Marvel’s “The Defenders” is an accumulation of the heroes in Marvel’s Netflix series, all of which have gotten at least one season in their own solo shows. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist team up to defeat a threat that threatens their home New York City. All side characters from each respective show return, including the only character to make an appearance in every show, Claire Temple, aka “Night Nurse.”

While I was obviously excited to see the heroes meet up and fight bad guys together for the first time, I was also excited to see the character development from each hero and how it would eventually affect each of the hero’s shows. This show marks the end Marvel/Netflix "Phase One." It needed to go out with a BANG. Unfortunately, “The Defenders” didn't make much noise.

“The Defenders” had several strong points. The development of the four heroes in the first three episodes before they met each other was excellent. Each of their scenes were edited in the styles of their respective shows, staying true to their characters. Their eventual team up was also organic, where they all met up at the same place for what they believed were totally unrelated reasons. The fight scenes were great; the choreography played to each hero’s abilities, while still keeping things realistic by not making the team a well-oiled machine. I also enjoyed how each of the supporting characters fit into the narrative of the story. From Detective (and Luke Cage’s former lover) Misty Knight to Daredevil’s former mentor Stick, everyone had a part to play.

This, however, leads me to my critiques of the show. While everyone had a part to play this season, I wasn't excited about the return of some characters. Although not as bad as he was in his own series, Iron Fist is still annoying, and actor Finn Jones’ fight choreography is still lackluster. I'm still not a fan of Colleen Wing’s character or have an interest in her backstory (something that the show attempts to address).

Something else that unfortunately carried over into “The Defenders” from “Iron Fist” is an awkward editing style. After the first couple of episodes, the cinematography takes a dip in quality, and it becomes clear that the directors didn't know what they wanted the mood of the show to be. Like I said in my “Iron Fist” review, it was obvious that there were several people who had their own vision for the show.

I was also disappointed at how Jessica Jones took somewhat of a backseat in the story. I think she’s the most interesting member of the Defenders, and I would’ve like to see more of her.

My biggest critique of the show however are the villains. Sigourney Weaver plays Alexandra, who turns out to be (spoiler alert) the head of “The Hand,” an organization that has had influence on several important events and people in history. The Hand played key roles in “Daredevil” season 2 and “Iron Fist.” While the Hand was supposed to come across as this quiet but menacing force, I never felt that. They didn't seem very intimidating and their presence didn't have me scared for the heroes. I think this had to do with the other members of the Hand. They didn’t feel like these larger than life figures, but instead seemed like expendable villains (which some of them were). They were dry and one-dimensional, ultimately bringing down the quality of the show.

All in all “The Defenders” was a solid show. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But creating a television cinematic universe is a new endeavor and there always be a couple of bumps along the way. Hopefully critiques from both fans and critics will lead to better season for each character's respective shows.