Now that the Defenders have wrapped filming, it’s only a matter of time before “Phase One” of Marvel’s Netflix series comes to an official close. Much like on the big screen, each digestible unit of Marvel’s sprawling, multi-franchise narratives are capped by a team-up, only to repeat the cycle of debuts, sequels and crossovers yet again.
And while it’s safe to assume that we’ll be seeing a lot of our street-level defenders in the future, there’s still room to expand and innovate beyond what has already been established over the past two years. Netflix is the perfect testing ground for Marvel’s more obscure and historically mistreated properties: heroes that are less suitable for the big screen, but whose stories are none the less worth telling. And like most fans, I have a few thoughts about what I’d like to see in the next round of Netflix series.
Daredevil Season 3 — There is no question that the breakout hit of the first round of Netflix series was Daredevil. Having an already strong following and a couple of unfortunate movies under its belt, there was little doubt that Matt Murdock was the most marketable of Marvel’s street-level vigilantes.
The series has the best all-around supporting cast of any of the Phase One Netflix series, between remarkably capable sometimes love interest Karen Page, lovable courtroom sidekick Foggy Nelson, Defenders staple Claire Temple, cold-blooded Stick, judgmental Father Lantom and consternatious editor Mitchel Ellison, there is an abundance of colorful personalities to bounce off of our costumed hero. And with a rogue’s gallery that includes a possibly reformed Punisher, undead Elektra, ninja death cult The Hand and the Kingpin himself — who is possibly Marvel’s best villain to date — there’s no lack of baddies for Daredevil to duke it out with in the darkened alleys of Hell’s Kitchen.
Jessica Jones Season 2 — Even though Daredevil is the unquestioned king of Marvel’s small screen ambitions, Jessica Jones is easily my pick for the best Phase One series. Krysten Ritter is easily the best series headliner of the bunch (sorry Charlie Cox), and her season one antagonist, David Tennant’s Killgrave, gives D’Onofrio’s Kingpin a run for his money for memorable villain.
While there is some question about where the series can go after killing off Killgrave at the end of season one, there are plenty of directions that a super-powered P.I. can be taken in. From going the route of more traditional mysteries to spicing things up with any number of unaccounted for supervillains, there are no shortages of scumbags for Ms. Jones to take on in her second outing. And with supporting characters like radio host Trish Walker, neighbor Malcolm Ducasse and attorney Jeri Hogarth to play off of, I don’t see anybody getting bored with her antics anytime soon.
Heroes for Hire — A staple of Marvel comics, the heroes for hire is a for-profit superhero outfit that sells their services for hard cash rather than saving the day out of an altruistic need to make the world a better place. While reluctant to the idea in his own series, I think an overwhelming need to eat and pay his rent will bring Luke Cage around to the idea of making an honest living with his powers. And realizing that he has no talent for the day-to-day operations of a multi-billion-dollar company, Danny needs something to do every day.
By teaming up Marvel’s two latest Netflix stars, they can easily shore up the shortcomings of their individual solo series. Although Luke Cage was a great character to follow around, his jive-talking villains left something to be desired. And while Danny Rand is fun to watch in a fight, his more mundane narrative was a bit of a pain to slog through. Throwing these two together permanently would go a long way to making a far more robust and interesting series than either could hope to be on their own.
Daughters of the Dragon — This is probably the riskiest prospect of anything I’m suggesting for Phase Two. Rather than choosing an actual superhero to devote a dozen episodes to — even C and D listers like Iron Fist and Jessica Jones — take some of the kickass supporting cast from two other series and follow them around the city: Iron Fist‘s Colleen Wing and Luke Cage‘s Misty Knight.
Like the hypothetical Heroes for Hire series, there is president for this in the comics. Both of these characters already formed a team by this name — itself the moniker Colleen uses in underground cage fights — back in the early days of Iron Fist. It would be an interesting continuation of Misty’s disillusionment with by-the-books detective work and give Colleen something more interesting to do than fawn after Danny. Throw in Claire to round these ladies’ personalities out — and provide much-needed medical support — and you have one Hell of a good time.
Blade — Like Daredevil, this wouldn’t be Blade’s first time in the spotlight. Although he is fondly remembered for two good movies and a rather unfortunate third at the turn of the century, there’s not been much for him to do cinematically in more than a decade.
As a half-vampire born as his mother died from a vampire attack, his undead rogue’s gallery and gruesome method of dispatching them is ill-suited for Marvel’s largely family friendly big screen endeavors, but it’s perfect as a bloody-knuckled companion piece to the likes of Daredevil and Jessica Jones. It adds a further shot of diversity to Marvel’s increasingly colorful lineup of heroes — not to mention another window into the occult side of MCU — which can only be considered a good thing.
Follow Us
