Marvel’s Defenders: Grading Season 1 (Spoiler-Free)

3) Fight Choreography:

• The Defender show had a mighty task of making four very different fighting styles fit in one show and they did an awesome job of this. Each of the four characters handled their fight scenes well, while staying true to their personalities and skill sets. They did a particularly good job of not leaving characters like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones behind in this category, just because of their lack of martial arts training. Cage and Jones brought the muscle when the team needed it and Daredevil and Iron Fist brought the acrobatics. This blended surprisingly well and was clearly something producers focused on getting right, action sequences were very satisfying.

2) Clashing Personalities:

• The team argued and bickered which only bolstered the shows authenticity. It took a while for all these different personalities to blend well together. Cage and Jones’ reactions to the mystical worlds of Daredevil and Iron fist were often hilarious and grounded. These characters kept the show gritty--maintaining the street-level code of justice that make these shows interesting in the first place. Even Iron Fist, arguably the weakest character from an acting standpoint, showed improvements from his abysmal solo performance a few months back.

1) Intimidating Villains:

• The story line surrounding the “Hand” was starting to feel a little dated but then in Defenders they were able to keep it fresh with new and interesting characters. Alexandra played by Sijourneyer Weaver was particularly intimidating and her menacing plot made a lot of sense. Most importantly it was able to challenge a very talented Defender team and this was because of Elektra. The latter who from a physical standpoint had some of the best fighting moves seen in any of these shows. She was picking folks apart from start to finish and created some really jaw-dropping moments.

    
​ Verdict: Grade A-

• The length of the season was a downside, producers could have used the traditional 13-episode format because there was enough characters to support this move. The show did also have some plot hole moments that will likely leave audiences scratching their heads. All in all though, the show does live up to the hype bringing together a satisfying cast and backing them up with even more satisfying story.