Probably it will be a while before I see Netflix's The Defenders, so I'm not about to judge its execution. But conceptually it seems to be a waste of the title.
Some background. The Defenders are Marvel's other super team. Well, the other collection of previously existing superheroes, after the Avengers, since both the X-Men and Fantastic Four started with all new characters. But while they seemed to be destined for also-ran status, the Defenders found their own niche as Marvel's quirky, nocturnal team. Credit must go to the writers who handled them in the seventies, notably Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber.
Doctor Strange, not really the Avengers type, has been the team leader of the Defenders for much of their existence. Other members include:
* Valkyrie, an honest-to-Nibelungenlied Valkyrie who oddly enough fights crime in New York
* Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan, an occultist with demonic powers and crazy horn hair
* Hellcat, star of a fifties teen romance comic refashioned into a feline themed crimefighter
By contrast the TV series group is made up of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. Netflix, I guess, wanted to get the full use out of the characters they were already licensed to use. But collectively they would seem to promise a tackle-punch-kick "gritty" action series, while a real Defenders adaptation would go more interesting places.
Some background. The Defenders are Marvel's other super team. Well, the other collection of previously existing superheroes, after the Avengers, since both the X-Men and Fantastic Four started with all new characters. But while they seemed to be destined for also-ran status, the Defenders found their own niche as Marvel's quirky, nocturnal team. Credit must go to the writers who handled them in the seventies, notably Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber.
Doctor Strange, not really the Avengers type, has been the team leader of the Defenders for much of their existence. Other members include:
* Valkyrie, an honest-to-Nibelungenlied Valkyrie who oddly enough fights crime in New York
* Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan, an occultist with demonic powers and crazy horn hair
* Hellcat, star of a fifties teen romance comic refashioned into a feline themed crimefighter
By contrast the TV series group is made up of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. Netflix, I guess, wanted to get the full use out of the characters they were already licensed to use. But collectively they would seem to promise a tackle-punch-kick "gritty" action series, while a real Defenders adaptation would go more interesting places.
2 comments:
Interesting to know you have Netflix now as it really is an inexpensive streaming service with quite a few good programs (if you don't mind searching).
We've enjoyed watching a few of their comic book series (Daredevil was good) but for the most part I'm getting tired of the often overly violent and unnecessarily emotional content of several (Jessica Jones being an example).
Did you see the Dr. Strange movie with Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton as 'the Old One'? It wasn't great but certainly entertaining enough. I think my favourite of all the Marvel comics movies was the Christian Bale ones with Michael Caine. There are certain movies that not only meet their origins but transcend them too. The 'Defenders' doesn't sound like one of those.
Thus far I've done without Netflix. Next year they'll be putting on a miniseries made by the Coen Brothers, which does make me curious. But in general it seems to be one of those Silicon Valley enterprises which becomes successful by making everyone talk about how successful it is.
The world of comics has become rather inundated with violence and seriousness, to the extent that "let's do something fun" seems like a tough sell in the industry. It was probably inevitable that the movie and TV adaptations follow suit, regardless of whether it's a good idea or not.
The movies with Bale and Caine are actually Batman movies, which means they're DC rather than Marvel. They are good, though. Heath Ledger made a scary and charismatic Joker. As far as Marvel movies go, the Iron Man ones with Robert Downey are enjoyable.
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