of her comic book origins. I'm not sure how the show will make this interesting as it's entirely expected--perhaps she does it for selfish rather than romantic reasons (I don't think the show-romance between she and Matt has worked, so they're better off moving away from it).

The show will also serve as a way for Danny to grow up. In the comics Danny is a funny, light-hearted character, but to service the plot in his own series we saw none of the former and only a little of the latter. Given how cynical Matt and Jessica are, and how much of a loner Luke is, Danny is important connective tissue for the group. I'm also interested to see if the show serves to get rid of the Hand as central villains--this will be their fourth appearance (DD1, DD2, and IF) and for me that's enough--but they've been tied strongly to IF so we shall see.

Another interesting question is what impact this will have on the respective series'. Cheo Hodari Coker (LC) basically ignored the events of JJ (other than Luke's relationship with Reva; it was one of my major complaints about the show), while both showrunners of DD have been quite faithful in dealing with events occurring in other shows. Given the not-so-subtle hints that Misty will be joining the second season of Iron Fist I'd like greater awareness throughout, and I think Netflix would do well to follow the MCU's example to have more crossover between the shows. Time will tell.

Reviewers have seen the first four episodes of the series and the sentiments have been generally positive (the negatives coming from those who've been routinely negative about the shows previously). For those of you used to that catch-all criticism of MCU films being the colour-palate, here the default is "slow". Any time someone is reduced to things like that as a criticism they're simply looking for ways to criticise. In general I expect the show to both review well and be well-received by fans.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel TV News Update

I speculated back in May that the new Fox Marvel TV shows were a possible indication that they had been traded for the tarnished Fantastic Four and that's what a source for Den of Geek reported (officially denied, for whatever that's worth). While the rumour may be incorrect, clearly something was given to Marvel in order for Fox to brand-build on TV; I suspect we'll learn what sooner than later.

After some optimistic speculation last time about the inclusion of the Netflix characters in Infinity War, I'm leaning the other way now (that it won't happen, despite the recent rumour that Daredevil will appear in the untitled fourth Avengers film). This isn't due to any any particular news (although the double Nightshade casting, see below, seems indicative), but more a matter of logistics. Even if both movies are in the two and a half hour range, there's precious little time for such an inclusion. With that said, I still think appearances in future MCU films will happen--there's no downside to it, other than whatever leftover hostility Kevin Feige has towards the TV division. There remains a small chance that the TV universe will be separated completely from the MCU (ala DC), but I think that would only hurt the brand so I don't think that's in the cards.

It's a funny thing to be hyped for The Defenders while having no interest in their antagonists, the Hand. As I've mentioned before I hope the show puts an end to them (except, perhaps, for Iron Fist) so we can get back to more interesting villains. That aside, we have one piece of casting news (via IMDB, so all the usual caveats):

• Architect - likely the Elektra character (created by Peter Milligan and Mike Deodato Jr), who lasts just six issues; sadly this comic run is not available on Marvel Unlimited so I haven't been able to read through them

Luke Cage casting (featuring two of the five options Comicbook.com suggested back in December, along with my favourite pick from that selection):

• John McIver (who is or becomes Bushmaster) - created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, he debuted as an Iron Fist villain back in 1977 (eventually facing Luke Cage); he's a street kid with a violent streak who becomes a gang lord (a lot like Diamondback, admittedly), who has a romantic interest in Misty Knight; eventually Noah Burstein mutates him (giving him superior strength and durability); in the comics Bushmaster dies (his mantel picked up by his brother Quincy). For those with Marvel Unlimited here's the reading material chronologically: Iron Fist #15, Marvel Team-Up #63 (Iron Fist and Spider-Man), Power Man #48-#49, and Power Man and Iron Fist #67 (McIver's death)
• Tilda Johnson (who is or becomes Nightshade) - A more ubiquitous villain (created by Steve Englehart and Alan Weiss) who originally faced Captain America (1973); she eventually becomes a hero (an ally of Misty Knight), but I suspect that's a long way off. Born in poverty in Harlem, she becomes a brilliant scientist, using it for criminal enterprise. For those looking for earlier material on her (chronologically): Captain America #164, #189, Power Man and Iron Fist #51-#53, Marvel Team-Up #3 (Iron Fist, Power Man, and the Hulk), Power Man and Iron Fist #110; she later has an extensive run on Mark Gruenwald's Captain America as an antagonist (which likely isn't relevant), but Christopher Priest's Black Panther run might have some insight (#16-#17, #39-#41, #43-#45, and #48)

What's interesting about this is that Nightshade has been cast in Black Panther (presumably reliant on Priest's work), which is the first time the MCU and Marvel Entertainment have cast different actors in the same role. This news comes from a now deleted Tweet from Nabiyah Be, in which she included this image:

This is strong evidence of the divide between MCU and Marvel Entertainment, as clearly Cheo Hodari Coker didn't care what Ryan Coogler was doing (the former casting the role after the latter).

Digging into what we might expect in Luke Cage: all the Netflix showrunners have remained pretty faithful to the source material (in spirit if not always specifics), so I'd expect these versions to stick fairly close to their histories. While Mariah and Shades remain from season one as antagonists, presumably McIver either joins or is a rival to them in criminal enterprises--perhaps working in tandem with Johnson (the former may also have a connection to Luke via Seagate Prison). I also wonder if Diamondback will return--I'd think they'd wrap up that storyline, but it remains uncertain at this point.

Having filmed for over three months, surprisingly not much has been leaked or confirmed about the show's second season. The assumption at this point is that Nuke will be the primary foe, tying into the IGH material featured in the first season. What we do have is a casting call from a few months ago that includes three series regulars and another that's recurring. MCU Exchange makes the following guesses for who these characters could be (pointing out that Jessica Jones doesn't have much of a roster of characters to borrow from; they are listed with the regulars first):

• Dr. Karl Malus - a minor character who has bounced around the Marvel universe in limited fashion; his primary schtick is giving people powers through experimentation--he eventually becomes Carnage for awhile (a development we can ignore); the idea of him appearing is certainly plausible, although given how generic the role description is it could be a show-creation; chronologically his earlier appearances: Spider-Woman #30-#32, Iron Man Annual #7, Captain America #308, #328-#331, Fantastic Four #306, Captain America #363-#364, Avengers Spotlight #29, Captain America #375-#378, Doctor Strange #27, Cage #13-#14, Captain America Annual #12, US Agent #2, and Thunderbolts #44.
• Typhoid Mary - a major Daredevil villain (created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr.), she is the second of two potential selections MCU suggests for this particular casting call, but by far the most interesting (the other is addressed below); ultimately it strikes me as wishful thinking; while the idea of having a major female villain is quite likely, there's nothing about the casting call that suggests Mary Walker other than her height (she's tall); it's far more likely she'd be reserved for Daredevil, where he is accidentally responsible for making her into who she is (she also has connections to the Kingpin)--while she could easily be compared to Elektra, because of the version of the latter that's been used the similarities wouldn't be as apparent; the role, without any announcement of who it is, has been cast (Leah Gibson); early reading for her: Daredevil #254-#257, #259-#263, Power Pack #53, Captain America #373-#377, Daredevil #284, #292, #294-#295, #297, Marvel Presents #110-#115, Marvel Presents #123-#130, Daredevil: Man Without Fear #2, Marvel Presents #150-#151, Spectacular Spider-Man #213-#214, Astonishing Spider-Man #1, and Typhoid #1-#4
• Ian Soo (aka Telekinian) - implies a gender-swap (male to female); the casting call didn't designate ethnicity, so presumably it was open, but given that the actress cast (Gibson) is white I think it's extremely unlikely that she'd be playing the Asian-character; the theory was that because the character was created for the most recent Hellcat comic and is bisexual it would fit, but it's a tenuous connection that doesn't match the other aspects of the call sheet
• Otis Johnson (the second Marvel character of that name) - would be race-swapped (white to Latino); the MCU likes him because of his connection to Misty Knight/Colleen Wing and that he seems like a dorky version of Luke Cage, but that awkwardness does not fit the casting call description at all and if their other guess (below) is correct this would be more than overkill; I suspect this is an original character (all his appearances are in either Heroes for Hire volume 2 (#2-#8) or Daughters of the Dragon (#2-#3, #5-#6))
• Paladin - another race swap (white to black); he's an original Daredevil villain (created by Jim Shooter and Carmine Infantino) that's seen as a Luke Cage stand-in (since that romance isn't likely continuing in Netflix continuity); it's reasonable to expect the show to stick with Jessica's interracial romance so it's an understandable theory; Paladin is a fairly ubiquitous minor character who has bounced around Marvel for decades as both a hero and villain, but he has connections to the other Netflix Defenders characters; the casting sheet doesn't require this interpretation, but of all MCU's suggestions this one seems the most likely to me; for early reading: Daredevil #150, #152, Marvel Premiere #43, Defenders #62-#63, Daredevil #154, Marvel Team-Up #108-#109, Avengers #251, Peter Parker #105-#106, and Avengers #271

We're finally getting more casting listed on IMDB (usual caveats):

• Marion James - played by veteran actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; there's no character with this exact name in Marvel and no "James" or "Marion" who seems appropriate, so she seems to be a show creation
• Geiger - while matching the name of a very minor character from Doc Samson, the listing for the show is male and the character is female and not very suited to either the Punisher or Netflix (as she's super powered), so I think this is also a show-original

There's also a listing for Turk Barrett to appear in the show--a crossover from Daredevil (and Luke Cage) that would make sense, but IMDB has been wrong about this sort of thing before (listing Misty Knight for Iron Fist is an example), so we shall see.

While doing my research for this I came across this 2015 rumour from Screen Geek, which discussed potential new Netflix shows that included not just the Punisher, but also Moon Knight, Spider Woman, and Deathlok. While analysis I read elsewhere described this simply as someone's inspired wishlist (which seems true), it was almost correct for the year of the Punisher show (2018 was the prediction) and that Jigsaw would be the villain (or, at least, a villain). Incidentally, the Bushman said to face Moon Knight is not the one appearing in Luke Cage, but rather Raoul Bushman (an entirely different character created by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz). I missed this particular Moon Knight rumour when I was compiling them several months ago (so we can say such rumours have happened every year since 2014). Incidentally, and I put this here because I don't know where else to place it, Comic's Explained has two Moon Knight videos--in the first he says he's just Batman, but five months later the title is "He's Not Just Marvel's Batman"--I find that amusing. Spider Woman, incidentally, is likely too super powered for television.

Casting for Freeform's New Warriors has finally been announced, but since I'm not familiar with any of the actors I don't have strong opinions about it (other than they are older than the characters are portrayed in the comics). How well will a comedy superhero show work? It's down to the writing and performances.

Critical ratings for shows and movies rarely shift over time (outside of those that reach cult status). That said, viewer ratings do change over time, regressing to the mean (or rising to it). I was curious, years later, how the various Netflix shows had normalized, but Rotten Tomatoes voters don't follow-up on shows so it's a useless measure. IMDB does continue to update ratings, although I can't figure out how you divide things up by season (the votes for individual episodes are a very small sample-size); I've listed the number of votes because I think it's relevant--the larger the number the less likely vote-brigading and initial buzz is a factor:

Daredevil 8.7 (250k votes)
Jessica Jones 8.2 (125k votes)
Luke Cage 7.7 (65k votes)
Agents of SHIELD 7.5 (150k votes)
Iron Fist 7.1 (54k votes)

While this doesn't exactly reflect my opinion, it does seem close to what you'd expect--I think Jessica Jones and Iron Fist should be higher, but neither are criminally low.

I don't care about awards one way or another, but I was amused when Tilda Swinton won a Saturn Award for Doctor Strange. It's a slap in the face to the small number of critics who attacked her casting (and went on to bury Iron Fist), albeit one that will have no impact on the next rubicon of outrage to come (Nick Fury in Captain Marvel could be next).

It's hard to find interesting criticism of both Marvel TV and the MCU at large. There are plenty of opinions out there, but most of them lack depth--a product of whatever echo chamber the proponent resides in (for example the host of this video; another is the MCU Podcast--via the link a host talks about how he's not excited for the Inhumans and his only specific comment is that they brought up guest stars in an interview but didn't expand on it--wtf? His equally clueless cohost thought Medusa had been largely cut from the show because she wasn't featured prominently in the trailer--what planet are these guys on?). Most of what I see or read is someone simply saying X is good/bad, which isn't criticism. What's interesting are the reasons justifying whatever conclusion is being made (albeit deep discussions on things like colour-palate are generally just a ruse to allow the critic to beat on something that's otherwise difficult to criticise). It's also not that useful to talk about performances--it's unavoidable, but there's no way to discuss it productively since it's down to personal preference (if I say so-and-so was great and you thought they were awful, how can those opinions be bridged?). This applies to other things (like "there's too much CGI"--as if there's a magical measurement over what is or isn't "enough"). A good reviewer will tell you what they do or don't like when it comes to personal taste before they get into their review--this allows you to judge whether or not their opinions are likely to match your own--but not enough of them are open and clear about that. The kinds of things that interest me are criteria like: did the plot make sense? Do the characters undergo a story arc? Etc. These are useful elements in a review, but they are rarely focused on.

Somehow I missed Amy Pascal's racist comments back in 2014 (revealed via the Sony email hack, which she apologized for when they were revealed)--this is old news, but I hadn't heard about it, so I thought I'd mention for others who also missed it. Whatever you think about the particulars, I'm shocked this comes from someone so outspoken on social issues--if you preach you need to be consistent.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel TV News Update

It's been awhile since my last post and the wheels of both the TV arm of the MCU and it's big brother on film have been turning. An incidental thought before I dig into it: it's funny how all the characters Marvel reacquired who had their own films have wound up on TV rather than in cinema--I'm not sure if that's due to worries over brand confusion, doubts about their ability to sell tickets, or what. The full count: Daredevil (Fox film in 2003, now on Netflix), Elektra (Fox film in 2005, now a supporting character on Netflix), The Punisher (three films from Lionsgate from 1989-2004, now getting his own series after being a supporting character on Netflix), Ghost Rider (two films from Colombia (Sony) in 2007 and 2012, now a supporting character on Agents of SHIELD). The only exception thus far is Blade (three films from New Line (Warner) from 1998-2004), and I have more to say about him below.

The Inhumans official trailer dropped. It's not bad (despite a lot of negative buzz), although I think they would have been better served using more shots that emphasize what using IMAX is doing for them. As it stands it doesn't look as polished as Netflix, but it's still early and effects are being worked on--it's worth pointing out this trailer was cut almost two months ago so everything is very raw. I'm still not sold on Serinda Swan as Medusa, but it's an opinion that could easily change since we've barely seen her act in the role. Having Iwan Rheon (Maximus) do most of the talking in the trailer is a smart choice.

With the announcement that The Punisher will air in November (possibly November 14th, three days before Justice League), it's made me wonder what the Netflix plan is now that the full cycle of Marvel shows is fully in swing.  Here are the release dates we've had/are officially announced:

2015
April - Daredevil
November - Jessica Jones
2016
March - Daredevil
September - Luke Cage
2017
March - Iron Fist
August - The Defenders
November - The Punisher

The Punisher's post-production will finish around July (based on the usual turnaround of the other shows), meaning the choice to put it a few months after The Defenders is an intended gap (whether this has to do with giving space internally for other Netflix shows or to make space for Inhumans is unknown).  I think Netflix could easily get away with doing more shows and narrowing the gaps.  If we imagine four shows in 2018 it could look like this:

2018
February - Jessica Jones
May - Luke Cage
August - Daredevil
November - Iron Fist

This would put a second season of Punisher arriving in February of 2019.  This is all optimistic speculation, but it's plausible.  If, instead, they stick to a rotation of three releases a year, we'd get something like this:

2018
March - Jessica Jones
August - Luke Cage
November - Daredevil

Going back to The Punisher, if we can trust IMDB (keeping the usual warnings to take the site with a grain of salt), it appears as though Frank Castle's dead family is going to appear quite a bit--presumably in flashbacks. This would be an interesting approach to humanize Frank and prevent him from being simply a vigilante.

If/when we get the announcement of a second season of Iron Fist it seems like Finn Jones wants what a lot of critics want: the show to be more mystical. Putting aside the cost of doing so for a moment (and yes, ninjas are cheaper than most kinds of mysticism), I find that desire puzzling. In terms of comics, Iron Fist has rarely had his own series (roughly 50 issues in the 70s, less than 30 issues of The Immortal Iron Fist in the 90s...and that's pretty much it). This tells you that, while Iron Fist has been a popular character, on his own it's been a struggle (only the second of those two runs is strongly mystical).  Danny Rand has worked best in combination with Luke Cage in Heroes for Hire (and vice versa), something with minimal mystical content. However much people love that mystical run of the comic, it clearly doesn't resonate with fans--people like the humorous Danny Rand hanging out with his buddy. I say this as someone who really enjoyed The Immortal Iron Fist, but that run has it's own problems: why do we care about K'un-Lun? Other than Danny being raised there, nothing really separates it from the other immortal cities. They fight over access to the mortal realm (for whatever reason), but our only attachment to it is via Danny's--that's extremely slim pickings for plots. What could the show really do with it now? All the comic run offers is the tournament of champions (partially spoiled by season one) and then the champions getting together to fight the eighth city. That's about it other than the flashbacks to alternate Iron Fists and Zhou Cheng trying to kill Danny (also spoiled by season one). These plots can only function with an audience loving Danny Rand and that's a lot to hang on Finn Jones. Going back to the dollars and cents that matter, it's difficult to imagine Netflix being able to properly do the mystical side well. In the end it puts the creative team in a catch-22; what the critics want isn't something the show can afford to do, but the popular version of Danny isn't feasible because Luke Cage is locked away in his own series. Personally I'd double down on the corporate stories--critics whined about this immensely, but it's not an element covered by the other shows and also presents problems for Danny he can't just punch his way out of it. What do I think will happen? I have no idea, other than we'll see more ninjas.

Speaking of ninjas, rumours about a Blade reboot or TV series have been kicking around for quite some time (eg), and Kevin Feige recently said "I think it would be fun to do something with him one day." This is incredibly vague and I don't want to read too much into it, but given that Feige is in charge of the movie part of the universe it might imply that Blade is looking at a cinematic return at some point. This would run against what's happened to all other reacquired characters who had prior film-releases (see above). Blade was a much more successful franchise, so it would be an interesting decision to put him in the movies. In terms of tenor I think Blade fits better in the Netflix model, but time will tell what we get (if anything). The character, incidentally, hasn't appeared in a comic since 2010 (although I believe a new series featuring him is coming soon), nor had a series since 2006 (that one intended, no doubt, to help promote the short-lived Spike TV series at that time), although concurrence in the comics is hardly a requirement for adaptation.

Incredibly, despite all the rumours (the one above, those about White Tiger, Namor, and Moon Knight (link above)), no new series' have been announced. This silence comes in the face of the active production of numerous other shows (Cloak & Dagger, Runaways, New Warriors, and The Inhumans). I have no idea if it's simply that Netflix has yet to greenlight another show (or shows) or if they're holding back the announcements (either for an event or simply waiting for The Defenders to drop). Incidentally, in terms of the status of these characters in comics other than Blade (his is mentioned above), the Angela Del Toro White Tiger has been retired since 2010, last appearing simply as herself in 2016; Namor is a mainstay in the universe, but his last solo series was in 2003; Moon Knight has a current series (helmed by Greg Lemire). As mentioned above, their status in the comics isn't particularly relevant.

One character whose name has been dropped to potentially appear is the Chris Claremont-created Captain Britain. Since the person musing about it was Feige my initial presumption was that he'd appear in film, although the possibility of a TV-version seems stronger once I looked into it, as his comments reflect rumours from more than a year ago about a TV series (it could have been one of the four pilots shot last spring/summer, one of which is the source of the White Tiger rumour mentioned above). For those who don't know he's Psylocke's older brother (created before she was, back in 1976), but he's not a mutant and therefore not a Fox property. Unlike a lot of the characters Marvel controls I actually read a version of the character back when he headed the mutant spinoff comic Excalibur. He's a mystical character (ala Doctor Strange and Iron Fist), but one who isn't effects heavy. This also gives me an opportunity to mention I'm one of the only people who prefers Betsy Braddock before Claremont turned her into a ninja (that includes the earlier artwork before we got the typical Jim Lee pin-up version).

The Sony stuff is below, but I'm using the picture because it's both Feige looking awkward and a callback to his tenacious but ineffectual denials. I mentioned last time that he'd finally admitted the TV and movie universes might cross over...and then he promptly denied it again. What I think is happening is Feige likes surprises and wants maximum impact for them--think of how long he denied the deal with Sony for Spider-Man and then how long he denied he would debut in Captain America: Civil War. We see this behaviour going on in the face of Amy Pascal's comments (see below) and I think, ultimately, that's also what's happening with Marvel TV. For years we've been told "it's all connected" and outside of a few cameos early on in Agents of SHIELD (in the first two seasons when Joss Whedon was still around), it's been a one-way street to the movies. Feige is well-aware that part of the appeal of the Marvel shows is their connection to the MCU proper and I think acknowledgement could be on its way. That said, I think we'll get nothing but denials until it happens.

I'd mentioned last time how odd it was that Sony was happily announcing all sorts of comicbook movies that were not in the MCU. At first it seemed like Sony was trying to set up it's own Spider-verse, but then it was reported they would be disconnected even from each other. It was difficult to make any sense out of what they were trying to do. Amy Pascal (of Sony) then said yes, indeed, it's all connected and part of the MCU...and then it got walked back and denied, before both Pascal and Feige made it even more convoluted (a "separate Sony world" that's "in the same reality"--what?). It's one of the most bizarre, hilarious, and frustrating things I can recall related to the MCU. It's a bit like "are the TV characters going to appear in the movies"--the answer is generally no, but not always no, and the "no" makes little sense in terms of both the logic of the shared universe and giving fans what they want. Most explanations I've seen (here and here) suggest a Netflix-like similarity in context, but then what sense can you make in Feige saying "never say never" to Spider-Man appearing in Venom? If Tom Holland appears in these films (as you'd expect him too), then you can't really say it's not part of the MCU--the whole thing is a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

I think Armin's initial theory is one that makes sense, because you can't have Spider-Men based characters without Spider-Man. Sony would lose the hype and stability of being part of the MCU, making their projects as close to dead on arrival as possible. This leaves only a few possibilities (in ascending order of probability): 1) Pascal misspoke on multiple occasions and is unable to simply say "no" to simple questions, 2) Pascal made her comments to pressure Marvel into expanding their deal, 3) Pascal unintentionally spoke about an expanded agreement thinking she was being vague enough not to stir the pot, 4) Pascal intentionally spoke about something under wraps to help build hype for future Sony projects. I don't believe #1 and I think #2 is just too hamfisted to be possible, so we're left with the latter two options. The subsequent backpedals seem like Feige trying to temper expectations ahead of whatever reveal or surprise is planned.

As an adjunct to this I want to address something I see repeatedly from some critics about how they wish there were more standalone comic movies without everything being connected. Marvel and DC comics take place in integrated universes--to separate the characters out is artificial and to try to impose that is against the spirit of the medium. There are comic book characters that either exist on their own or in their own particular reality (ie Judge Dredd), but if you want a Thor or Superman movie, to separate them out from the other characters is to impose a rift that's not a part of the fictional milieu that's shaped them. It's a complaint I'm tired of hearing and it mostly comes from people who are either not comicbook fans or people who like older TV and movie comic book adaptations before the MCU innovation. It's fine for people to prefer that, but at least acknowledge the medium is finally doing what it's supposed to do.

I love Joss Whedon--who doesn't? From the days of Buffy through to Firefly and the Avengers--there's lot's to love. When he left the MCU he said he wanted independence--to make the movies he wanted without interference or the obligations of a shared universe..and just a year later he started helping Zack Snyder with Justice League prior to taking over the film and accepting the director role for Batgirl. I have a lot of sympathy for Joss, but for a guy who was tired to dealing with a studio's shared universe it's more than a little odd to exchange one for another having done nothing in between (with apologies to The Letter Carrier). I'd love to know if it was simply butting heads with the now removed Ike Perlmutter that pushed him on, the mixed reaction to Age of Ultron, or both, but clearly a shared universe isn't what bothered him.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Marvel TV News Update

It has been a long time since my last news update. In that time The Defenders trailer dropped, the Cloak & Dagger trailer dropped, an Inhumans teaser dropped, a Runaways teaser was leaked, New Warriors was announced (for 2018; a 10-episode season on Freeform), Agents of SHIELD was renewed for a fifth season, and at long last Kevin Feige confirmed we'll get a TV/movie crossover at some point.

Despite arguably being the biggest news in awhile there hasn't been much reflection upon Feige confirming a TV/movie crossover.  This is undoubtedly due to how vague his comments were. Speculation I've seen (eg here) has focused on the Inhumans and/or Agents of SHIELD.  I'm dubious of the latter, albeit it's the simplest to do, but the former is plausible (perhaps even part of the deal with IMAX).  What I'm most eager for is a Defenders tie-in, but for the moment there's no hint of that.  All the Netflix actors have movie appearances built into their contracts, so at least logistically it remains a simple thing to do if that's the direction Marvel chooses to go.

When I last discussed The Defenders the release date was still in flux, but now we know the show will premiere August 18th (just two weeks before Inhumans hits theaters).  The show wrapped filming in mid-March (after four months), giving Netflix five months to do post-production (longer than usual, suggesting more special effects than usual).  The Defenders trailer was good, with the Jessica Jones/Matt Murdoch moments working best.  The only problem I have with the trailer is that the Hand isn't particularly interesting and the Netflix version of Elektra isn't either, but that's not enough cause for me to worry.

Jessica Jones season two began filming in April, with Luke Cage season two beginning in June; Daredevil season three is slated for later this year and if we get Iron Fist season two I'd expect it to start not long after Daredevil.  Filming shows close together means crossovers will be easier to handle, although it remains to be seen if Netflix wants to go in that direction.  The shows typically take six months to shoot (eg Iron Fist, Daredevil season two, The Punisher; Luke Cage is slated for nine months, but perhaps that includes post), with at least three months of post-production.  Given the parameters it suggests the earliest we see Jessica Jones is January. Information about The Punisher, including its release date, is still up in the air.  Filming wrapped in early April, meaning post-production will be completed as early as July.  Whether Netflix cares about conflicting with Inhumans is uncertain, but if it does I'd peg October as the likely release date.

We can't wrap Defenders talk without noting The Verge embarrassing itself with glad-handing as Kwame Opam tells himself "It's largely accepted by now that Iron Fist is Marvel's weakest Netflix series, given the widespread critical opinion that it's a boring and offensive mess."  Yes, the three-dozen TV critics who panned it all agree that the most-viewed Marvel Netflix show is a failure. Ready yourselves for the hypocrisy as the exact same reviewers fall over themselves praising The Defenders despite it having the same issues they fretted over in Iron Fist.

Reports from way back in August mentioned that a White Tiger series was one of four Marvel properties pitched to Netflix.  The rumours come from two sources (Bleeding Cool and Screen Geek)--given that the latter includes something we already know is wrong (Shang Chi appearing in Iron Fist) the former seems more accurate.  What's interesting about this idea is that Angela del Toro has already been name-dropped in Jessica Jones (which again lends credence to Bleeding Cool, as Screen Geek suggested the Hector Alaya version of the character would be used). For those who don't know, she's a Brian Michael Bendis-created Daredevil character (2003), who also has a connection to Danny Rand. In the comics she's originally a martial artist and FBI agent (a private investigator in Netflix if Jessica Jones is anything to go by) who is empowered by her father's (Hector) magical amulet connecting her to the Tiger God. A lot of her material is tied up with The Hand, but there's no reason for that to remain the case in the show (presumably The Defenders will let us largely move on from the mystical ninjas). The artifact crosses into Moon Knight territory (he's discussed here) if that's going to be a show, and the martial arts steps into Danny Rand territory, but I think there's room for a version of her to be distinctive (having a Hispanic lead would fit Marvel's push for diversity). There's potential here so I'd be excited for a White Tiger show if that's what we get.

Incidentally, in terms of an upper limit to how many superhero-based shows Netflix might do with Marvel, I'd see it ranging from one show every two months up to one a month (assuming viewership is where it needs to be).  While the current crop aren't on proper yearly release schedules, if that were to occur we have five shows now so there's space for more.

We still haven't seen much from the Inhumans, undoubtedly because of all the special effects required to complete it.  The teaser is simply some dialogue between Maximus (Iwan Rheon) and Crystal (Isabelle Cornish) giving us at least one tension of the 8-episode show.  Given how unfamiliar I am with the property I'll need to see more before I have a strong opinion about it.

The Cloak & Dagger trailer was a mixed bag for me; I'm not sold on Olivia Holt as Dagger and I don't like the pair having met as children (it's cheesy and reminds me of Fringe among other things; I much prefer their comic book origin); the show is aimed at teens and that's very apparent (something I can live with even if it makes it less interesting).  Otherwise I was happy with it (and the Roxxon easter egg is a nice touch).

There hasn't been much news besides the announcement of the show itself.  We do know the team's composition: Squirrel Girl, Mister Immortal, Night Thrasher, Speedball, Microbe, and Debril. The show itself is confirmation of a rumour from September.

There's not much to take away from the brief Runaways trailer, which simply goes over their origin (if I was going to venture anything I'd say its tone reminded me a little of Buffy).

Although not directly connected to the MCU, Fox has been busy adding TV shows (The Gifted, which replaced Hellfire, and an animated Deadpool), something requiring Marvel's cooperation, as they still own the TV rights.  We have yet to see what deal was struck that's allowing Fox to produce shows connected to its own cinematic universe, but it's not unreasonable to guess it's something like the return of The Fantastic Four (something Feige, much like Spider-Man, isn't going to own up too until it's dramatically appropriate).

This is unrelated to TV properties, but it's difficult to know what to make of Sony's announced plans to have Spider-Man related movies without any connection to the MCU Spider-Man (the Venom and Silver Sable movies).  I don't think the former can work without Spidey's involvement, while the latter seems more suited to TV given how little-known the character is.  Could both be a bluff to make a better deal with Marvel?  Are they a sign that Sony wants to pull away from the MCU?  It's far too early to tell, but both were projects in the works long before Sony pulled the plug on the Andrew Garfield-lead Spiderverse.  My hope remains that there will be a new deal or that Sony will simply sell the rights back to Marvel, but time will tell.

This is self-indulgent of me, but I was curious about the ever-changing DCEU film slate (it's so hard to keep track of) and thankfully Movie Pilot posted a recent list of the evolution (full disclosure: I was always more of a Marvel-reader, but I was a fan of the classic Teen Titans run in the 80s along with some other scattered titles of that period--I'd like the DCEU to become successful):
Announced in 2014
Batman v Superman (March 25, 2016) - released as planned
Suicide Squad (August 5, 2016) - released as planned
Woman Woman (June 23, 2017) - date moved to June 2 (dodging Transformers and providing some distance from Spider-Man)
Justice League: Part One (November 17, 2017)
The Flash (March 23, 2018) - two directors walked over creative differences and it's been detached from its release date (it still lacks a director)
Aquaman (July 27, 2018) - initially the date moved to October 5, but now it's December 21 (maybe this was to avoid competition with Venom, but it could simply be for added production time)
Shazam! (April 5, 2019) - split into two movies (Black Adam and Shazam!), with the former having no date attached to it
Justice League: Part Two (July 14, 2019) - removed from its release date and in limbo
Cyborg (April 3, 2020)
Green Lantern Corps (June 19, 2020) - date moved to July 24

Added Since then:
-Lobo was announced (March, 2016)
-Man of Steel 2 was put into active production (August, 2016)
-Suicide Squad 2 (December, 2016) - believed a candidate to be fast-tracked for 2018
-Gotham City Sirens (December, 2016) - believed to be a candidate to be fast-tracked for 2018
-Deadshot (December, 2016)
-Batman (December, 2016) - originally slatted for a 2019 release, the change in director (Affleck leaving and Matt Reeves coming on board) has pushed things back to 2020
-Nightwing (February, 2017)
-Batgirl (March, 2017)

The impression is one of chaos; undoubtedly a lot of the scrambling is intended to fill the void that stretches from Justice League to Aquaman--a year without DCEU films.  Of the various films above it wouldn't surprise me if both Cyborg and Deadshot were ultimately shelved--the former will depend heavily on the reception of the character in Justice League while the latter seems largely like a sop for Will Smith's ego.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Exploring the Marvel Netflix Shows: Part Five Redux (Iron Fist)

This is a continuation of my exploration of the Marvel Netflix shows (part one, two, three, and four).  I'm a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and out of all its current expressions the Netflix shows are my favourite--the ultimate highlight of the format.  The fan service surrounding these shows lack collated, contextualized, and expository material, so what follows addresses those elements.

SPOILERS below

Iron Fist (March 17, 2017)

The most recent Netflix venture has had a rough ride from the critics, but before we get into that let's start with the basics.  The show aired after the MCU's Doctor Strange as the final installment before The Defenders team-up.  Iron Fist was created to take advantage of the 70s martial arts craze (in 1974 by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, and Bill Everett).  Originally scheduled to be the third character to debut on Netflix, he was swapped for Luke Cage to take advantage of Mike Colter's popularity after Jessica Jones aired (it also made a lot more sense leading into The Defenders).  Any normal reception of the show became impossible with the issue-focused reviews it received and it will be years before we get level-headed analysis.

Showrunner Scott Buck's version of the character borrows a great deal from the original origin story in the comics (with light borrowings from from the much later Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, and Duane Swierczynski's Immortal Iron Fist).  The very simplistic Rand-Meachum dynamic of that original tale is expanded considerably, but mixed with an occasionally confusing plot involving The Hand that was required as a set-up to The Defenders (one wonders how much that obligation handicapped choices made in the show).  Buck's pacing, and the show in general, is most similar to Luke Cage, but unlike that show an origin story for Danny was necessary (Luke had already debuted in Jessica Jones so there was no need to rush into his backstory).

Credited Writers (episodes in parenthesis; selected past credits noted)

Scott Buck (1, 2, 13) - Dexter, Six Feet Under; he's the showrunner for the upcoming Inhumans
Quinton Peeples (3, 10) - 11.22.63, Unforgettable
Scott Reynolds (4, 12) - Jessica Jones, Dexter; he's the first writer to be borrowed from another Marvel Netflix show
Cristine Chambers (5) - Boardwalk Empire
Dwain Worrell (6) - The Walking Dead
Ian Stokes (7, 11) - Teen Wolf, Warehouse 13
Tamara Becher-Wilkinson (8, 13) - Shades of Blue, Covert Affairs, Buffy
Pat Charles (9, 13) - Resurrection, Bones

Notable Easter Eggs

[I've noted in brackets which episodes these occur in--so (1) refers to episode one]

Needing to set-up The Defenders there's a fair number of easter eggs (13): the unexplained Order of the Crane Mother is mentioned (2); the staple Avengers "incident" reference occurs (2); The New York Bulletin (Ben Urich's and Karen Page's newspaper) appears (3); Daredevil gets mentioned by name (3, 7); the Hulk (6) is referred to; Luke Cage (7) is mentioned by name; the ubiquitous Dogs of Hell are mentioned (7); Karen Page (7) is mentioned by name; Jessica Jones (8) is referenced (not by name--this is the most rewarding/entertaining easter egg in my opinion); Claire reads a letter from Luke Cage (8), which is a roundabout way of referencing his incarceration in Seagate prison (which debuted in Iron Man 2); Stark Industries (9) is mentioned; as is the Roxxon Corporation (11); finally, the blood-draining planned for Colleen (12) mirrors what the Hand does in Daredevil season two.

Iron Fist leads into The Defenders and has to do a great deal of work to set-up that show; Bakuto's boss (presumably Sigourney Weaver's character) remains unknown (with Bakuto himself likely to be resurrected); Gao remains free, as does (presumably) her faction of the Hand.  As has been long suspected, the Hand itself will be the opposition for the quartet of heroes, although it could simply be a faction of the group.

Select Character Notes

Personal history: I'd never heard of Iron Fist until I started paying attention to the Netflix shows (he'd been killed off before I started reading comics (1986) and returned just as I was leaving (1992)).

• Danny Rand/Iron Fist: debuted in Marvel Premiere 15; this version stays close to that original story, but with a greater emphasis on Danny's naivety (his battles with Rand Corps' policies has echoes of the first Iron Man); while in the comic he learns of the past from the monks of K'un Lun and rushes out for vengeance, here he seeks answers to his past that gradually reaches a desire for vengeance.  Given the expectations for who Danny will be in The Defenders, Buck had little choice but to keep Danny fairly naive throughout the show; I liked Finn Jones performance, despite the limitations imposed on the character
• Colleen Wing: the martial artist is Danny's long-time ally and was an early addition to the Iron Fist comics (Marvel Premiere 19); her origin was changed considerably (The Hand, which has little to no place in Iron Fist--they are Daredevil villains in the comics--had no precedent in her past), nor do she and Danny have a romantic entanglement (normally Danny is with Misty Knight; writer Tamara Becher-Wilkinson noted that the romance was created largely because otherwise there would be no romance in the show); Jessica Henwick does a fine job in the role, although her involvement with Bakuto's faction creates some confusion (echoing, in a way, Danny's own naivete)
• Harold Meachum: the business partner of Danny's father dies very early in Iron Fist's run (Marvel Premiere 18) and Buck makes him a vastly more interesting in the show; I've seen complaints about the character, but I enjoyed it thoroughly and it's clearly meant to give us a taste of how The Hand's resurrection will impact Elektra; in the realm of Netflix villains he doesn't reach the heights of the best (Kilgrave, Kingpin, or Cottonmouth), but he's far better than Diamondback, Nobu, etc and he's much more integral to the development of secondary characters (his children) than any previous villain
• Joy Meachum: the innocent Meachum in the comics, Jessica Stroup's version is used as character development and motivation for those around her (with a tease for greater things in a second season, echoing an arc from the early Iron Fist comics); Stroup does a solid job with the limited material she's given, but they could have done more with her
• Ward Meachum: vastly improved from his cartoony comic book basis (he has been dead for quite some time (Namor the Sub-Mariner 18, in 1991)); in the show he is the son (instead of brother) of Harold; this is, to my mind, the best performance in the entire show (great work by Tom Pelphrey--it's a slow burn with a maganificent payoff)--Ward goes through a truly incredible journey and has arguably the most interesting character arc in the show
• Madame Gao: reprising her role from both seasons of Daredevil, I'd been convinced for a long time that she was Crane Mother, but that now seems unlikely; I thought she was a much more interesting villain than Bakuto who supplants her, but at least she survives to potentially cause trouble later; Wai Ching Ho is finally given room to work here and gives a fantastic performance as the character
• Claire Temple: she's long since stopped representing her comic book basis and here enjoys her largest role to date--learning to fight (and indeed does fight) in the show; among other things she serves as a way to spoonfeed the various mystical elements of the show to the audience; she also remains the one character who has appeared in all the Defenders shows; it's another strong performance by Rosario Dawson
• Bakuto: a short-lived character borrowed from Daredevil (I haven't been able to read the three issues he appears in, so I can't directly compare); he's the leader of another faction of The Hand (clearly hinted at as being the one we expect Sigourney Weaver to lead in The Defenders), but his goals aren't entirely clear; like every Netflix venture that's introduced a villain halfway through (Luke Cage, Daredevil season two), he's not that effective and, indeed, his plotline is difficult to follow--he needed a couple of more episodes, but then why have a second villain at all if that's the case?
• Davos: another early character from the comics (Iron Fist 1 from 1975), the antagonist is well-established, but without a ton of appearances (perhaps because he's largely a one-note villain); the major tweak from his comic book origin is that instead of failing to become the Iron Fist, here he was denied that chance (far better motivation in my opinion); he's been hinted at in the Netflix universe since the beginning (Daredevil season one); Sacha Dhawan and the show do a good job of encapsulating who he is in limited time (and the show happily foreshadows him before he appears); there's lot's of potential here and he's the only K'un Lun element that's evocative (albeit, it's difficult to imagine Dhawan as the son of Hoon Lee--not that anyone has made that complaint)
• Jeri Hogarth: she's primarily an Iron Fist character in the comics (she's the lawyer for Rand Corps, as she remains here), but coming from a pivotal role in Jessica Jones she's used sparingly (just 3 episodes)--there's lot's of potential to make more use of her here if they wish, although given that she's meant to help Danny in this season there's no opportunity for the usual interplay of good-hearted Danny vs cold-hearted Hogarth; there's also a failed opportunity to acknowledge some of the trauma she went through in Jessica Jones (a failing shared by Luke Cage in Luke Cage)
• Lei Kung the Thunderer: an original character in the comic who died recently (2014); here he's used to represent the K'un Lun part of Danny's psyche as well as serve as motivation for Davos; Hoon Lee has an amazing voice and I hope there's more of him in the show if it gets a second season
• Zhou Cheng: a short-lived and newer Iron Fist antagonist (appearing in Immortal Iron Fist 17-20), his desire to destroy the Iron Fist remains the same, but in the show he serves as champion of Gao's faction of the Hand (he's definitely less manic than he is in the comics); Zhou does a great job with the character and I'd love to see him again in the role
• Bride of Nine Spiders: in the comics she's the champion for the Kingdom of Spiders, but here she's simply an exotic fighter for Gao's faction of the Hand; the show doesn't do anything interesting with her--she's visually compelling and distinct from other fighters, but we don't get any substance with her so it's hard to assess Jane Kim's performance (she has a martial arts background, but writer Dwain Worrell decided to focus away from that and make her more of a seductress/trickster--something not grounded in her comic book inspiration)
• Scythe: the villain from the very first Iron Fist comic (his only appearance), but other than the name bears little resemblance to him; he has one of the better choreographed fights with Danny in the show
• Hai-Qing Yang: created for the show to lead a group of triads, I bring him up as the worst performance in the series
• Thembi Wallace: reprises her role as a reporter from Luke Cage
• Daryll: no comic book basis, but appeared in Luke Cage previously (episode 10)
• Shirley Benson: reprises her role as Claire's boss from Daredevil

Comic Book Influences

Like the other Netflix shows we get a mix of adaptation with original material.  I was surprised Buck kept Danny's origin of getting his powers from Shou-Lao the dragon, given that there was no budget to really pay that off.  This fit Buck's general trend of trying to be faithful to the early comics (much like Luke Cage). Danny's arrival at K'un Lun is changed slightly, as his mother does not survive the crash only to be eaten by wolves, nor does Danny learn that Harold Meachum plotted the crash while training in the city and then leave K'un Lun seeking revenge (the revenge element is preserved for the final sequence of the show).  The Meachums are much improved from their cartoony comic originals (Ward and Harold in particular have much more depth).  All the material involving The Hand was invented for the show, with various Danny antagonists stuffed into that envelope for the sake of simplicity (eg Zhou Cheng, the Bride of Nine Spiders, etc)--I'm sympathetic to this because the mystical factions are confusing enough as it is--no non-fan is ever going to be able to untangle it all if they'd simply followed the comics.  The romance with Colleen is (as far as I can tell) without precedence; Misty Knight, who is Danny's most frequent partner, does not seem likely to enter the picture (seemingly reserved for Luke Cage).

Critical Reception

Previously I've referenced the critical score for the show I'm reviewing, but in this case it's so absurd I'll simply give the caveat I've given in every other case: take critical scores with a grain of salt (Agents of SHIELD somehow has 100% each of its last two seasons--however much you like that show that's simply ridiculous).  Part of the problem is just how few TV critics there are--a movie will receive over 200 reviews (sometimes over 300), while TV shows are lucky to hit 40, which vastly slants percentages.

Assessment

I'll dig into the reviews below, since the criticism is affected by the casting of the show, not its substance.  For me Iron Fist is about mid-range among the Netflix ventures--it doesn't approach the heights of Jessica Jones or Daredevil season one, but it isn't as disjointed as Daredevil season two and or as glacial as Luke Cage (the former has better heights, so Iron Fist ranks at #4 out of the five Netflix seasons for me).  The show has two intertwining threads: the Meachums (and thus Rand Corporation) and the Hand.  While Buck is able to make the Hand less ridiculous than it is in Daredevil, it's still the weak link of the two elements (all the calls I see for more mysticism seem impractical to me--as expensive as Netflix shows are, there's simply no way for them to go down the road of The Immortal Iron Fist).  The show struggles to explain what's going on with the Hand--why are there factions and what do they want? It's never made clear (MCU Exchange tries to explain--futilely I think).  I would have much rather seen a Meachum focused season with just a light frosting of Danny's mystical/ninja elements--Daredevil has already spent plenty of time with The Hand, but no other Defender can deal with the corporate angle the way Danny can.  Danny himself is a difficult character to adapt (part of the reason he works so well when paired with Luke Cage is there's less dependency on their fairly limited range as characters).  The show kept his impulsive, headstrong nature, but we don't see the jokester he becomes in the comics.  Unfortunately Buck continued the trend of introducing a second villain for the second act who pales to the one they replaced--whether Marvel recognizes this as a flaw remains to be seen. There are pacing issues with the show as it occasionally gets bogged down in mystical exposition (which is, again, why I would have downplayed that element). There are also choreography problems in the first 5-6 episodes when it comes to Danny's martial arts--these disappear in the second half of the run, but those early directors (John Dahl, Tom Shankland, Miguel Sapochnik, Uta Briesewitz, and to a lesser degree RZA) struggle in how they cut the sequences together (there's no question that Finn Jones is new to martial arts, but that's far less apparent in the latter episodes, indicating it could have been disguised better throughout).  I have mixed feelings about the choice to use visual effects to show Danny's anger (not a choice I'd make).  I'm not a fan of the various flashback sequences to things that happened in the show--it's something that functions in weekly television, but not in the Netflix binge format.  The effects are a mixed bag (Danny's flip in the first episode is terrible, as is the CGI bird we see occasionally, but the Iron Fist effects are fantastic).  The performances are mostly good, with Tom Pelphrey as the standout (a bit like Mahershala Ali in Luke Cage); Henry Yuk is the most cringe-worthy.  I think it's a fair point that Ward probably shouldn't be the standout, but given all the restraints on character growth for those appearing in The Defenders I can live with it.  I'm not a hiphop fan so that music element didn't work for me, but I did like the incidental music of the show.

Criticism

What a shit-show this has been as reviewers crammed themselves into an echo chamber and came out with issues-journalism--Iron Fist became the Rubicon that Doctor Strange was supposed to be (I have to wonder, given how muted things were when the casting occurred, if the uproar was in reaction to the failure to hurt Doctor Strange with similar complaints).  There's so much to unpack about the reviews here, but let's preface a few things: 1) the reviewer pool for television is small and shown a tendency to put politics over criticism (the scores for Luke Cage are an easy comparison to make), 2) none of the reviewers have bad intentions--there's no conspiracy or axe to grind against Marvel, Netflix, Scott Buck, or Finn Jones, 3) there could be an interesting discussion about the casting for the show, but that's not what anyone is engaging in, 4) it's unclear what impact the reviews will ultimately have on the show (the audience scores are roughly in the mid-70s% with clear signs of vote-brigading (there's significantly more votes on the show than any other Marvel Netflix venture)--how much of the voting is a Streisand Effect isn't clear, 5) it's absolutely acceptable for you, as a viewer, to be outraged by the show (or simply dislike it).

With all of that aside, let's deal with the obvious issue: there's no white-washing in the casting of Danny Rand.  The character was created white and remains so in the comics (43 years later).  There are different ethnic (and gendered) versions of the Iron Fist (it's a title, not a name), but none of them are Danny Rand.  The argument (which isn't presented as an argument) is more about cultural appropriation--simplistically, martial arts comes out of Asia, ergo as one of the first martial arts characters in Marvel television, that person should be Asian (Elektra was the first--Marvel did make an ethnicity change for her, eliminating the original Greek character in favour of an Asian (Thai) actress).  This is a very complicated issue and none of the nuance associated with that debate is occurring here (instead it's very nanny state, with the reviewers playing the role of knowing what's best for you; it's also a little insulting to all the Asian stars who made martial arts mainstream in the 70s).  I don't agree with the appropriation argument, but it's not being made maliciously (excluding, of course, the people bullying Finn Jones on social media).  One thing I will point out, just for logical consistency, is if you're going to have an issue with Jones' casting, then you also need to take issue with Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing (her comic book character is Japanese, whereas the actress is Chinese), Jane Kim (the character is Chinese, the actress is Korean), Rosario Dawson (her character is African-American, the actress is Puerto Rican/Cuban), and Sacha Dhawan as Davos (he's Indian, the character is Chinese).  There's a reason why these choices are not criticised (there's a sophisticated one and a simplistic one), but I won't go down that rabbit hole.  You can take this to all sorts of extremes (most of the critics are white, so why not step aside and let someone impacted by the choice write the review?), but whatever your opinion is, it's tainted any discussion of the show.  If I thought a show was being racist or sexist etc, that's going to colour my opinion of it and make me struggle to deal with anyone who disagreed--it's a natural reaction.

There are other criticisms of the show.  Much of it is idiosyncratic, based on the expectations of the person giving it (eg CNet complaining the show is too serious, or those who wanted a 13-episode martial arts-fest, or those who wanted it mostly mystical).  In talking to people the main complaint I hear is about pacing, and it is a slow show, although I don't think it's particularly slow in the context of its sister-shows (Caleb Borchers makes the obvious point that Daredevil season one is slow as well).  The martial arts are another complaint I see--the fight sequences are mostly good (keeping in mind the aforementioned issues above), but the show was more interested in hiring actors as opposed to martial artists, which impacts what you can do. Finally, for those looking for the internal complexity of a Matt Murdock or Jessica Jones, that's not who Danny Rand is (or Luke Cage for that matter)--complexity comes from the supporting cast--Iron Fist in particularly has never been a particularly tortured character.

Second Season?

This is the first Netflix offering where we truly have to wonder if we'll get a second season.  All three other Defenders already have a second (or third) season confirmed, with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage filming now. Clearly the plans before release are to have another season as there are plenty of conflicts to explore (Davos, Joy, and Gao), but has the critical drubbing caused enough damage to put the brakes on?  I don't think we'll know for months--I'd guess any announcement will occur after The Defenders (so August at the earliest).  On the positive side, Iron Fist was the most binged-watched Netflix premiere yet (despite the negative reviews hitting before the show aired), but as I cautioned with Luke Cage, early viewing is not necessary an indicator of long-term interest.  If I were to guess I think we'll get that second season (everyone is signed and it's all integrated--the MCU survived Ed Norton's Hulk and Thor: The Dark World, so why not this?), but time will tell.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)