The Defenders: Season 1 Review

Daredevil: “I’m glad we found each other.” Luke Cage: “I’m not hugging you.”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Story So Far

This past November, prior to the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, I tried out an idea that I had been developing for new posts on this blog. Due to the fact that franchises play a key part in the film industry nowadays, I figured that it may be hard for some newcomers whenever they go into the latest installment of a franchise potentially without having seen any of its previous installments. So in honor of the release of what was the final installment of The Hunger Games, I did a post in which I recapped the events of the previous three films in order to A.) get newcomers up-to-speed with what’s going on in the story and B.) refresh the memories of those who have seen the films but may not have seen them in a while. And overall, it seems that a lot of you really liked that post based on its view-count. So as a result, I decided to continue on with this ‘Story so Far’ series and today I’m tackling the current king of film franchises. That’s right, I’m doing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back when it all started in 2008 with the original Iron Man, I bet no one would have expected that this would one day lead to one of the biggest franchises in recent memory. But now here we are just less than a week away from the release of the MCU’s 13^th installment, Captain America: Civil War, which also marks the beginning of the franchise’s ‘Phase Three’. So today, to keep everyone up to speed with what’s been going on in the continually expanding world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’ll be going through almost everything that’s happened in the previous two phases/twelve films. The reason why I say ‘almost’ everything is because if I covered every single event that happened in the MCU up to this point, I’d be here all day.

Now this is going to play out much differently than the ‘Story so Far’ post for The Hunger Games. Instead of this post playing out like a straight-forward re-telling of the events of the MCU films, it’s more going to be like a bulleted timeline detailing specific moments from each entry in the franchise. Also, I’m not just going to do this in the order in which the films were released, starting with Iron Man and then finishing off with the most recent release, 2015’s Ant Man. Instead, I’m going to recount the events of the MCU in order of where they stand on what would be considered as the series’ official ‘timeline’. Now obviously there’s a lot to cover here so I’m restricting it to the most important moments in the franchise; in other words, the general plots of each installment. And yes, I’m also including the TV shows in here as well even though recently it seems like they’ve begun to stray away from the continuity of the films. Because if you ask me, until it’s clearly evident that they are 100% separate from the events in the MCU films, for now they are still a part of that continuity even if only in minor detail. For reference, I used the following websites (listed below) in order to construct this post. If you want to learn more about the MCU timeline, at least more than what I’ll be covering today, I implore you to check out the latter link which will lead you to an ‘official’ wiki site for the MCU. But for now, sit back, relax, and follow along with me as we go through the VERY long history of the world that is Marvel Studios’ Cinematic Universe two phases into its run.

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/marvel-cinematic-universe-timeline-avengers/

http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline

*In 2988 B.C., the Asgardian army, led by Bor (Tony Curran), confront the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim before they can destroy the Nine Realms with the mysterious substance known as the Aether. Realizing that they’re in the middle of a losing battle, the Dark Elves’ leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) sacrifices most of his army and places both himself and his surviving forces into suspended animation. Bor then proceeds to hide the Aether to keep it out of enemy hands. (Thor: The Dark World)

*In the year 965, the Asgardians, led by Odin (Anthony Hopkins), confront the Frost Giants of Jotunheim when the latter group attempts to conquer Earth. After forcing them back to Jotunheim and then proceeding to steal their power source, the Casket of Ancient Winters, Odin negotiates a truce with the Frost Giant leader Laufey (Colm Feore). After the battle, Odin comes across an abandoned Frost Giant infant, who he then proceeds to adopts as his own, Loki. (Thor)

*In the midst of World War II, Brooklyn native Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) attempts to join the military but is continuously rejected due to his frail status. However, Rogers’ determination to join in the fight attracts the attention of defecting German scientist Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), who selects him for a special ‘super-soldier’ project run by the Strategic Scientific Reserve. While the experiment does prove to be a success, transforming Rogers into a much taller and stronger figure, Erskine is killed by an assassin, resulting in Rogers being the only one to be subjected to the super-soldier serum. After initially being used solely for promotional purposes by a U.S. senator, Rogers soon joins in the fight for real as ‘Captain America’ as he and his squad, the Howling Commandos, take on the Nazi organization known as Hydra, led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) AKA the ‘Red Skull’, who intends on using a powerful relic known as the Tesseract to take over the world. However, during his final fight with Cap onboard his weapons-loaded aircraft, Schmidt ends up getting ‘dissolved’ by the Tesseract. In order to keep the plane’s weapons from detonating in a civilian-populated area, Rogers ‘sacrifices’ himself by crashing the plane into the Arctic. (Captain America: The First Avenger)

*One year after the end of World War II, SSR agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), who was Cap’s love interest in The First Avenger, struggles to cope with his ‘loss’ while continuing to work for the SSR. She soon finds herself having to go against her superiors in order to help inventor Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) when he is framed for supplying weapons to enemies of the U.S. With the help of Stark’s butler Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy), Peggy successfully prevents the organization known as Leviathan from using said weapons against the U.S. while also finally coming to terms with the loss of Steve. (Agent Carter: Season 1)

*One year after that, Peggy finds herself sent to Los Angeles on assignment in order to help LA SSR Chief Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) deal with a mysterious body found frozen in a lake (during a heat wave, no less). This investigation soon leads Peggy and co. into a confrontation with scientific prodigy Whitney Frost (Wynn Everett), who has created a substance known as Zero Matter which she ends up absorbing during this time. (Agent Carter: Season 2)

*Sometime after that, Peggy, after retrieving the mysterious serum known as the ‘Zodiac’ from enemy hands, is recruited by Howard Stark to be the co-head of his new organization: S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel One-Shots: Agent Carter)

*In 1988, a young Peter Quill is forced to witness the death of his mother Meredith due to cancer. As he tearfully rushes out of the hospital, he is then abducted by a group of space pirates known as the ‘Ravagers’ led by Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker). (Guardians of the Galaxy)

*In 1989, S.H.I.E.L.D. associate Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) furiously resigns from the organization when he learns that they have been trying to duplicate his ‘Ant-Man’ shrinking technology behind his back. (Ant-Man)

*Many years later, genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) ends up getting critically wounded while in Afghanistan for a demonstration of his company’s new weapon, the ‘Jericho’ missile. He is then captured by the terrorist group known as ‘The Ten Rings’, who blackmail him into building a ‘Jericho’ missile for them in exchange for his freedom. Instead, Tony, with the help of fellow captive Yinsen (Shaun Toub), builds a suit of armor powered by an arc reactor generator that Tony also uses to power the electromagnet that’s keeping him alive in the wake of his injuries. After escaping from the Ten Rings and returning to the U.S., Tony then decides to use his new suit of armor to take on those who have been using his company’s weapons on innocent people, becoming the superhero ‘Iron Man’. However, Tony soon finds himself in conflict with his business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), who is revealed to be the one who orchestrated Tony’s kidnapping. Stane collects the prototype suit that Tony created to escape from the Ten Rings and dons it to become the ‘Iron Monger’. After successfully defeating Stane, Tony then publicly reveals to the world that he is Iron Man. He is then approached by S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who intends to talk to him about the ‘Avengers Initiative’. (Iron Man)

*After being exposed to gamma radiation as part of an experiment by the government intended to re-create the ‘super-soldier’ program, physicist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is transformed into a large green monster, the ‘Hulk’, and is forced to go on the run as a fugitive of the U.S. military. Years later, Banner, who has been living a low-key life in Brazil, tries to search for a cure for his ‘condition’. This soon leads to him returning to the U.S., where he reunites with his ex-girlfriend and fellow scientist Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) while still being pursued by her father, General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt), and the military. During this time, Ross attempts the ‘super-soldier’ experiment again by testing it on soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). However, like Banner, the serum ends up having a negative effect on Blonsky, who then proceeds to transform into the monstrous ‘Abomination’. After stopping Abomination, Bruce then proceeds to go back into hiding and is seemingly now able to keep his ‘condition’ in check. (The Incredible Hulk)

*When S.H.I.E.L.D.’s overseers, the World Security Council, intend to recruit Blonsky into the ‘Avengers Initiative’, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez) sabotage their plan by having Tony Stark meet with General Ross instead (this was also the ‘post-credits scene’ for The Incredible Hulk) so that he and the military wouldn’t give Blonsky over to S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel One-Shots: The Consultant)

*Six months after revealing his identity as Iron Man to the world, Tony Stark is continuously pressured by the government into giving them his technology. While all of this is going on, Tony is also trying to find a replacement for his arc reactor’s palladium core as it has begun to poison him. He is soon confronted by physicist Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a former associate of Howard Stark (whose older self is played by John Slattery) who builds an arc reactor of his own to seek revenge against Tony’s family for ruining his own family’s life, eventually gaining the help of Tony’s business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). With the help of notes from his late father, Tony manages to create a new element that he uses in order to better power his arc reactor and, more importantly, not die. And with the help of his friend, Colonel James Rhodes (who, starting with this film, is played by Don Cheadle after being played by Terrence Howard in the first Iron Man), who had taken one of Tony’s previous Iron Man suits to become ‘War Machine’ for the military, Tony is able to defeat Vanko and his army of robot drones at the Stark Expo in New York. However, Nick Fury then proceeds to inform Tony that S.H.I.E.L.D. only intends to use him as a ‘consultant’ for the ‘Avengers Initiative’ due to his “compulsive behavior, self-destructive tendencies, and textbook narcissism”. (Iron Man 2)

*After briefly serving as Tony Stark’s ‘supervisor’ during the events of Iron Man 2, Agent Coulson is reassigned to investigate a strange occurrence in New Mexico. While on the way there, he subdues a few robbers at a convenience store. (Marvel One-Shots: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer)

*After he accidentally ends up breaking the truce between Asgard and the Frost Giants, Odin’s son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers. While on Earth, Thor meets, befriends, and falls in love with astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Meanwhile, back on Asgard, it is revealed that Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who learns of his true identity as an adopted Frost Giant, had masterminded Thor’s banishment in order to take over as the ruler of Asgard. However, Thor ends up regaining his powers after proving himself worthy of them and returns to Asgard in order to confront Loki. During their battle, Loki seemingly perishes after falling into an abyss. However, it is later revealed that Loki did survive the fall and has taken control of Thor’s scientist friend on Earth, Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). (Thor)

*Scientists in the Arctic uncover the crashed aircraft that Captain America was in, resulting in Cap waking up in the present day and learning that he’s been ‘asleep’ for about 70 years. (Captain America: The First Avenger)

*S.H.I.E.L.D. begins to experiment on the mysterious Tesseract, recovered by Howard Stark in the 40’s following Cap’s ‘sacrifice’, with the help of Dr. Selvig. However, they are soon attacked by Loki, who takes the Tesseract and hypnotizes both Selvig and Agent Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) AKA Hawkeye into being his minions. This leads Fury into finally bringing in the members of his ‘Avengers Initiative’: Iron Man, Cap, Thor, Hulk (now played by Mark Ruffalo), as well as SHIELD agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) AKA Black Widow and Barton after he’s freed from his hypnosis. Together they take on Loki and his army of Chitauri alien soldiers as they attack the city of New York, after Loki brought them to Earth through a portal created by the Tesseract. While Hulk thrashes Loki around to get him out of the fight, Iron Man ‘sacrifices’ himself by sending a missile through the portal in order to destroy the Chitauri mothership. Thankfully he manages to get back through the portal just in time before it closes. With the day saved, Thor brings the imprisoned Loki back to Asgard while the Avengers go their separate ways for now. Meanwhile, in another part of the universe, a mysterious purple-skinned figure is notified of the failed invasion. (The Avengers)

*Tony begins to suffer from PTSD following his near-death experience during the Battle of New York. To make matters worse, a sinister terrorist known as ‘The Mandarin’ begins attacking various sites all over the U.S. When Tony goads him on after his former bodyguard Happy Hogan (played by Iron Man/Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau) is injured in one of the bombings, the Mandarin destroys Tony’s Malibu home and Tony is forced to fly all the way over to North Carolina, where he begins to mount an all-out offensive on the Mandarin. As it turns out, the man who he thought was the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is actually a drunk British actor named Trevor Slattery while the real mastermind behind all of the bombings was scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who Tony had ignored years earlier while at a New Year’s Eve party in Switzerland. Tony defeats Killian with the help of Rhodey, saves his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) from being subjected to Killian’s Extremis formula, destroys most of the Iron Man suits that he had developed since New York, and finally gets the shrapnel in his body removed once and for all. (Iron Man 3)

*After being arrested at the end of Iron Man 3, Trevor Slattery is put in prison and is interviewed by documentary filmmaker Jackson Norriss (Scoot McNairy). However, it turns out that Norriss is actually a member of the Ten Rings, who aren’t too pleased with Slattery’s recent portrayal of ‘The Mandarin’, particularly the real Mandarin. (Marvel One-Shots: All Hail the King)

*Agent Phil Coulson, who was believed to have been killed by Loki prior to the Battle of New York, is revealed to be alive and proceeds to form a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to combat all sorts of threats in the wake of the first Avengers film. His team includes pilot/former field agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), black ops specialist Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), engineering genius Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), and biochemist Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). During their first mission, Coulson also ends up recruiting a hacktivist named Skye (Chloe Bennet) who is associated with the hacker group known as the ‘Rising Tide’. When Skye’s connections with the Rising Tide start to threaten her relationship with the rest of the team, she admits to Coulson that she joined the team because she’s been looking for her parents. (Agents of SHIELD: Season 1- Episodes 1-7)

*After Jane Foster accidentally comes into contact with the Aether, Thor is forced to bring her to Asgard for protection, as the release of the Aether awakens Malekith and his forces from their long sleep. When the Dark Elves begin to pose a serious threat to the people of Asgard as well as the Nine Realms in general, Thor is forced to do the unthinkable; ally with his brother Loki as he is the only one who knows of a secret way into Svartalfheim. During a fight with Malekith’s forces, Loki is seemingly killed. Thor, with the help of Jane and her friends, then proceed to defeat Malekith in London. Unbeknownst to Thor, Loki survived and has somehow managed to take Odin’s place as ruler of Asgard. (Thor: The Dark World)

*Coulson and his team continue to investigate strange forces on Earth. During this time, they learn of a mysterious figure known as ‘The Clairvoyant’ who is in charge of an organization known as Project Centipede that Coulson and co. have come across a few times. Coulson and May also learn that Skye is what S.H.I.E.L.D. refers to as an ‘0-8-4’, an object of unknown origin. When Skye is critically wounded during a mission, Coulson and the team head to a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where Coulson was supposedly resurrected. It is here that Coulson learns that the drug that revived him, which is subsequently used to save Skye, came from the corpse of a blue alien creature. (Agents of SHIELD: Season 1- Episodes 8-15)

*Following the Battle of New York, Steve Rogers finds himself trying to adjust to modern life in Washington D.C. while also finding himself conflicted with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s arguably extreme tactics of espionage. When Nick Fury is supposedly killed by a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier, Cap and Black Widow, along with Steve’s new friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) AKA Falcon, investigate into the matter. They soon learn that Hydra, who was thought to have been eliminated after WWII, still lives on and has taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve also learns that the Winter Soldier is actually his best friend from the 40’s, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who supposedly died during the events of The First Avenger. When Hydra plans to use a series of new Helicarriers to wipe out anyone who poses a threat to them, Cap and company go on an all-out offensive against them. They succeed in destroying the Helicarriers and, as a result of Cap’s fight with Bucky, it appears that Bucky has begun to return to his normal self. During this time, Hydra associate Baron von Strucker (Thomas Krestchmann) begins to examine the scepter that Loki had used during the Battle of New York. He is also shown to have two special-powered beings imprisoned; Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

*During their hunt for the Clairvoyant, Coulson and his team quickly learn of the whole Hydra situation. It is revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett (Bill Paxton) is the ‘Clairvoyant’ and, to matters worse, Ward is also a Hydra mole and Garrett’s protégé. Without S.H.I.E.L.D.’s vast array of resources to help them, Coulson and his team are forced to take on Garrett’s forces by themselves. They succeed in both killing Garrett and imprisoning Ward. The season ends with Coulson, who is promoted to the role of ‘Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ by Nick Fury (who was forced to go on the run following the events of Winter Soldier), beginning to exhibit a strange fixation by carving mysterious symbols into a wall. (Agents of SHIELD: Season 1- Episodes 16-22).

*26 years after he is initially abducted by the Ravagers, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) AKA Star-Lord comes across a mysterious orb artifact while on the planet Morag. He soon finds himself pursued by the subordinates of the Kree fanatical Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and at one point ends up getting arrested along with Ronan’s defecting assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), adopted daughter of the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) AKA that mysterious purple being seen at the end of The Avengers, and bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and the tree-like creature Groot (Vin Diesel). Soon joined by warrior Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), the group of misfits team up in order to stop Ronan from using the artifact within the orb, an Infinity Stone (which was also the power source of both the Tesseract and the Aether), to destroy the planet of Xandar. They succeed and Peter learns that he’s half-alien through his unknown father. (Guardians of the Galaxy)

…also, Howard the Duck.

*After defeating Garrett, Coulson and his team are now forced to operate in secret following the ‘fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ as seen in The Winter Soldier. They soon learn that the mysterious symbols that Coulson has been carving are a map to an ancient alien city, which they race to before it can be found by Hydra. During this process, Skye’s true identity is revealed as a member of the society known as the Inhumans when she gains earthquake-generating powers after coming into contact with a substance known as Terrigen Mist. She also finally comes into contact with both her long-lost father Calvin Johnson (Kyle MacLachlan), who reveals that her true name is Daisy, and mother/fellow Inhuman Jiaying (Dichen Lachman). (Agents of SHIELD: Season 2- Episodes 1-19)

*After being permanently blinded by hazardous chemicals as a kid, lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) moonlights as a vigilante crime-fighter in the Hell’s Kitchen district of New York, effectively becoming the ‘Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’. His actions soon lead to him crossing paths with businessman Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who intends to destroy Hell’s Kitchen and ‘rebuild’ it through his various dealings with the area’s criminal gangs. Matt, with the help of his best friend and fellow lawyer Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and their new assistant Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), is able to publicly oust Fisk’s true intentions, who is then subsequently arrested. (Daredevil: Season 1)

*After being ‘given’ a vision (courtesy of Scarlet Witch) of the Avengers completely decimated and aliens attacking the Earth unopposed, Tony Stark decides to use the energy from Loki’s scepter, recovered from Baron von Strucker, to power his ‘Ultron’ defense system. However, Ultron (James Spader) ends up becoming a sentient being hell bent on destroying mankind. Eventually the Avengers confront him in the city of Sokovia, which Ultron lifts up into the air as a means of destroying the world once it crash-lands back on Earth. With the help of Sokovia natives Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (who were initially opposed to the Avengers, specifically Tony Stark whose company manufactured the missile that killed their parents) as well as the being Vision (Paul Bettany), who was created from a synthetic body powered by both an Infinity Stone (the aforementioned ‘energy source’ from Loki’s scepter) and Tony’s A.I. Jarvis, the Avengers stop Ultron though Quicksilver is tragically killed during the battle. Afterwards, Tony and Hawkeye decide to ‘retire’ from the team while Thor returns to Asgard in order to investigate further into the ‘Infinity Stones’ situation that has arisen in the past year. This leaves Cap and Black Widow in charge of training the new members of the Avengers: Vision, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and War Machine, in their new facility in New York. (The Avengers: Age of Ultron)

*The conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans gets nasty when Jiaying masterminds a plot to incite a war between the two parties so that the Inhumans wouldn’t be taken over by S.H.I.E.L.D. While initially torn between the two sides, Daisy helps Coulson and his team stop Jiaying from unleashing Terrigen Mist upon the world, revealing those who are Inhuman and killing those who aren’t. However, sources of the substance do end up leaking into the ocean. This leads Coulson and Daisy into forming a new team of ‘gifted’ individuals like her. The season ends with Agent Simmons being sucked into a mysterious alien monolith that S.H.I.E.L.D. had recently found. (Agents of SHIELD: Season 2- Episodes 20-22)

*Sometime after the events of Age of Ultron, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is released from prison after he was arrested for hacking his former company. Looking to turn over a new leaf so that he can be with his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson), Scott is approached by Hank Pym, who along with his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) recruit Scott into their plan to steal a new piece of technology, the Yellowjacket suit, from Pym’s former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who is close to perfecting his own shrinking technology similar to Pym’s Ant-Man technology. During the set-up for the heist, Scott even ends up crossing paths with Falcon when the former has to collect a specific piece of hardware from the Avengers’ new facility. (Ant-Man)

*As more people around the world begin to be exposed to the Terrigen mist, S.H.I.E.L.D. begins to assemble a team of Inhumans, led by Daisy, to help them confront new threats. During this time, Grant Ward begins to rebuild Hydra following its ‘collapse’ to take on S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, President Ellis (William Sadler) creates a new task force, the Advanced Threat Containment Unit, led by Rosalind Price (Constance Zimmer), following S.H.I.E.L.D.’s recent fall from grace. While the two parties initially find themselves in conflict with one another over their handling of the Inhuman situation, Price ends up being one of the good guys as S.H.I.E.L.D. confronts Gideon Malick (Powers Boothe), a former member of the World Security Council and Hydra operative. After rescuing Agent Simmons from the mysterious alien realm that she ended up in after being ‘taken’ by the monolith at the end of the previous season, Coulson and Agent Fitz end up traveling to this realm when Ward and Malick plan on bringing an ancient Inhuman, Hive, back to Earth. While there, Coulson kills Ward and he and Fitz return to Earth after seemingly destroying Hive. However, Hive is revealed to have survived and has returned to Earth having taking control of Ward’s body. (Agents of SHIELD: Season 3- Episodes 1-10)

(And that’s all I’m going to say for now in regards to Season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. due to the fact that, at the time I’m writing this, the season is not yet over. I’ll go into more detail over what happens during the second half of the season in my upcoming review of Season 3.)

*Years after her brief ‘stint’ as a superhero ended on a dark note, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) has moved on from her past life and has set up a private investigation office in Hell’s Kitchen. However, her latest case leads her to have to once again confront the man responsible for ruining her life, Kilgrave (David Tennant), a man who is able to brainwash anyone he pleases. With the help of her friends, as well as another ‘gifted’ individual named Luke Cage (Mike Colter) who she falls in love with, Jessica is able to stop Kilgrave and kills him so that he won’t threaten anyone ever again. (Jessica Jones: Season 1)

*Following his defeat of Wilson Fisk, Matt Murdock soon finds himself crossing paths with another vigilante, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) AKA ‘The Punisher’, an army vet who seeks vengeance on the gangs of Hell’s Kitchen following the deaths of his wife and children. When the Punisher is captured by the police, Matt and Foggy risk the future of their firm by taking on his case to keep him from receiving the death penalty. While all of this is going on, Matt is also approached by an old flame, Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung), who seeks his help in dealing with the Yakuza. (Daredevil: Season 2)

And that’s where we’ll end things for today. As you can see, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come a very long way since the days of Iron Man. Phase 1, of course, was responsible for setting up the universe and its primary protagonists, from Iron Man to Captain America to more otherworldly beings like Thor. As for Phase 2, you could say that this was the Phase that set up some of the greater forces that are out there beyond Earth, particularly the cosmic side of the universe as explored in Guardians of the Galaxy. Later this year we’ll also be introduced to the mystical side of the MCU courtesy of Doctor Strange. And while we’re still a few years away from it, Phase 3 will culminate with the two-part epic that will be The Avengers: Infinity War as the Avengers take on the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. Simply put, it’s a great time to be a MCU fan and as I’ve been saying time and time again, I believe that Marvel Studios has yet to produce a ‘bad’ film/show. Have there been some weak ones? Sure, like Thor 2 or Iron Man 2. However, I’d argue that even their weakest are better than most entries in the superhero genre and considering that the Creative Committee that was clearly responsible for some of the franchise’s more controversial moves (e.g. the creative differences with Edgar Wright that led to his departure from Ant-Man) has now been disbanded, I’m confident that Phase 3 will turn out to be the franchise’s best lineup of films yet. So with that said, what Phase 3 films are you most looking forward to (aside from Civil War seeing how that’s coming out soon)? Doctor Strange? Thor: Ragnarok? Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Be sure to sound off in the comments below. 

Daredevil: Season 2 Review

“One batch, two batch, Penny and Dime…”

(WARNING: There will be Spoilers!)

Marvel's Daredevil (2015): Season Review

(WARNING: Potentially Minor Spoilers Ahead! Don’t worry, I won’t give away ‘too much’)

In 2003, Marvel made its first major attempt to bring the character of Daredevil to the big screen. But ultimately, the 2003 film ‘Daredevil’ starring Ben Affleck in the title role of Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil, ‘The Man without Fear’, ended up becoming one of the most hated superhero films of the pre-MCU superhero film era… at least amongst the people of the internet. A few weeks ago, I went on record stating that I didn’t ‘hate’ the film. I’m not saying that it was a ‘great’ superhero film, far from it in fact, but ultimately 2003’s ‘Daredevil’ was just a case of a film that got neutered by the studio to appeal to a larger audience despite the fact that Daredevil is considered to be one of Marvel’s darker lead characters. If anything, it wasn’t 100% the fault of either Affleck or director Mark Steven Johnson. Because of the mixed-to-negative reaction, plans for a sequel fell by the wayside and Fox’s attempts to reboot the franchise ultimately didn’t pan out either. So, in 2012, the rights to the character of Daredevil returned to Marvel Studios and as a result, now we have the ‘Daredevil’ TV series, the first in a new group of shows that Marvel will produce with Netflix over the next few years centered around the characters collectively known as ‘The Defenders’. This new ‘Daredevil’ immediately makes one hell of a great impression, much more so than its 2003 film predecessor, thanks to its perfect execution of tone and atmosphere as well as a terrific cast highlighted by one of the best screen villains of recent memory.

As a kid, Hell’s Kitchen native Matt Murdock was blinded by radioactive material after he helped save a man from getting hit by a car. But while he does end up losing his vision, Matt’s other senses become more heightened and after his father, wrestler ‘Battlin’ Jack Murdock, is killed after not throwing a fight, he begins to hone his newfound abilities with an old martial artist named Stick (Scott Glenn). Years later, Matt (Charlie Cox) and his best friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) open up a new law firm. At night, Matt becomes ‘The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’, a vigilante who deals with the rampant crime of the area. Matt and Foggy soon take on their first client, a young woman named Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) who finds herself caught in the middle of a pension embezzlement scheme that is going on at the company she works for. While Matt and Foggy help protect her from being prosecuted, this soon leads Matt, through his vigilante persona, to investigate further into the matter. As he deals with the various criminal gangs of Hell’s Kitchen, from the Russian mob to the Yakuza, he soon ends up crossing paths with the one who’s really behind it all, businessman Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) who has plans for Hell’s Kitchen that Matt, Karen, Foggy, and many others soon find themselves roped into. 

Right off the bat, I can tell you that this is nothing like the 2003 ‘Daredevil’ in that it’s not a toned-down PG-13 affair; this show is rated TV-MA for a reason. It’s much darker in tone and far more violent than anything we’ve seen from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But at the same time, it’s not 100% dark to the point where it starts to become way too unpleasant to watch. Amidst all of the violence and darkness of the plot, the series still manages to lighten things up at just the right times, namely through the solid camaraderie between Matt and Foggy. I’ve talked before about my apprehension towards DC’s alleged ‘no joke’ mandate for their upcoming slate of films and if that ends up being the case, then DC should really take notes because this show, along with Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy, are prime examples of how you can do a more serious superhero film/TV series without being ‘too grim’, which I feel that DC went a little too far with when they made ‘Man of Steel’. Along with that, the show does a nice job in terms of pacing as it doesn’t rush into things too fast. It takes its time in order to develop the plot and characters. I guess you can say that’s the advantage that TV shows have over films in that they’re not constricted by having to get everything across in just around two hours.

The action sequences are quite excellent, with probably the best of the bunch being the one near the end of Episode 2, when Daredevil fights off a Russian gang in order to save a young boy that they’ve kidnapped. The whole fight sequence is done in a single long take which, if I’m right, we’ve never really seen before from superhero films. And keeping in line with the show’s darker tone and TV-MA rating, they’re much more brutal than what we’ve seen from the MCU films. When characters are injured, you hear the bones crack when they’re hit, giving you a clear idea of what just happened to them. You see the bloodshed whenever someone gets stabbed or slashed. And boy let me tell you, some of the deaths in this show are brutal, particularly in Episodes 3 and 4, without giving away any of the details about how they happen. It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see action sequences as brutal as these in the MCU films but that’s okay because I prefer the films stay that way anyway. But suffice it to say if you are looking for a darker/more violent superhero property then you’ll definitely gravitate towards this series. I’m not one of those people who feel that a lot of these superhero films are all just the same but at the same time I will admit that this series does provide a nice bit of variety when compared to most superhero films due to it being much more adult.

With no offense to Ben Affleck, Charlie Cox immediately establishes himself as the superior Daredevil. In the role of the first major anti-hero of the MCU, Cox does a great job at capturing Matt Murdock’s moral turmoil as he constantly tries to justify to both those around him and even himself that what he’s doing is right. Backing Cox up are Woll and Henson as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, two roles that, in this series, are expanded upon much more than what one might expect from this kind of show. If this show had gone another way, these two characters probably would’ve been nothing more than just the helpless damsel in distress and the goofy sidekick, respectively. But thankfully that’s not the case here as Karen and Foggy are just as fleshed out in terms of character development as much as Matt. Karen, as soon as she gets caught up in the main conflict of the series, gets involved with it just as much as Matt, without the whole ‘vigilante’ thing of course. And while Foggy definitely is the primary source of comic relief for the series, that’s not all there is to his character. One of the most crucial episodes of the series is Episode 10, aptly titled ‘Nelson v. Murdock’, in which a big reveal (don’t worry, no spoilers) at the end of the previous episode results in Foggy and Matt coming to odds over recent events. Overall, the series has a rock solid cast from top to bottom.

Ultimately, however, the biggest stand-out of the cast is easily Vincent D’Onofrio, who’s perfectly cast in the role of Wilson Fisk AKA Kingpin in the comics. In fact, I’m just going to say it; he’s the best villain that Marvel Studios has had to date, even better than everyone’s favorite villain Loki. Fisk, as D’Onofrio portrays him, is a truly fascinating main villain and is set up pretty well in that regard. Heck, he doesn’t even appear on screen until the end of the third episode, though he does make a brief vocal appearance in the first episode. A lot of times, he’s very soft-spoken but when he gets angry, that’s where you really don’t want to mess with him. That soft-spoken nature, along with the numerous times he tells people that sometimes he feels ‘alone’, definitely must’ve come from the character’s troubled past. And that troubled past is the focal point of what is, in my opinion, the best episode of this season, Episode 8, in which we see how Fisk truly became the person he is today. In some ways, there are times where we even pity Fisk, like when he tries to navigate through a relationship with his girlfriend Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) and we see how much that relationship affects him. The end result is an extremely well-layered main villain and I hope that Fisk might get the chance to appear in a future MCU film.

At this point in time, I’d argue that Marvel is now officially on DC’s level when it comes to Grade-A superhero TV series. After a rocky start, one that I still stand behind as being better than what most give it credit for, ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ has now really stood out as far as these shows go thanks in no small part to the big HYDRA reveal of ‘Winter Soldier’. Earlier this year, we then got a kick-ass period comic book show with a terrific female lead in the form of ‘Agent Carter’. And now, we can officially add ‘Daredevil’ to this mix of great Marvel shows. Unlike the last major adaptation of ‘Daredevil’, this version stays much more true to its comic book roots and, unlike its MCU film brethren, isn’t afraid to be more brutal in terms of violence and darker in tone. Thankfully, unlike something like ‘Man of Steel’, this show doesn’t go 100% dark and effectively lightens up the darker ordeals of the story at just the right moments. It’s all topped off by a terrific ensemble cast highlighted by Charlie Cox’s definitive portrayal of Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s outstanding turn as the Kingpin, a villain so great he even gives Loki a run for his money as the MCU’s greatest antagonist to date. Marvel Studios is off to a great start with these Netflix-produced TV shows and hopefully we’ll get to see another season of this fantastic TV show (not counting the definite future appearances of Daredevil in the other series).

Season Rating: 5/5!

Daredevil (2003) review

In preparation for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Netflix-released TV series ‘Daredevil’, I decided to take a look back upon the last major book-to-screen adaptation of the blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen known as ‘The Man without Fear’; Matt Murdock AKA Daredevil. That was in the form of 2003’s ‘Daredevil’, which starred Ben Affleck in the title role 10 years before he would be cast in another superhero flick, this time as Batman in the upcoming ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’. But as for ‘Daredevil’, well, this is easily one of the most infamous entries of the modern pre-MCU era of superhero films. Early on, the reaction towards the film was mixed but in the years since its release the internet, being its usual ‘generally negative’ self, has been much harsher towards this film and Affleck has basically become the big scapegoat in regards to the general dislike of the film. This was the reason why the internet was so up in arms over him being cast of Batman, after all. Well, after re-watching his first foray into the superhero film genre, I’ll say this; Affleck is not the one to blame for this film’s shortcomings. Now let me be clear; I’m not saying that ‘Daredevil’ is one of the best superhero films ever; far from it, to be perfectly honest. Compared to many of its fellow superhero films, ‘Daredevil’ is a fairly average entry in the genre that definitely feels like it fell victim to a lot of studio mandates. But at the same time, this really isn’t as bad as the internet has put it out to be.

As a kid growing up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York, Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck) was taught by his father, former boxer Jack Murdock (David Keith), the importance of ‘doing good in school’ so that he could succeed in life. Matt does listen to his dad but one day, after witnessing his father act as an enforcer for a local mob boss (something he thought that his father had moved away from), he gets into an accident where he is blinded by toxic waste. But despite the loss of his vision, his other senses become enhanced. Matt uses his newfound abilities to train himself in martial arts while also helping his father get back into boxing. But soon after his father’s career gets back on track, he is murdered by the mob after refusing to throw a fixed fight. As a result, Matt vows to avenge his father’s death by helping those who have been wronged by others. Years later, Matt is now an accomplished lawyer, owning a firm that he runs along with his best friend Foggy Nelson (Jon Favreau). At night, he becomes the vigilante crime-fighter Daredevil, going after criminals that haven’t properly given the payback they deserve. As Matt continues his campaign of justice against the criminals of New York, he soon meets Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), the daughter of a businessman who becomes a target of crime boss Wilson Fisk (Michael Clarke Duncan) AKA The Kingpin, and finds himself getting involved in this whole situation.

If Affleck isn’t the big scapegoat for this film’s problems, then director Mark Steven Johnson is, who would later go on to direct another much-maligned superhero film; 2007’s ‘Ghost Rider’. However, like Affleck, it’s not 100% his fault either for the problems of this film. I mean sure, they could’ve gone with a better writer than Johnson (who wrote the screenplay) but this is a clear case of a film that got changed around during post-production so that it could be marketed towards a wider audience. I may not be a big comic book reader but I can tell that Daredevil is meant to be one of the darker/more mature characters in the Marvel lineup. And as proven from the advertisements for the new ‘Daredevil’ series, that’s clearly the route that they are taking with that show. But as for the film version of ‘Daredevil’, it’s an obviously toned down PG-13 rated affair that can best be described as a ‘Hollywood’ film. By that I mean a film that has that ‘Hollywood popcorn flick’ aura about it that’s heavy on both the soundtrack and the melodrama, the latter of which is even more evident due to the fact that Stan Lee felt that the film was too ‘tragic’. Most of the action sequences feel rather generic and even the final fight between Daredevil and Kingpin is a little anti-climactic. I’m aware of this film’s ‘Director’s Cut’ which adds in a whole half hour of new footage, including a whole sub-plot with a character played by Coolio. From what I hear, this version is a definite improvement over the theatrical cut that’s both darker and much more in line with the character’s portrayal in the comics. However, at the time I am writing this, I have not yet seen that version of the film.

So with all of that said, why then do I not hate this film like most people on the internet? Well, because I did actually find the film to be fairly entertaining even if it wasn’t as strong in terms of execution compared to films like ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, or any of the MCU films. I was never really bored by it at any point even with all of the clichés in this film that come from the script. There are some generally cool things about this film, the biggest one being how they portray Daredevil’s powers. Being blind, Matt Murdock has this sonar sense that allows him to ‘see’ what’s around him through the use of sound. The visual effects/overall design for this element of the film is arguably the standout aspect of the film. And despite all of the overly-dramatic melodrama, there is one scene that I feel does work really well thanks to the use of this effect. It’s the scene where Matt and Elektra are on the roof before it starts to rain. Matt brought her up here because he knows that when it rains, each raindrop produces a sound when it comes into contact with a surface. Because of this, whenever it rains, it’s basically the closest that Matt will ever get to, in a way, be able to see again. This allows him to finally see Elektra for the first time. This was a really well-done scene, arguably the best scene in the entire film. And yes I know it’s quite derivative of the upside-down kiss scene from the first ‘Spider-Man’ but it’s still a well-handled scene that does a great job at showcasing how Matt is dealing with his disability.

So now let’s talk about the ol’ scapegoat, Ben Affleck… he’s actually not that bad in this film. Obviously I know plenty of you will disagree with me on that, but hear me out. Was he the best choice for the role at the time? Probably not, as Guy Pearce (who would later go on to be the villain in ‘Iron Man 3’) and Matt Damon (who declined the role as he didn’t have faith in either the script or the director (Ben probably should’ve listened to his pal Matt on that one)) were some of the other major candidates for the role. That and of course he doesn’t really have the best material to work off of either. But I do think that Affleck deserves credit for doing the best that he could with that material in what is pretty much a highly complicated role. Same goes for Jennifer Garner as Elektra. They both sort of get screwed over by the material but the two of them do have a pretty solid romantic chemistry (they are married in real life, after all). The two villains of the film do come off a little better in terms of their performances. Michael Clarke Duncan definitely has quite the presence in the role of the Kingpin. Obviously he’s not the ‘spitting image’ of the Kingpin from the comics given the fact that Kingpin is usually, well, white but I’m not going to go any further into this other than saying that Duncan was a good choice for the role regardless of the fact that he doesn’t necessarily resemble Kingpin. As for Colin Farrell as the extremely accurate assassin Bullseye, there is a fun layer of campiness that comes from his turn here. I’m not saying that it’s a ‘great’ performance but it looks like Farrell was at least having fun in the role.

‘Daredevil’ is not one of the best superhero films of all time. For the most part, it’s a fairly average entry in the genre that was toned down by the studio to appeal to a larger audience despite the fact that its main superhero is one of the darker characters of the Marvel Universe. And it’s basically the very definition of a ‘Hollywood’ film with its emphasis on its soundtrack and its various writing clichés that make the film far more ‘tragic’ then it needed to be. And yet, despite all of this, I still generally like it. It’s nowhere near as re-watchable as any of the MCU films but I never found it to be boring and despite what the internet may say about his performance, Ben Affleck isn’t that bad as Daredevil. I believe that, had the studio not been so picky about toning the film down and a better director/writer had been chosen to work on the film, this could’ve turned out much better and Affleck would’ve really shined here in the time before he really made it big through his directing work. Ultimately though, Affleck isn’t the one to blame for how this film turned out. You see, the thing about the internet when it comes to films is that it loves to target certain controversial aspects of films, even if they aren’t the primary problem of the film (see ‘Phantom Menace’ (Jar Jar Binks/Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker) and ‘Spider-Man 3’ (‘Emo Peter’) for further proof of that). Sure, as is, the first major ‘Daredevil’ film is only an average superhero film but it’s far from being the worst of the genre. Believe me folks, of the many superhero films that I’ve seen over the years, I’ve seen worse than this one.

Rating: 3/5