Marvel's Defenders Shows Ranked

For the past year, I have been watching all of the Defenders TV shows. The Defenders TV shows were 6 shows that were originally created as a partnership between Netflix and Marvel that delivered darker and grittier superhero stories. The superheroes were mostly street-level and grounded as compared to the big spectacle films of the MCU. The shows consist of stories for the characters of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Punisher. In recent films, the MCU has been slowly bringing in some of these characters which have made me even more interested in the shows. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the six Defenders shows.

6. Iron Fist

Iron Fist is the weakest of these shows and is just not a very good TV show in general. There are a few good moments in it such as the martial arts aspects as well as the character of Colleen. However, aside from that, the show is just not good. Danny Rand is just such an annoying character. He seems very incapable and whiney about everything and really was not a good lead for the show. The villains of both seasons were also just extremally forgettable and seem to never really have much of a presence in the show. The story itself is also really boring and uneven. There are long stretches where nothing really happens and then just suddenly goes into an action sequence. I also didn't really find the overall story compelling at all. Finally, the final episode was just terrible. They ended the big conflict in the first five minutes and then spent the rest of the episode setting up for a third season that never happened.

Score: 4/10 Grade: D+

5. Luke Cage

Luke Cage is the most diverse of these shows. It provides a unique perspective on NYC by taking us to the neighborhood of Harlem. Luke Cage is a very compelling and likable character throughout the show. He has layers and complexity to him as he tries to figure out the best way to protect his neighborhood. I also really liked the villains in this show as they are not as cut and dry as a normal villains and really force Luke to evaluate his approach to hero work. While it is significantly better than Iron Fist, I am still not a huge fan of this show. The show is quite a slow burn and really takes a while to get going. The story also feels like it meanders quite a bit and doesn't really know what its end goal is. I also wasn't a fan of how they decided to end the show. The ending felt a bit mean-spirited and really went against everything that was set up. Overall, while I like Luke Cage as a character, I wasn't a big fan of the show.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

4. The Defenders

The Defenders was the big payoff to what all of these shows were building to. It was fun to see all of these characters combine forces and work together in one show. They all play off of each other really well. Even the side characters really get some time to shine. I really liked the villains of the show and how it pays off the setup of both Daredevil season 2 and Iron Fist season 1. It was fun to see Sigourney Weaver in a role like this. I also really enjoyed the last three episodes of the show. I felt like this was where the show really found its momentum and understood what it needed to deliver. Unfortunately, there were some issues as well. The main issue is that it took too long for everyone to come together. The first two episodes had too much jumping around from place to place trying to keep up with all of the characters. As a whole, with a premise as exciting as this, the show really didn't reach the heights that it could have and felt a bit like wasted potential. While I still enjoyed the show, it definitely wasn't as good as it should've been.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

3. Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones is a fun take on a detective noir series. Each season has a unique detective-like story that keeps viewers interested and intrigued for the entire run. I really liked Jessica as a character and thought her arc throughout the 3 seasons was really really done. I also thought all of Jessica's relationships were really well done mainly between Tris and Malcolm. Both of those characters had great chemistry with Jessica and really added to her story and helped her grow. I also really like the villains throughout the show. I thought they were all unique and caused Jessica to grow in different ways. The main issues I had with the show were with the Jerri Hogarth character. Her character was just so selfish and awful that it was really irritating to see her as a reoccurring character and get her own subplot. She was the only character throughout the show that I felt didn't grow at all and just became more and more selfish. I also wasn't a big fan of the narrating throughout the episodes and felt it was out of place. Overall, this is a well-done show that mixes the superhero and detective genres together.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

2. The Punisher

This is probably the most violent of these shows. I really enjoy Frank Castle as a character as well as Dinah Madani. They both are really strong in the show and have really great character arcs. Frank has so many layers to him as he struggles with the loss of his family along with the struggle of wanting to deliver vengeance. This show also delivers quite a few emotional moments specifically dealing with Frank and his coping with the loss of his family. They also really enjoyed the character dynamic between Frank and Amy in the second season. It allows us to see more of a softer side to Frank as well as see him interact in more of a father-daughter relationship. Finally, I really enjoyed the action in this film. There are a lot of cool fight sequences that are really exciting. The main thing that keeps this from number 1 is that it meanders a good deal in the middle of the seasons. It seems to get distracted at times from the story it wants to tell. In the end, this was a very exciting show and one of the high points of this franchise.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

I. Daredevil

Daredevil is one of the best TV shows I've seen in a while. This show is so grounded and gritty and the action sequences are so well done. This show has some of the best fight sequences I've seen on TV. The characters are also very well done in this show. Matt Murdock is of course the standout but Foggy and Karen are also really solid as well with the three of them having such a great dynamic. Matt goes through such a great journey and arc across these three seasons and his overall story is just really well done. Wilson Fisk is a fantastic villain as well. He is so sinister yet likable at the same time. The show really gives us time to get to know him and see some of his motivations for doing what he does. These characters were so good and popular that the MCU actually brought them into their content with Fisk making an appearance in Hawkeye and Matt showing up in Spider-Man and She-Hulk. Overall, this is just a fantastic show that is exciting with great characters and a compelling story.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A