Iron Fist
Now the whole debate over if an Asian should have played the role, just really pist me off, because people that are bitching about this about this aren't people that read comics in the first place, it just not who the character is, a product of his time and this is important to the character. Him being white adds to that jaded and disconected nature of the character. It's funny because on the other hand Marvel is trying to mix things up with racial, ethnic and gender issues in their comic and comic fans are all pist off because of this, even though some interesting stories are being pumped out, "people, there is an Asian Hulk that is totally awesome what else do you want", buy the title to help the existence of asian characters.
Now debate aside the series sucks, it feels like the stretched material for six episodes into 13 episodes. There are moments that it is boring and it felt like a soap opera at moments, hey at least my wife liked it. So let break down a review this steaming pile MEH. Spoilers !!!
Characters:
Heroes:
Iron Fist/Danny Rand (Finn Jones): The Iron Fist that in this series is pretty unlikable, he's an immature, impulsive asshole. The man has gone through 15 years of training he should be much more disciplined than the idiot we get in this series. He is one of Marvel's best fighters, which can give Wolverine a run for his money, but in this series, he keeps getting his butt kicked. And Why does he not use his Iron Fist ever? It seems like the writters didn't know what to do with it.
Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick): I found this character totally meh, the whole twist that she was part of the Hand, was pretty uninteresting.
Antagonist:
Davos (Sacha Dhawan): This character appears to take back Iron Fist to that magical Kung Fu place, and Rand just acts like a brat evading his responsibilities, I just wanted Davos to kick Fist ass and take him back to end the series.
Villains:
Ward Meachum (Tom Pelphery): Oddly Enough the Meachums where the only characters that I liked in the series. I like the Evolution in Ward and his downward spiral because of his drug addiction.
Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez): I know nothing of this character from the comic, from what I read he never crosses paths with Iron Fist. He's an Ok antagonist; I didn't like that he was a leader of a rival faction of the Hand, the series, in general, made the Hand to complicated.
Harold Meachum (David Wenham): I loved this villain, he's over the top crazy out of nowhere at moments, and he brings the only interesting stuff to the plot.
Madam Gao: Even though I liked her in Daredevil, here I found here to be tedious.
Sporting Cast:
Joy Meachum ( Jessica Stroup): She seems to be the only character that acts like a normal person, the thing is when she appears get ready to be bored.
Clair Temple (Rosario Dawson): The Night Nurse is back, she shoehorned into the plot it just kills me.
Issue Summary:
Repercussions and Lasting effects:
· I Guess Danny will become a defender
The Bad:
· The series has it fair share of dull moments, where nothing seems to happen, they just talk and talk. It seems that they had material for six episodes and they stretched it into 13.
· Iron Fist gets his butt kicked a lot in this series, Netflix people please understand he's one of Marvel best fighters, he can go toe to toe with some major heavy hitters.
· He almost never uses the Iron Fist, ¿why?, I would use it all the time, but I guess if he does this he would outclass the stupid minions that he has to fight in this series
· The actor that play Iron Fist, obviously didn't practice enough Kung Fu and it shows, and the fights in general are poorly executed.
· Danny Rand acts like an immature prick most of the times and is plane stupid in others, 15 years in a monastery didn't teach him anything.
The Good:
Room to improve
·
Luke Cage is a character that I've discovered in my Marvel trading cards series I and III during the early 90's (note I started collecting trading cards before the comics themselves), and I always wondered why I didn't ever see Cage pop up in any titles that I collected at that time Spider-man, New Warriors, Darkhawk, X-men and Hulk, like other street level character did. The first comic that I had with Cage in was in the mid 90's Heroes for Hire run which I enjoyed a lot it was like a Avengers B-side team that was pretty over the top, but when Marvel rebooted the Avengers, in the early 2000's, he was added to the team, and at first I found it odd for some reason, but I learned to enjoy the role of this character on the team and in comics in general.
The Luke Cage Netflix series is very different from Daredevil or Jessica Jones, it takes its time to build up the story, and I had issues at first with this slow pacing, I had gotten used to that in every DD episode there is action, or in Jessica, there is some kind of plot twist. With Cage, you have to wait for a little and let the character evolve, and when you see the complete series, you appreciate this aspect because it makes the experience much richer. So let go with my breakdown of this series and note Spoilers
Spoilers:
Characters
Heroes:
· Luke Cage (Mike Colter): The characterization of Cage is just perfect, and I enjoyed that we get an origin episode. I never realized how political a character like Luke is, especially now, being a bullet proof Afro-American is a big political statement. The series actually addresses some important social issues that affect some Afro-Americans communities that are suffering (like many others) gun violence, drugs, organized crime, police brutality and state corruption, Luke pretty much can handle all of these things, but his strength can't give him the upper hand in defeating a corrupt system.
· Misty Knight (Simone Missick): My introduction to this character was in her own Heroes for Hire series that came out in the mid-2000's, but she made a couple appearance in old school X-men comic that I had. In this series, she plays a cop that because of certain situations she is put at odds with Luke, but at the end of the season, she has grown tried how criminals take advantage of the system and might become a vigilante herself.
Villains:
· Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes (Mahershala Ali): I have never seen this character before in the comics, and it was a letdown to see him as an African American Kingpin, but like Fisk they humanize him in a way that you feel for the dude, you understand that he's sort of a victim of circumstances that he lived as a child, and out of nowhere they kill him, catching me totally by surprise.
· Hernan "Shade" Alvarez (Theo Rossi): For some reason, this guy reminds me of a younger Clark Gregg, he's like an evil Phil. Even though he represents Diamondbacks interest, he has his own agenda, making this character interesting.
· Willis Stryker/Diamondback (Eric LaRay Harvey): At moments this character seems out of place he's the only one that acts like an over the top Power Man villain from the 70's, being over the top, but I like the fact that he gives Luke the chance to show off his powers.
· Mariah Dillard / Black Mariah (Alfre Woodard): All I can say about this character is that I loved to hate her, she's a legit politician that has ties to the underworld that drags her down and when that happens shit hits the fan.
Antagonist:
The Police: They play an interesting role in the series
Supporting Charters:
Night Nurse: Claire is back, she seems to be the Phil Coulson of the Netflix-verse, the glue that will lead to the creation of the defenders.
Lasting Effects:
· Cage ends up back in prison.
· The dude that gave Cage his powers starts to experiment on Diamondback.
· Reference to Colleen Wing in the final episode means Iron Fist can't be too far.
The Good:
· Man what an excellent soundtrack with R & B, Rap, Hip Hop mellow Jazz, this is something that was missing in the Netflix-verse and in the MCU universe in general with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy and the first two Ironman movies.
· They bring in Hammer Tec.
The Bad:
· Two episodes too long, the season lags just a little Luke gets shot and has to get fixed
Overall: 8 out of 10
Daredevil Season II
DD season II is much better some aspects compared to season one, everything related to Punisher is just incredible, but the Electra parts of the season is just sluggish and uninteresting.
Now the first part of the Season DD clashes with Punisher over how to fight crime, but they actually have a battle of ideologies that we have seen in the comics, but it's taken to a whole new level, this part of the story is so gripping that a binged watched those episodes. The second part of the season centers on Electra reappearing in Matt's life and if you know the comics you know that the hand can't be far behind, the thing of this part of the season is that even though it explores DD past it isn't as good as the first part and even lags at moments.
Spoilers:
Characters
Heroes:
Daredevil: Daredevil in this season he has his values and ideology put into question: ¿is he really doing the right thing?, the Punisher shacks thing up for Matt, while Electra brings a different conflict into DD life being an old flame of his that has gotten in trouble with the Hand and she really affects Matt's personal life.
Villains:
Kingpin: Man when this dude pops up in the season he steals the show, even in prison he's still very powerful, and pragmatically make a deal with the Punisher caught me off guard. I can't wait till he gets out and it seems he starts to suspect the Matt is DD
Nobu and the Hand: The hand has arrived in NY ready to fill the power void that the Kingpin has left, which has a particular interest in Hell's Kitchen. It cool to see how the Hand actually gives DD a hard time in the fight their stealth abilities give Matt a hard time.
Antagonist:
Punisher: I never liked this character, I have issues with guns, but in this series, they really humanize the character you understand what makes him tick, he's not just a one-dimensional hellbent dude out for vengeance, he an utterly broken man that misses his family, and has gone through hell.
Electra: I don't like this character in the comic, and she doesn't win me over in the series. She hard to identify with, too crazy and her plot twist was sort of meh, the contrast with the Punisher as such a compelling character makes her insipid.
Stick: In this season we learn more about his past relationship with DD and Electra, and how he's out to destroy the Hand.
Supporting Charters:
Karen Page: This character starts to become an investigative reporter, for Ben's newspaper, this aspect of the series reminds me of Marvel's cult classic Front Line, she leaves Matt's and Foggy's law practice behind to uncover the real story behind the Punisher.
Foggy: This character plays the loyal friend that pretty much gets his heart broken by his best bro, he tries to be there for Matt, but DD just pushes him away destroying their friendship.
Night Nurse: Claire is back in a couple of episodes having to deal with an invasion of the Hand to her hospital.
Lasting Effects:
· DD get his signature Billy club.
· Karen becomes a journalist.
· Foggy joins another legal law practice.
· DD detaches himself from his life as Matt.
The Good:
· Punisher more Punisher.
· References to Stiltman and Gladiator to old school DD villain.
· DD vs. Punisher wow
The Bad:
· Electra
Overall: 8
Jessica Jones Netflix Season 1
Now I walked into this series with very little idea about this character, because I have never read her comic book series, but she did pop up in the New Avengers as Luke Cage's wife, and I knew that Purple man/Kilgrave was the villain of the series because he was the main villain her comics and I have a couple of issues where Luke totally clobbers him referencing what had happened in her series.
Now the plot basically is that Jessica is restarting her life after her encounter with the evil villain Kilgrave that basically destroyed her life, she tries to become a private investigator, but in one of her first cases she discovers that Kilgave wants to have her back again and basically will tries to make her life as miserable as possible to break her will.
Characters
Heroes:
Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter): She is an interesting take of an anti-hero, she's just not a good person, but she has a good heart. She suffers from PTSD from her encounter with Kilgrave, but she grows as the series goes along she finds to strength to confront him, especial when he start to target her friends.
Luke Cage (Mike Colter): Luke Cage becomes Jessica's love interest, but she keeps a terrible secret from him, related to Kilgave's. With the introduction of Luke, I can't wait till his solo series comes out.
Villains:
Kilgrave/Purple Man (David Tennet): I discovered this character in the pages of X-Man and latter on the pages of the Thunderbolts. In this series he probably the sickest Marvel Villain in the MCU and his mind control powers are insane and very different, I really don't want to spoil too much about this character that is fascinating, but the series is actually able to humanize him at moments which caught me by surprise.
Antagonist:
· Will Simpson / Nuke (Wil Traval): This was a real surprise to see this character pops up, Nuke is freaking obscure character from Daredevil, Wolverine, and Captain America's rogue gallery. At first, I thought he was US Agent with another name, but when he popped those pills, my nerd's brain went tripping I knew this guy was bad news.
Supporting Charters:
· Patricia "Trish" Walker (Rachel Taylor): It took me a while to realize who this character was too and was a pleasantly surprised to see how the series bring in the cult character that I think predates Marvel Itself and that could become Hellcat, in this series she's Jessica adoptive sister and best friend, she the optimist that contrast nicely with Jessica pessimism.
Lasting Effects (Spoilers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!):
· Set up Luke Cage's series
The Good:
· It does intertwine a little with the Daredevil's series.
· Great Villain better than most that are popping up in the MCU movies lately.
· Jessica isn't you cookie cutter hero, she has issues.
· Cool to see how the series explores the pros and cons of Luke Cage's powers
· Series works best in Noir mode.
The Bad:
· Series lags just a little to episodes too long, ten would have been just fine.
Overall: 8.5 out of ten
Daredevil Netflix Season 1
Man what a surprised I had, when I saw this series for the first time, I had very low expectation thanks to the Ben Affleck Daredevil of the early 2000's and even though I'm a big Marvel fan I never really got into Daredevil, so I was blown away to see how good this series was.
So let's dive into the basic plot of the first season without spoiling too much, Daredevil becomes the protector of Hell's Kitchen, while at the same time the Kingpin starts to consolidate his power in New York's under world establishing alliances with rival gangs: the Triads, the Yakuza, Russian Mob and Leland Owlsley. Now DD crime fighting has altered the criminal status quo and Kingpin take advantage of the situation to remove the other gangs from the scene, but inevitably DD clashes with Fisk to take him down.
Characters
Heroes:
· Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox): As I said before I never cared much for old Horn Head, but this series sparked my interest in the character, I like how Matt had to deal with his faith, profession, his powers, his past and upbringing that were in conflict, and we get to see how he evolves and reconciles the deferent aspect of his person to start to become a crime fighter.
Villains:
· The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio): I was astounded how well the series treats this character: he has issues, he's very complex and driven, he not your every day villain he actually thinks that in the long run he will bring good to the community by doing a lot of bad shit, Vincent's acting is just incredible the best in the series.
· James Wesly (Toby Leonard Moore): I'm not sure that this character is in Daredevil comics or he's original to this series, but I loved his role as Kingpins right hand man and his only true friend.
· Leland Owlsey ( Bob Gunton): One f the first original Daredevil villains, in this series he works as the financial arm of the mob, bending wall street to its knees to do Fisk's bidding, but has a plan to screw Kingpin over.
· Nobu: This character is the head of the Yakuza, but seems to bring more to the table possibly tied to the hand.
· Gao: Leader of the Triads that has a mysterious agenda.
Antagonist:
· Vanessa Marianna ( Ayelet Zurer): This character become Kingpins girl friend as the season progresses, now what makes her interesting is that she's sort of intoxicated with Fisk's power and she starts to like the perks of the mob life, pushing Fisk to finally make his move to take over.
Supporting Charters:
· Karen Page ( Deborah Ann Woll): She's the secretary of Matt and Foggy's legal practice, and a victim of Kingpin's actions in the underworld. Now Karen is hellbent on making Fisk pay for destroying her life and she joins forces with Ben Ulrich to expose Kingpin to the world and put him to justice.
· Franklin Foggy Nelson(Elden Henson): He's Matts' partner at the Legal practice and his best friend, the character adds tons of heart to the series.
· Ben Olrich (Vondie Kurts-Hall): This character is from the pages of Spider-man he's a journalist that is in search of his last great story but he's bitten more than he can chew when trying to expose Wilson Fisk.
· Night Nurse (Rosario Dawson): She play the role of fixing Matt up after each of his battles and he always ends up pretty beat up, this series is very realist with this.
· Stick: Blind mentor to Daredevil that enters in conflict with his old student over his methods, plus if Stick is in the series Electra can't be far behind.
Lasting Effects (Spoilers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!):
· Kingpin ends up behind bars.
· DD gets his light body Armor, his classic red costume.
· Matt and Foggy become important lawyer that protect the week in Hell's Kitchen.
· With the Kingpin gone there is a power void in the Kitchen.
· Maybe Gladiator is coming down th line
The Hand is coming and Stick will be back
The Hand is coming and Stick will be back
The Good:
· Pacing of the series is slow, but in a good way, it takes it's time to build things up creating anticipation, for example we don't get to see Daredevil in his red costume until the last episode.
· Kingpin is one of the best and most interesting villains in Marvel's movie and series universe, after Loki.
· Great action, the fight in the hallway in episode 2 was incredible.
· A Couple references to the larger Marvel Universe and Atlas Comics
Overall: 9.5 out of 10 Netflix give me Stiltman
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