In 2015, Netflix’sDaredevilpremiered on Netflix and blew fans away with its success. While the family-friendly MCU films from Disney had ruled the superhero genre, this series showed that a grittier form of storytelling could be had without heavy CGI and massive disaster-movie destruction. Instead, it took the crime-fighting down to street level and showed that humans could be just as dangerous as the aliens, gods, and machines that the Avengers had been fighting. From here, the series led to the premier of other shows based on lesser-known heroes set in its own Netflix-MCU universe.
Fans were naturally devastated when the streamer canceled all of its popular Marvel shows. This came before some had yet to air their final seasons, leaving some stories dangling on cliffhangers. It was uncertain if fans would ever see these incarnations of the characters again, and it would be a few years before the rights reverted to Disney for their fates to be decided. Fortunately, Daredevil was canonized into the MCU, thanks tohis recent appearance inSpider-Man: No Way Home. However, the fates of the others are still a mystery.Kevin Feige has addressed the return of these beloved characters, but has not, of course, provided any explicit details of Marvel Studios' plans. Moreover, with the recent announcement that theMarvel shows will be leaving Netflix in March, fans don’t know when they will be seen again. As such, here’s a — hopefully not last look — at where every Netflix Marvel series ranks.
Related:More Netflix Marvel Characters Will Appear in the MCU Teases Kevin Feige
6Iron Fist
A billionaire heir, lost for over a decade after a plane crash that killed his parents, returns to his home in New York for the first time to take control of his family’s company. Claiming to have resided in a mystical land beyond imagination, he reintroduces himself as a worldly warrior with a skill-set in martial arts and a glowing fist of power. His true mission is to uncover the truth behind his fateful crash and to stop an enemy as old as time.Iron Fistshould have been a more magical variation ofDaredevilwith its grounded hand-to-hand combat and rich cultural lore. However, the first season fell shockingly flat, earning a Rotten Tomato score of 20% for phoned-in fight scenes, lead actor Finn Jones' bland portrayal of the titular hero, pacing issues, and a slew of other factors. The only shining light in the first season wasJessica Henwick’s portrayal of Colleen Wing, a performance so good that many questioned why the series wasn’t about her in the first place.
The second season saw some considerable improvements, earning a 55% score on RT. It’s unclear if the series would have seen a third season even if Netflix hadn’t cleaned house of all their Marvel shows, but with the series rights now reverted to Disney, and with characters like Matt Murdock and Kingpin appearing in MCU properties, more Netflix character appearances may be on the way. Only time will tell if we see this incarnation of the protector of K’un-Lun again.
5Defenders
InDefenders, we see the four heroes of New York (except The Punisher) unite for the first time to fight The Hand, the sinister organization of shinobi that had been causing terror since the first season ofDaredevil. Outnumbered, The Defenders(Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil), and those closest to the four, fight back against a scheme beyond this world to save their city before all is lost. But before the heroes can stop The Hand, they first have to learn to trust each other. Fans were more than excited when this huge crossover was announced. What they wanted was a hard-hitting 8-10 episode version ofwhat they had seen withThe Avengers.Sadly, they were left disappointed by a poorly thought-out story that, at times, felt too disjointed and confusing. There was also nothing added to the heroes' stories to take back to their respective shows. The series had the makings to be something truly remarkable, but Netflix failed in bringing the foursome together seamlessly and in a way to satisfy fans.
4The Punisher
InThe Punisher’s first season, Frank Castle came out of hiding following the events ofDaredevilseason two to find and punish the men responsible for the gruesome murders of his family, not knowing that the actual perpetrator was standing a lot closer to him than he realized. Many fans were skeptical of how a hero whose power was having a lot of guns would work in 2017, but the series shocked everyone with its voice on gun violence and PTSD, showing that the true effects come long after the trigger is pulled. Jon Bernthal is the best incarnation of the Punisher to date as he humanized a gun-toting barbarian in a way no one saw coming.
The second season saw Frank post-achieving-his-vengeance with a clean slate, facing an unknown future, and being pulled back into mayhem. He meets his ultimate challenge: start over, or continue punishing criminals. The second season may not have been perfect by any means, but it was a showcase of the anti-hero in all his bloody glory. It’s uncertain whether we will see this version of Frank Castle again now that Disney has the character rights. While rumor has it thata new Punisher series is coming to Hulu, Jon Bernthal has already stateddisinterest in doing any version that was watered down for the audience. Whatever the future holds for The Punisher, fans should enjoy this interpretation while they can.
3Luke Cage
Luke Cagehad all the makings to become a once-a-lifetime superhero series. It follows the titular character back to Harlem following the events of the first season ofJessica Jones. Luke tries his best to keep his head down, but in a time of racial tensions and high crime, a man of color with bulletproof skin carries the weight of the innocent on his shoulders whether he asks for it or not. Luke steps up to Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, played by Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, in an intense back-and-forth struggle for the soul of Harlem. The series was intense, that is, up until the captivating villain is killed off and swept under the rug for a replacement so bland that he sucked the life out of what was very close to being a flawless first season. The second season pulled the show back up to its feet (with a few dragging episodes along the way) and left Harlem’s hero-for-hire in a surprising and fascinating cliffhanger that fans are still waiting to be resolved years later.
Luke Cagerelied on sights and sounds to build the colorful world that is Harlem. Jumping in, the series truly has a feeling that turns your couch into a street corner. The entire cast brought their best as well. Ali is a heavyweight talent who embodied his role, but Mike Colter was the perfect foil in Luke Cage. Alfre Woodard was fantastic and only became more menacing as time passed. Fans should pray thatLuke Cageis revived as it truly had all the potential to be one of the all-time great TV series.
Related:Charlie Cox Thinks He Could Be Playing Daredevil for Another Ten Years
2Jessica Jones
Krysten Ritter plays the titular character inJessica Jones, a series about a superhero PI as broken as the city she protects. Ritter is stellar as Jessica Jones. The pain and anxiety Jessica feels following her abduction by the hands of Davids Tennant’s Kilgrave are palpable throughout the actress' performance as she scours the city to find the man who hurt her and continues to hurt others with his deadly ability. This series can’t say it had a bad season in its three-season run, but the second one was a bit slow. When the showrunners discovered that their third would be the final, they were ultimately able to send it out surprisingly upbeat, despite the less-so ending to the seasons conflict.
The first season was possibly the best of any series in the superhero genre as it came with something to say. Its authentic portrayal of trauma and anxiety was remarkable and formed Jessica into one of Marvel’s most captivating heroes. Not reviving Ritter’s interpretation of the alcoholic PI would be a huge missed opportunity on Disney’s part. Her characterization and outward personality alone fit with anyone, from Tony Stark to Shang Chi. Jessica is also famously the best friend of Captain Marvel in the comics. Why would anyone pass that kind of relationship between two strong women up?
1Daredevil
A blind lawyer in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen fights criminal gangs at night to protect those who can’t defend themselves. Daredevil works to find the head of the serpent, a man named Wilson Fisk with big ambitions for the city and brutal punishment for those who would cross him. It’s a good-vs-evil rivalry that only gets more vicious with time, in a longstanding chess match that often pushes Matt to the edge of evil and questioning his faith. What show can be number one other than the series that started the Netflix marvel train?
Daredevilsaw the horned hero fight crime on the ground level in a gritty and hard-hitting series that never failed its fanbase. Each season ramped up the intensity from the one before and carried on the show’s key themes without oversaturating them. Season three premiered as the series' best as it pit Matt once again against Kingpin — as both characters fully embraced who they were, a struggle they shared in the first season — and saw the two wage an all-out war against one another.
What carries this show is the well-rounded characters and stories as the showrunners always seemed to know where they were going, something not every series on this list had. After the season’s resounding success, a fourth was a no-brainer. Sadly, Netflix had its fill of heroes and canceled one of their most popular shows. However, fans are now rejoicing at the signs that Daredevil’s return and eagerly await to see where their favorite blind crime fighter goes next.
