It’s coming down to the wire for those looking forward toThe Defenders, Netflix’s super-team series that brings together Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. Next Friday, August 18th, will see the full eight episodes of the series premiere on the streaming giant and will hopefully wash out much of the sour taste of the first season of Iron Fist, the last and worst Marvel series to be released thus far.
Thankfully, Netflix’s latest and final trailer for the show, which you can take a look at below, makes a case for Iron Fist, played byGame of ThronesalumFinn Jones, being a character worth giving a care about. The shots of his actual “iron fist” look pretty sweet, as does the action set-pieces in the series on the whole. The fights here look genuinely thrilling, a lesson that the series clearly learned fromDaredevil, the most electrifying of the Netflix-Marvel shows. For all the promise ofLuke Cageas a series, its fight scenes were cut into a blur and directed with a frustrating carelessness, likely to make more room for the convoluted plot. IfThe Defenderscan simply make the hand-to-hand combat look good and build tension, it will have already outdone Iron Fist.
The more pressing question – one that can’t be answered yet – is whether or notThe Defenderswill be as emotionally resonant and thematically dense asJessica Jones, the all-around best of the Marvel-Netflix shows. Under all its fireworks and fights,Jessica Joneswas about abuse, survival, grief, and addiction, subjects that deserve to be taken seriously and which the creators of the series clearly made an effort to underline without going full didactic.The Defenderswill hinge on compromise, teamwork, community, and respect, which are no less important subjects than the ones studied in Jessica Jones. Whether or not the creators ofThe Defendersare capable of balancing expressions of chaotic inner lives
Here’s the final trailer forThe Defenders:
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Defenders:
Marvel’s The Defendersfollows Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.
