What an incredible world to live in. It’s actually not so incredible in a lot of ways, but salvaging what is incredible, let’s take a look at entertainment right now. Marvel has already dazzled us all with their ability to craft such a masterful cinematic universe. They’ve taken it a step further by expanding into Netflix, on which they have their most mature content. When Daredevil went live in 2015, it took everyone by storm, being so gritty and grounded that it didn’t make sense how Marvel would even produce something like it. However, the biggest takeaway was how brilliant it was.
Marvel have since continued to build a Netflix presence, and the time has come for all of their shows to collide in one sure-to-be-mouth-watering series.
But in the spirit of this spectacle, one has to wonder which of these shows so far has been the best. I reckon I might as well share my opinion, given that that’s sort of what I do here. So below is a small list, ranking every Marvel series to date leading into The Defenders. I don’t think I share the popular opinions here.
5: Marvel’s Luke Cage
Did I just rank Luke Cage below Iron Fist? I think I did.
Luke Cage is really the Iron Man 3 of the Marvel Netflix Universe. Something happens in the middle of the series that really split fans right down the middle, and just like I stand on Iron Man 3, I was one of the fans that took the negative side.
Don’t take that comparison too much to heart, though, because Luke Cage is much, much better than Iron Man 3. The problem here is that the first half of the show was just so damn good that it really fell from grace afterwards. Mahershala Ali’s Cottonmouth was a far more compelling villain than Diamondback was ever going to be, thanks in part to Ali’s great performance, and really it felt like a completely different show after the incident happens with Cottonmouth.
I didn’t like Mike Coulter much in Jessica Jones, but in his own series, he brings a stellar performance.
4: Marvel’s Iron Fist
I do not hate this show as much as the rest of the world does.
Of course, I don’t particularly like it either. There are a million and one problems with Iron Fist, but Finn Jones is not one of them. He acted with what he was given, and he did a great job of that.
The problems, I’ve listed at the link above. The only reason I placed this above Luke Cage is that it is consistent. It is nowhere near as good as the first half of Luke Cage, but there is no significant drop in quality at any point. In fact, it tends to only get better as it goes along.
3: Marvel’s Daredevil (season 2):
There are very few things I was as excited for as the second season of Daredevil. And it did not disappoint. It wasn’t as good as the first season, but that’s only because the bar was set so high. Click the link for my full review.
Off the bat, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher was something to behold. The character has an interesting role in the series, and everything that he is involved in is intriguing.
The show does dip a little with the Elektra elements of the season, but not like Luke Cage. It just isn’t as interesting as the Punisher story elements.
Add to that the fact that there is no villain like Wilson Fisk in this season, and it just makes it a weaker season overall than season one. However, that does not mean it isn’t excellent.
Plus, this season has the greatest ten minutes of television I have ever seen, and probably will ever see, in my life. Episode four. The graveyard. You know what I’m talking about.
2: Marvel’s Daredevil (season 1):
There isn’t a season of television as perfect as the first season of Daredevil. Not even the number one ranked show on this list.
Daredevil was the first Netflix series from Marvel and nobody was expecting it to be as enthralling as it was. It is darker, grittier and somehow better written than most Marvel movies, and its villain is probably the most surprising element of the show.
Sure, Charlie Cox playing a blind person effortlessly is remarkable, but Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, or the Kingpin, was just flawless. An entire episode is dedicated to his origin. Everything about the character is endearing. Never had a villain been written like this in the Marvel universe before.
I have a lot more to say about the first season of Daredevil, which you can read at the link above. But for now, all I’ll say is that once you start, you can’t stop.
1: Marvel’s Jessica Jones
I can’t believe this show is so often overlooked, because there is nothing quite like it.
Jessica Jones is (not by very far) the best Marvel Netflix series, at least in my mind, and quite honestly I could just base that whole statement on the performances of, and dynamics between, Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones and David Tennant’s Kilgrave, because everything was gold. I thought Wilson Fisk was great, but Kilgrave is something else. The way the character is tied in with the main character is genius, and honestly I could watch anything with the two of them forever.
My full review is at that link. I know this feels like a self-advertising article, but it’s not. I just placed those links there in case anyone wants to read further.
Jessica Jones stands out in my mind because I didn’t feel as invested as I did (which is really saying something) in any of the other series. The show did a fantastic job of getting into the head of its main character, and it’s really a journey through her. It’s truly commendable.
So, that’s that. I’m afraid my Defenders review may take some time (I can’t run through it in one and half day like I did Iron Fist) because I will be a little occupied, but it will arrive soon. For now, I will end with this cute photo of the main cast.