Netflix Marvel Universe

[Big s]

Finally finished off Iron Fist. I really liked the show. Definitely a slow start, but a very good climb.

[Dobber]

Considering I wasn't  in love with either the "Luke Cage" or "Jessica Jones" series when most everyone else raves about them, I'll probably like "Iron Fist" since many seem to not like it. DD is still the gold standard for me...both seasons.

Chris

Edited March 26, 2017 by Dobber

[badboy00z]

I didn't like Iron Fist as much as I did with the other 3. It reminds me too much of Arrow with the whole billionaire kid back from "the dead" and fights evil. 

[no3Ljm]

 

[seti88]

 

[no3Ljm]

Nice!

 

[Dobber]

Oh yeah!

Chris

[azrael]

Great. ANOTHER hallway fight.

[Big s]

Where else are they gonna fight. Imagine going to work the next day having to talk about that epic gazebo fight scene.

[Mog]

C'mon now, azrael.

This one's different:  it's a fight in a WELL-LIT hallway. 

[sh9000]

 

[azrael]

Mask-less Iron Fist still not working for me.

 

[Mog]

As much as I love the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, it still looks a little weird with Matty in full costume, while the other three are in plain clothes.

Still looking forward to this, even if the threat of more Hand (the most meh chunk of DD Season 2) is imminent.

[CoryHolmes]

Good luck getting Jessica into the Jewel costume.  You go ahead and try it.

....

...

 

... I'll be over there.  No, further away than that.  Probably the next city.

[azrael]

Iron Fist changing showrunners for season 2

At least Jessica and Luke have a "look" which could count as their work clothes. Danny is the one that needs a freakin' suit. They even had one in the "flashback"-scene.

[sh9000]

Classic Defenders set coming.

[seti88]

 

[Mog]

Just went through the first five eps of the Defenders.

Didn't like the opening credits at first (felt like Avengers-lite), but it's been growing on me.

Gotta love that:

Luke Cage still has the best theme music when he's re-introduced.  Gave me a good chuckle

And Episode 3:

 

Power Man - Iron Fist combo!!!!

Also, having Sigourney Weaver as

 

the head of the Hand is somehow making this story more interesting.  A hell of a lot more interesting than the Hand plot was for the second part of Daredevil Season 2.

Edited August 19, 2017 by Mog

[no3Ljm]

 

 

[Mog]

So, I finished up The Defenders the weekend it came out.

After taking some time to think about it, here's my impressions for the overall series:  the first 6 episodes are pretty good and fun.  But despite being only 8 episodes long, the last two episodes kinda fall off the rails, leaving a really, REALLY bad impression at the end.

One thing that kinda stunk was that the fights in the last two episodes were pretty meh with nothing too memorable about them.  After re-watching the Nobu-Daredevil fight from Season 1, I think I know the reason for this "meh-ness":  the heroes aren't in any serious risk during these fights. 

The fights in the last two episodes (with one notable exception) also just seem to be very "by the numbers," or the characters are just going through the motions.

Other fight-related gripes:

Spoiler

* I wish there were more coordinated attacks/moves between the Defenders in those last two eps, show that they were becoming more of a team.

* When the remaining three "fingers" of the Hand go to fight DD, JJ, and Cage, I thought we would be in for a treat.  But the fight was surprisingly lacking.  Considering how much of a beating DD took in Season 1 and how he still struggled some in Season 2, it really made the fingers look weak when DD was holding his own against TWO of them.  C'mon, the armor doesn't automatically make DD impervious to damage!  Nobu damn near killed DD in Season 1, and Nobu's supposed boss can't even get a good hit or cut in?!

* After making him more likeable in the first 6 episodes, they really need to stop with the "Danny Rand is an impulsive idiot" trope.  It's okay if they make him young and naive.  But during the fight with Elektra, they really should have shown him restraining himself from hitting that barrier, show him pulling back the iron fist.  You can still end it with Elektra tricking him or countering him into hitting the barrier.  But they need to show him aware of his surroundings during the fight and at least TRYING to avoid that wall!

 

Other complaints:

Spoiler

* Maybe it's because I visited the 9/11 memorial this past summer, but the big plan was to blow up a New York skyscraper and bury the Hand?!  SERIOUSLY?  Considering it's likely that Madam Gao, Japanese Hand-Guy, and Elektra are all still alive despite the building getting leveled, the bombing seemed like a useless plot idea.

* It was a really cheap cop-out to make it look like Matty died, especially after they already confirmed DD Season 3.  I understand the story purposes and how it can get us to the Born Again storyline in DD.  But it would have been more ballsy if they actually killed off Matt and Elektra.

* I get that they probably want to save this for Iron Fist Season 2, but would have been cool if that last scene was Danny wearing his trademark yellow mask.  In universe, they could also explain it as an homage to Matt.

* Another thing I wish they could have addressed here instead of Iron Fist Season 2, can they please clear up what the hell happened to K'un Lun?  Did the Hand destroy it, or was it magically transported?  Instead of dragon bones that somehow hold up New York, I kinda wish that K'un Lun was in that big hole instead.  Make it that the immortality stuff is in K'un Lun, but that the city is protected by that barrier.  Making the Hand's motivation be "We're going to break that barrier and destroy New York in the process, because we want to go home and rule K'un Lun" sounds a hell of a lot better and plausible than "Digging up these dragon bones (that we use to stay immortal) will cause New York to collapse as a byproduct."

* This change in the plot would have also added an extra dilemma for Danny:  he can break the barrier, return back to K'un Lun, and fulfill his responsibilities.  But in the process, he would become the cause of New York (his birth town's) destruction and collapse.  This also gives Elektra another talking point when she's trying to tempt Danny.

 

Lastly, the actual episodes may have not used Nirvana's "Come as You Are."  But if you listen careful enough during the start of Episode 7, you can hear the guitar riff from "Where Did You Sleep Last Night," a song that Nirvana did a cover of.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Mog

[sh9000]

 

[no3Ljm]

 

[Mommar]

Apparently instead of Luke Cage or Iron Fist season 2 they're going straight to Heroes For Hire.

Edited October 20, 2017 by Mommar

[CoryHolmes]

Good to hear.  I'm glad that for their respective first seasons all the Defenders were stand-alone shows with just the few mentions of the others.  But after the Defenders itself, there's no reason why they should be solo and not reach out to each other.

[Fortress_Maximus]

Enjoying Punisher and looking forward to his expanded role as anti-hero and non-meta in the MCU.

Still disliked the poorly written and abysmal failure "Iron Fist".  The actor Finn Jones is the weakest link in the MCU and he specifically made the Defenders disappointing.  I concur with Mog, the fight sequences in DD specifically with Nobu grossly overshadow all of the fights in Iron Fist.

Glad to hear Iron Fist s2 will change writers should help but it'd greatly help if the lead role was recast.  Countless wasted opportunities largely due to Finn not being a suitable match, and training for the physically demanding role of a "master gung fu practitioner".

[Mog]

On 10/20/2017 at 2:09 PM, Mommar said:

Apparently instead of Luke Cage or Iron Fist season 2 they're going straight to Heroes For Hire.

Thank the Jesus!

Considering all the different directions they can go with this (team up, advance Luke's solo story, advance Danny's solo story, sow the seeds for Daughters of the Dragon), hopefully we won't have any of those lull, meh sections we get with most Marvel Netflix series.  If I'm being honest, I think Daredevil Season 1 was the only Netflix season that was solid throughout.

Since some of the best parts of The Defenders was when Luke and Danny were interacting (or kicking ass), this is good news.

Haven't started Punisher just yet (a few other things are in the Netflix que ahead of it), but I'll share my thoughts once I finish up the series.  Or after I pass one of those "OH CRAP!!!!11!!!11!!!" moments.

[Mog]

So, I finally finished up The Punisher last night.

Damn good entry into the MCU and probably the first Marvel Netflix season since Daredevil Season 1 to be the consistently solid from start to finish.  There were really no clunkers or head-scratching moments like in Iron Fist or the Defenders (and dare I say, Jessica Jones).
 

Spoiler

 

Granted, you could probably say that Madani kept getting pwned Every.  Single.  Time. 

But she was going up against two highly skilled, elite killing machines in Castle and Russo.  So, losing to them isn't too much of a sin.

The only big "stupid idiot" moment came when Micro's son (Zach) called the cops, but it can be excused since he's a kid dealing with trust and abandonment issues.

 

Considering the Punisher's character, there's a lot of bloody violence (and surprisingly more sex than what we've seen in the other Marvel Netflix series), but there's also a lot of heart and good character moments spread throughout the season.

[Mog]

Jessica Jones, Season 2 Trailer:

 

Hope they got enough stories to run a solid 13-episode season.

[Mog]

So, I just finished binging Luke Cage Season 2 over the weekend.

Wasn't planning to finish off the season, but there was a really good stretch of 6 or 7 episodes that were really damn good.

Having watched the last episode though, I find myself conflicted about this past season of Luke Cage.  Much like Season 3 of Mr. Robot, I found this season of Luke Cage to be really, REALLY good.  But I'm not sure how I feel about how they ended their respective seasons.

Bushmaster was a really compelling and well-developed villain (much more like Cottonmouth and less cartoony like Diamondback).  They built up the story and characters from the first season.  And the themes and storylines they created just connected well with me (the anger from various characters, the parent-child relationships).

But I'm not sure how I feel about that ending.

 

Spoiler

Not sure I buy Tilda Johnson going full villain.  Yes, the character we saw in the show killed her screwed-up mom, but not sure I completely buy her getting upset about losing out on Harlem's Paradise.  She hates the Stokes legacy, so I don't see why she'd get so butt-hurt about losing the club.

But more to the point, I'm not sure I agree with the obvious Godfather angle they're going with Luke.  The door closing scene (a clear homage scene to the Godfather) and the bit about Luke telling Claire to go home makes me uneasy.  Again, I'm not completely sold on the angle just yet.

It'd be fun to see Luke and Wilson Fisk butt heads. 

But not sure I want to see Harlem's Hero get corrupted trying to control, "manage" crime in his hometown.

 

 

 

[badboy00z]

Where does Luke get the cash flow to operate the club and pay the ridiculously high taxes of New York?? lol

[SuperSenpai]

On 7/18/2018 at 1:46 AM, Mog said:

So, I just finished binging Luke Cage Season 2 over the weekend.

Wasn't planning to finish off the season, but there was a really good stretch of 6 or 7 episodes that were really damn good.

Having watched the last episode though, I find myself conflicted about this past season of Luke Cage.  Much like Season 3 of Mr. Robot, I found this season of Luke Cage to be really, REALLY good.  But I'm not sure how I feel about how they ended their respective seasons.

Bushmaster was a really compelling and well-developed villain (much more like Cottonmouth and less cartoony like Diamondback).  They built up the story and characters from the first season.  And the themes and storylines they created just connected well with me (the anger from various characters, the parent-child relationships).

But I'm not sure how I feel about that ending.

 

  Hide contents

Not sure I buy Tilda Johnson going full villain.  Yes, the character we saw in the show killed her screwed-up mom, but not sure I completely buy her getting upset about losing out on Harlem's Paradise.  She hates the Stokes legacy, so I don't see why she'd get so butt-hurt about losing the club.

But more to the point, I'm not sure I agree with the obvious Godfather angle they're going with Luke.  The door closing scene (a clear homage scene to the Godfather) and the bit about Luke telling Claire to go home makes me uneasy.  Again, I'm not completely sold on the angle just yet.

It'd be fun to see Luke and Wilson Fisk butt heads. 

But not sure I want to see Harlem's Hero get corrupted trying to control, "manage" crime in his hometown.

 

 

 

Spoiler

I think they deliberately over-emphasized Luke's flirtation with the dark side in order to build anticipation for season 3.  I think their desired outcome was to close with the possibility of Don Luke Cage and have a collective "WTF?!?" moment for the audience, thereby ensuring everyone will tune in to the next season to see how things play out.  It may also be the case that the final scene is a flash-forward, and season 3 may do a bit of a rewind to see how Luke went from wanting to burn the club down to running it. 

I don't think Tilda is going full-on villain, but I think they are definitely presenting her as a morally ambiguous adversary to Luke.  I don't think she necessarily wanted the club for the sake of having it.  She's more upset about the fact that her own mother would rather give the family's legacy to her enemy than her own daughter -- a huge slap in the face for sure.  I think she will also come to transfer some of her hatred for the Stokes legacy to Luke, as he has now put himself in Mariah's old position.  She sees him as playing the same game Mariah did: expressing noble intentions while using dubious methods to accomplish them.

[Mog]

6 hours ago, SuperSenpai said:

  Hide contents

I think she will also come to transfer some of her hatred for the Stokes legacy to Luke, as he has now put himself in Mariah's old position.  She sees him as playing the same game Mariah did: expressing noble intentions while using dubious methods to accomplish them.

I can get behind this idea!

[Tking22]

I mean, after two seasons, it seems apparent Luke isn't confident in the super hero thing helping Harlem, even after his awesome little stint with his eventual partner Danny. I see the ending as exactly what that one neighborhood kid said to him, "If I had powers like you I would run this city!" So Luke said frakk it, and now he's not trying to be the nice guy, he's going to help Harlem one way or the other.

I'm interested in seeing exactly HOW he handles things, does he still go personally, doing essentially what he did before that didn't work, or is he going to have goons and send them. If he does how far will he allow them to go? How will the police and Misty react to this? Misty is the one who has stuck up for him and spoken out about he's doing what they should and can't, how will she feel now that he's a boss? How will Danny react?

Also, that episode with Danny was fantastic, it really showed what is possible with those two without Danny being a black hole of fun and charisma. Also, we got another taste of our proper Daughters of the Dragon, and it was also pretty awesome. I like the season overall, Bushmaster was a solid villain, and Mariah looks to be a bit of a wild card moving forward.
 

[no3Ljm]

 

[Mog]

Based on the trailer, I’m willing to give Season 2 a shot.

I really hope they learned from all the mistakes from Season 1 and late-season Defenders.

1). Keep the corporate junk and the Mecum(sp?) stuff to a minimum (or just non-existent).

2). Keep the youthful exuberance of early-episodes Defenders, but ditch the whiny, “knocked off his center by any little setback” Danny we’ve all come to loathe.

I think the Danny we saw in Luke Cage Season 2 is a nice balance to move forward with.

3).  More K’un-Lun flashbacks when relevant please.  

4).  More of the Daughters of the Dragon stomping out punks is always good.

5).  Good start having Danny wear a mask, but get him rocking the yellow bandana by the end of the series!  

He’s already taking over the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’s role of protecting the city (who originally wore just a black bandana over is eyes and head) and he’s worn that look in the (I’m assuming) flashback.  Bust it out already!  It makes too much sense, storywise and for meta-reasons.