by Introduction
For years there has been an ancient organization known as the Hand that has been destroying cities and murdering people. Recently, the Hand has turned their interests to New York City. They believe that their is an ancient material underneath New York that they need to find. However, in order for them to access this ancient material, they need the Iron Fist. Danny Rand, better known as the Iron Fist, has been tracking the Hand, but is unaware that they need him for their goals. When he follows them to New York, he meets other vigilantes that live in New York.
As the superheroes meet each other, they have to learn to work as a team, since they are all used to working alone. As they grow to trust each other, they will be able to work together to find out what the Hand wants and where it is. Together, they all are able to form an uneasy alliance to defeat the Hand and stop them from destroying New York City.
Ripe Apples
At first, each of the superheroes has their own reasons for fighting the Hand. Most of them don’t trust each other, especially Matt Murdock. Eventually, the team begins to trust each other and work together as they realize that it is for the greater good.
Matt Murdock (Daredevil) has a lot of experience fighting the Hand as he has been tracking them for years. However, the main focus for Matt is Elektra. Elektra was killed in Daredevil Season 2, but the Hand was able to resurrect her. Matt wants to help Elektra remember her previous life and refuses to hurt her. Matt is known for wanting to fight, but not to kill anyone. At the end of the series, Matthew Murdock makes a huge sacrifice to save New York City.
Luke Cage is always trying to look out for others. Luke just got out of jail and he wants to use his time to help others. He will only fight if it is to protect innocent people and we see him stick by his beliefs in this film.
Jessica Jones has taken a case trying to find out more about the building that the Hand is interested in. Jessica knows Luke Cage from the past, and together they look out for each other. Jessica and Matt meet early in the series and Jessica explains how she wants to have a mutual trust so that they will be better able to work together.
Danny Rand (Iron Fist) is used to working alone. He believes that he is supposed to fulfill a prophecy and that he is basically unstoppable. However, as the series goes on, he realizes that he has some growing to do and he learns how to work as a team.
Rotten Apples
There is a lot of violent content in this series. If you have seen any of the series that led up to this series, the violence is very similar. We see multiple people decapitated, and one person cuts off his own hand. Multiple fights with swords are seen and hands and legs are cut or chopped off. We see one bear killed and someone pulls out its organs. We see many people spit out blood and many fist fights. A few people are shot and killed. This violence is definitely meant for more mature audiences.
Luke Cage is involved with two women in this series, and in one scene in one of the first episodes we see the two sleeping together, but no nudity is seen. The scene lasts about 30 seconds. We see Luke fall on Jessica and she makes the quip “just like old times?” Matthew is seen kissing a woman. We see a few other men without their shirts on.
There is some smoking and drinking seen in some scenes. A few shots are taken and there are a few bar scenes throughout the series. Jessica Jones is heard talking about alcohol frequently.
The h and d word are used the most throughout the show. The Lord’s name is misused a few times per episode as well. We hear the s and a word maybe once per episode. The b word is heard a few times. I didn’t hear any f bombs.
In one scene, Luke Cage and Danny Rand are talking and Luke implies that Danny has white privilege since he is rich and has the power to do what others can’t.
My Thoughts
“The Defenders” is a very interesting series that really ties the Netflix shows together as well as setup future seasons of shows. I thought it was really cool to be able to see each of these heroes learn how to work as a team. At points, there was the question of whether or not they would trust each other. However, as the series went on they began to work together which was really cool.
I really thought it was cool how some of the heroes met. For example, how Matt Murdock met Jessica Jones by appearing to be her lawyer. Those first meetings were very clever and made the series even more exciting.
The stakes in the series felt serious and at the end of the series everything made more sense. I would have preferred that the series had more episodes because some scenes felt rushed, but overall it was not a bad series.
I would have preferred less language and violence in this film, but they were trying to match the other series that had already come out, so I expected that type of violence and language would be in this series.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed “The Defenders.” I thought it was a very interesting series with a great plot. I hope that in the future of the MCU we get to see the Defenders assemble again, perhaps in “Daredevil: Born Again.” I feel like there is more of a story to tell with this superhero team and I think that this series was better than some of the series that Disney Plus has been putting out in the past few years. Let me know your thoughts about “The Defenders” in the comments below.
