A Worthy Start to THE DEFENDERS

I had seen a sampling of episodes of the (Netflix) Marvel heroes, Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and The Iron Fist (Finn Jones). These represent an eclectic bunch of urban heroes with enhanced powers that are more grounded in reality with a dash of mysticism.  As each series introduced its hero and cast, there was a thematic arc that linked them together, an evil organization called The Hand.  Led by Alexandra (a deliciously good Sigourney Weaver) and her powerful allies, an insidious plot emerges that threatens New York City.  Can the Defenders defeat The Hand and save their beloved city? Part of the fun is watching the interaction and quips among the different heroes, and things do not start well even as evil strikes. The series benefits from the appearance of the respective supporting casts of each Marvel show as they are thrown into the mix, and there are surprise appearances from past characters. It takes a couple of episodes before the quartet is united, and while the final battle is not quite the cool spectacle for a generation raised on the scale of Marvel’s The Avengers, the heroes do take care of business (the fight scenes are entertaining) and there are open plot threads for each character to follow in their respective series. It’s a good beginning for hopefully even better, future reunions.
*** of **** stars