When it comes to Marvel, I was never really a huge fan, as I cared much more the heroes in the "Harry Potter," and in high school, the "Lord of the Rings" universes. As a fan of the "Batman Arkham" games, I naturally grew fond of that small subsection of DC. When it comes to naming heroes, however, thanks to the initial release of "Iron Man," Marvel has made sure to present its heroes in a light that appeals to everyone and not just the super-fans. Recently, Marvel has teamed up with Netflix, and over the past few years has delivered four shows based on heroes set in New York City, all building up for Netflix’s version of the first Avenger’s film, titled "The Defenders," but Marvel’s latest defender, as much as I was hoping, doesn’t seem to have landed a good punch.
I’m not here to debate whether Danny Rand should have been cast as a certain race, or if “the viewer” cares about the rich white boy fighting to get his family business back. Danny Rand is a fictional character, and arguing about his race is ad hominem, and not critique. In terms of the character himself, I don’t think a change of race could revive Danny Rand, no matter how long he’s been “dead.” He was beaten as a child and told that it would make him stronger, yet he still cannot control his abilities. Child abuse much?
Secondary characters in the Netflix Marvel universe have been for the most part extremely well written and portrayed, but for some reason, the ones in this show, even the returning ones, are just as weak as Danny. In the other shows, Claire Temple makes an appearance, and in all, she plays a vital role to the protagonist. With "Iron Fist," Claire seems much more strident and distanced than in any of the other shows. She feels like a different character.
When creating a 13 episode season of a show of this caliber, one must be able to see not only the rise and potential fall of good heroes, but the rise and subsequently potential fall of great villains, and again, "Iron Fist" fails to deliver. Harold Meachum’s ability to come back from the dead is completely brushed under the rug, for starters, and thus makes no sense why it seems to have so underplayed, especially in the eyes of Joy, who would certainly be seized by more fear than the few seconds she seems to give to doubt. Madame Gao is spineless in this, offering no reason to truly fear her, as Wilson Fisk and Daredevil did. The woman who kept people locked in cages while draining their blood from their veins is gone, and a vapid superfluous truth-sayer takes her place.
At no real point in the show is there ever any sense of real tension. Sure, there are a few tough moments to watch, but for the most part, I had no distinct feeling as I watched Joy and Wade be kicked out of Rand, or all the times Danny was told he wasn't thinking things through. And when you look past the weak plot, what then? There were attempts at showing greater themes, but none of them really held up. In fact, Danny’s one and only job was to defend K’un-Lun. How is is supposed to become one of Marvel’s Defenders, then, if he makes such a concerted effort to relinquish that duty from his shoulders? And what really makes him unique from the others? Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are both strong, and Daredevil is as agile as a ninja and can fight like hell. If there is something unique about Danny Rand, it has not come to light yet, so let’s hope that by the time Marvel’s "The Defenders" rolls around, he is able to actually stand out from his allies.
