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thatmasquedgirl · 6 years

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The Obligatory Ocean’s Eleven AU Idea

@sakura-blossom62 I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY BECAUSE I’VE SPENT ALL NIGHT DOING THIS SHIT

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME I THINK MY BRAIN IS BROKEN

I HAVE BEEN SPIRALING FOR HOURS NOW AND I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE THIS BEAUTY BECAUSE HOLY SHIT NOW I WANT IT

OKAY HERE WE GO COUNT ALL 11 OF THEM WITH ME:

1. Oliver Queen

You bet your ass Oliver Queen is Danny Ocean in this scenario. Because of course he is. He’s the thinker, the leader, the planner, the tactical mastermind. He’s the one who knows his strengths, his weaknesses, his limitations. And he can be so damn charming when he wants to be. Think of like a Breaking News!Oliver, but with less angst and more sass.

The man has a supernatural ability to network with everyone. It doesn’t matter where he is--dinner party, soup kitchen, behind a rock on the moon--he has this uncanny ability to look like he belongs. There’s this charisma that just naturally sucks people in.

And people generally like him. Even when they don’t, there’s something about him that makes him impossible to say no to. Because of those qualities, he has this network of Useful People that he can go to for help in different situations, whether they’re security guards or strippers or card dealers. Literally anyone you can imagine owes Oliver Queen a favor or two.

When the story starts, he’s just getting out of jail. His last heist went bad. One of his former team members, Slade Wilson, sold him out, so Oliver has been in jail for five years, brooding and manipulating. This betrayal costs him five years of his life and his wife. Laurel divorces him approximately 2.5 seconds after she finds out. At first he’s heartbroken--and still is--but he shuts himself off in true Oliver fashion and decides it’s better this way.

This gives him more time to plan his revenge.

Because he is going to get revenge. Oliver is a big name in the criminal underworld, and he didn’t get that way by being passive. So if you screw him, he is going to make you regret the day you were ever born. Which is why it’s time to take Slade down.

The problem is that Slade knows Oliver’s entire team. So he has to recruit new ones. New faces make Oliver nervous, but he knows a few who have a solid reputation.

But we’re getting to that.

2. Tommy Merlyn

First, Oliver immediately leaves jail to meet his friend Tommy at his office. Tommy might not be a criminal, but he makes a lot of money managing his multiple businesses. His family came from nothing, but now his net worth rivals Oliver’s. Or what Oliver’s used to be; his assets were seized after everything that happened. If he’s going to pull of an operation like this, he’s going to need money.

And Tommy is always willing to help.

“How’s life on the outside treating you?” Tommy asks Oliver as he steps into Tommy’s office on the top floor of Merlyn Global.

Oliver smiles at him. “As good as it can be when my ex-wife left me and then married my best friend.”

Tommy makes a face. “I’m sorry about--”

“Don’t be sorry,” Oliver replies. “Just treat her better than I did. Or I will make you pay.” Tommy blanches, and Oliver throws him a grin. “Just kidding.” He drops into one of the chairs in front of Tommy’s desk. “I have a business proposition.”

Scoffing, Tommy says, “Ollie, you don’t know a damn thing about business.” He sits down next to Oliver. “But I’ll hear you out anyway. What are friends for?”

“My partner screwed me,” Oliver says without preamble. “I plan on getting my revenge. If you can finance it, I can guarantee you a return of around fifteen million.”

Tommy chokes on his own tongue before he blanches. “Ollie, I love you, but are you out of your goddamn mind?”

Oliver grins. “Always.”

Shaking his head, Tommy asks, “What the hell are you going to do?”

Tommy has always been involved in Oliver’s heists, but never in a way that can be traced to him. Oliver makes sure Tommy’s nose stays clean, and Tommy makes sure Oliver has everything he needs.

“Slade Wilson screwed you for the properties his new casinos are on,” Oliver replies, skipping the question altogether. After all, a good magician never reveals his tricks. “It cost your two million dollars in court--plus your lawyers’ fees.“ Tommy nods. “He got the money by turning me in to the feds.”

“Fifteen million and revenge on that dick?” Tommy replies. “Count me in. But don’t tell my wife what we’re up to.”

Oliver snorts. “She’d have to talk to me first.”

3. John Diggle

Oliver’s first stop is a little bar outside Hollywood, where all the up-and-coming actors go to learn about card games for their next role. It’s a dive and the celebs wouldn’t be caught on camera there, but they still go.

After he makes his way to the back table, Oliver drops five hundreds on the table in front of his empty chair. They might be celebs, but they play with real money and they won’t complain if Oliver cleans them out. “I want in,” he says, turning his attention to the guy next to him. He might be the only unknown face here, but he’s definitely the one in charge.

John Diggle nods once before motioning to the empty chair. “Have a seat, man.” Oliver does as Diggle introduces everyone. Oliver introduces himself in turn as one of the kids deals to the right, like an idiot.

“Deal to your left,” Diggle corrects tiredly.

Oliver tries not to smile. Shooting fish in a barrel might actually be harder than what he’s about to do.

They all glance at their cards, but one of the guys that Oliver recognizes from an old B-list flick says, “If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Queen--”

“Mr. Queen was my father. Call me Oliver.”

“Oliver. Cool. If you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living?”

“Why would I mind you asking?” Oliver retorts, throwing one of the hundreds on the table casually, as if he blows his nose on these sometimes. “I just got out of prison, actually.”

One of the women leans across the table. “Prison?” she asks, licking her lips. He isn’t unfamiliar with this reaction in some men and women. When he needs something from them--be it sex or information--it’s a blessing. Most of the time, like right now, it’s just a pain in the ass. “Why were you in prison?”

“I stole things,” Oliver replies without any shame. Diggle glances to him immediately.

“You mean, like, jewels?” another guy asks.

With a straight face, Oliver replies, “Incan matrimonial head masks.”

This time it’s Diggle who asks casually, “Is there any money in those?”

“Plenty, if you can move them,” Oliver says. He throws down his other four hundreds. “All in.”

“Fold,” Diggle replies without missing a beat. There’s a look in his eye that makes Oliver think he sees the game. When he flips over his cards, all he has is a pair of twos. “I don’t have the hand for this one.”

One rookie jumps at the chance to out-bid him, but the rest call. When it turns to him again, he pulls every last dime he owns on the table as though it was nothing more than pocket change. “Two thousand.”

All five of them leap at the chance to show him up, eagerly throwing out chips. Once the round finishes, Oliver flips over his cards. The moment they see the four nines, they all groan and toss their cards.

“Oh, man, I thought you were bluffing!” one cries.

Oliver glances at Diggle before replying, “I don’t bluff.”

After he cashes out his almost twenty grand, Oliver buys a drink at the bar. He’s been nursing it for about five minutes when Diggle comes up. “Did you just come to show up my rookies, or do you have a job in mind?”

"You heard of Lian Yu?” Oliver asks.

“That’s the new casino in Starling City,” Diggle replies, eyebrows knitting together. “You want to knock over a casino?”

Oliver holds up three fingers.

Diggle laughs before taking a drink from his bottle of beer. “Oh, I gotta see this. Count me in.”

4. Rene Ramirez

Oliver is at a blackjack table in Las Vegas, playing his third hand in a row when finally the dealer gathers her cards and chips, flashing him a pretty smile. “My shift is over, but good luck, Oliver.”

He smiles back. “Thank you.”

A rough-looking man takes her place. “Hello, sir,” he greets casually.

Oliver extends a hand. “If I’m going to be here for the next few hours,” he says, “I might as well introduce myself. Oliver Queen.” The kid’s eyes light up immediately. “You must be Rene.”

The kid stops in the middle of opening his cards to give Oliver a meaningful glance. “I’m sorry, sir,” he replies mechanically, “but you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Javier.” He points to his name tag. “Which you can see right here.”

“My apologies,” Oliver replies immediately. He grins. “Table is cold, anyway.”

“I hear the Bellagio is busy after one a.m.,” Rene offers helpfully.

“Good place to get a drink, too,” Oliver replies, grabbing his chips. “Thanks, Javier.”

At one a.m., Rene sits down next to Oliver at the bar in the Bellagio. “I have to be careful,” he explains without greeting. “Rene Ramirez can’t make it past the gaming commission.” His head tilts to the side. “Oliver Queen. They talk about you like you’re some kind of legend. You have a job?”

Oliver passes him a card with an address, a date, and an estimated payout. Rene whistles low. “If you’re interested, be there,” Oliver suggests before leaving.

5. Nyssa Raatko

6. Dinah Drake

The two women are in yet another argument when Oliver walks up. One of them is an unfamiliar face, but the other is perhaps too familiar. Nyssa stops in the middle of her speech, turning to face him with a smile--that smile that’s both friendly and reminds him of a cat who has cornered a canary.

“Husband,” she calls in a lilting voice.

“Thought you only liked girls,” the other woman interjects, crossing her arms.

“All of them except you,” Nyssa replies.

Oliver focuses on her with a hesitant smile. “Could you...” He releases a nervous laugh. “Nyssa, that was one job seven years ago and it wasn’t even legally binding. Could you stop calling me that?”

“Does that upset your wife?” she asks.

“Ex-wife,” Oliver corrects.

Nyssa shrugs. “She deserved better than you, anyway.” She crosses her arms. “What brings you here?”

Oliver glances at the other woman. “You haven’t introduced your friend.”

“Hardly my friend,” Nyssa replies with a roll of her eyes.

The other woman retorts, “You’re not exactly my bestie either, bitch.”

“Dinah Drake is my business associate,” Nyssa explains. “She insists her little toys out perform my driving. She’s wrong, of course, but she’s quite good at her work.” She glances back at Drake. “For an American.”

Drake scoffs. “You’re not a bad driver for a stuck-up British brat.”

Oliver hands her a card. “If you want a job, be here. Both of you.”

“Of course, husband,” Nyssa replies.

Oliver swears in three languages under his breath as he walks away.

7. Curtis Holt

Oliver waits at least three hours for the kid to step out of the FBI surveillance van. He looks like he should be looking for his parents, but Diggle assures Oliver he’s the best in the business.

When he takes a seat in the cafe, Oliver slides into the booth across from him, saying nothing. Curtis pulls at his collar before saying, “Hi. D-Do I know you?”

“Not yet,” Oliver replies, “but you’ll want to. My name is Oliver Queen.”

The kid’s eyes light up. “They say you used to be good.” Curtis winces. “And that makes it sound like you’re old. Which you aren’t. You are definitely not old. And very hot.” He holds up his hands. “I didn’t mean to hit on you.”

Oliver studies him for a long moment, wondering if there isn’t someone else more... stable they might be able to use. Still, Digg’s judgment has proven very sound thus far.

“I hear you do some jobs under the FBI’s nose,” Oliver finally says.

Curtis tugs at his collar again. “Are you wearing a wire?” he asks, pulling the knot in his tie loose before tightening it again. “Because if I ask you if you’re wearing a wire and you lie to me, that’s entrapment. My testimony wouldn’t be admissible in a court of law.”

“You’re the one working for the FBI,” Oliver points out. “Are you wearing a wire?”

“Hell no!” Curtis exclaims, too loudly. Several people turn to look at them, but Oliver just flashes them a smile. Soon enough they’re all focused on their meals again. “I just work for the FBI to keep my cover,” Curtis whispers. “It gives me some room to take on... other jobs.”

“Good.” Oliver passes him the card. “Here’s one to consider.” With that, he rises from the table.

“Nice meeting you, Mr. Queen,” Curtis calls behind him. “I’m a real fan of your work!”

Somehow Oliver refrains from rolling his eyes.

8. Thea Queen

“We need a grease man,” Diggle points out as they sit down at the tiny cafe.

Oliver only grins before saying, “I have an in with one of the best in the business. Speedy is always willing to work my jobs.”

“Speedy?” Digg repeats. “Speedy is one of the best jewel thieves in the world, Oliver. She’s probably rich from all of those jewel heists. No way in hell is she gonna--”

He goes silent abruptly as a thin, lithe woman pulls out a chair and slides into it. “Hey, Ollie,” she greets with a grin, placing her elbows on the table. “I hate to mess up your sales pitch, but can we do the fast version? I’m about to meet Mom to go shopping.”

Diggle looks between the two of them, as if trying to make sense of it. Ignoring him, Oliver replies, “Casino heist. We’re knocking over Slade’s new place on fight night. Guaranteed fifteen million.” He grins. “Which means nothing to you.”

She leans back in her chair, crossing her arms. “My trust fund is bigger than that,” she agrees. “But I’m not taking any summer classes and I’ve already stolen all the good jewels worth stealing, so count me in. I’m grease man again?” Oliver nods once, and she groans. “Fine, but it better be a bigger box this time.

Oliver grins. “Of course, Speedy,” he assures her. “You’re not twelve anymore.”

Finally Diggle finds words. “Are you telling me that Speedy is your sister?" he asks.

Thea grins, reaching over to steal a fry off Oliver’s plate. “Thieving is the family business.” She slathers it in ketchup before explaining to Digg, “Dad was a grifter. A good one.” She motions to Oliver. “Ollie has his skill, but I was never really charming enough.” She shrugs. “So I just break into houses at night.”

“I thought the family business was Queen Consolidated,” Diggle finally replies.

She tilts her head to the side as she qualifies, “Thieving is the other family business.”

9. Sara Lance

Oliver pretends to peruse the jewelry. He’s blown off two salesmen waiting for her, and now he’s certain she’s just trying to make him squirm. Too bad for her that it isn’t working.

“I’m not sure there’s a wedding ring here that will help you get your wife back,” a smoky voice says.

As he looks up at her, Oliver smiles. “I don’t fight battles I can’t win, Sara,” he replies.

“Then you shouldn’t have come here,” she retorts. She reaches into the counter to pull out a diamond ring worth more than her Maserati parked out back. “I’m not sleeping with you or working with you.” She crosses her arms. “I’ve gone legit. I’ve been legit for three years.”

“How do you explain Corto Maltese last year?” he counters. Her mouth opens, but no words come out. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Oliver adds, “I’ve been in jail for five years, not on a deserted island.”

Sara slips the ring back in the case before glancing around and leaning in. “I do the occasional side job,” she whispers. “Dad doesn’t like me breaking the law ever since I got caught seven years ago.”

Oliver doesn’t say anything, simply turning to walk away.

“Ollie, wait,” she calls. When he comes back to her, she demands, “At least tell me what the job is. For old time’s sake.”

It’s at that point Oliver knows he has her. Leaning over, he whispers the details in her ear before passing her a card.

She doesn’t even examine it before slipping it into the top of her dress. “I’ll see you then, Ollie,” Sara promises.

“Thought you might change your mind.”

10. Roy Harper

As Oliver watches the kid on the subway pull the third wallet in thirty minutes, Oliver has to admit he’s damn good. He only needs ten members to make this work, and this kid isn’t it. He needs an explosives expert, not a pickpocket. But if he did, he’d need that kid. Maybe he needs eleven.

Hell, there isn’t much difference between 15 million and 14.5 million.

Oliver scribbles a note on a card of a local restaurant before slipping it into the kid’s pocket when he jostles him.

Thirty minutes later, the kid shows up, pulling the hood of his red jacket down. He looks mostly pissed off, but maybe that’s just his face. He drops the card on the table. “You take my lifts again, and I’m going to steal everything you own,” the kid says.

“I have five grand and a subway card to my name,” Oliver replies. He holds up the wallets the kid pulled. “But I’m not here to start a fight. I’m here to offer you a job.” He tilts his head to the side. “If you don’t want it, you’re welcome to keep feeling up stockbrokers.”

Oliver places an airline ticket down on the table, his hand covering it. “I’m Oliver Queen. What’s your name, kid?”

“Roy,” he offers slowly. “Roy Harper.”

“You ever pulled a heist before, Roy?”

“No.”

“Do you want to?” Oliver asks.

“Anything to get out of Central City,” Roy says flatly.

Oliver grins. “That’s the spirit.” He taps the ticket on the table. “This can be yours if you want it. It’s a big job. Fifteen million is the expected payoff. If you think you’re ready.”

A waitress calls to him, and Oliver orders drinks for both of them.

“Starling City, huh?” Roy asks. When Oliver turns, the ticket is in the kid’s hands.

“That’s the best lift I’ve seen you make all day,” Oliver declares.

Roy smirks. “That’s not even my best.”

11. Felicity Smoak

Oliver watches as the SCPD officers pull the three of them out of the bank, alarms still blaring. The first two men look like garden variety bank robbers, but the third is a small woman dressed all in black, blonde hair falling out of her ponytail.

Even as the local police escort her to the car, Oliver can hear her yelling, “Goddamn it! You had one job to do! One! Job!” She scurries forward to kick one of them in the ass. The large man stumbles and grunts, nearly taking the tiny police officer down to the ground with him. “You’re supposed to be professionals! Professionals, my ass!”

Oliver glances to his right, arching an eyebrow at Digg. “This is our option for munitions?” he asks.

“You asked me who I’d use,” Digg replies. “I’d use Basher. Best explosives expert in the world who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty on the wrong side of the law.” He tilts his head to the side. “There’s a little conflict of availability.”

“Jail tends to do that,” Oliver agrees. After a long moment, he sighs. “Which one is my guy?”

Diggle grins. “Around five-six, blonde, and about to slaughter the other two.” Oliver’s eyebrows shoot up. “Her real name is Felicity Smoak. Wanted in twelve states and five countries. Likes to blow things up.”

“I may have noticed that,” Oliver replies, having watched her beautiful charge go off on the security feeds. “She’s good. Unpredictable, but good.”

“The best,” Digg corrects. “They call her ‘Basher’ because of a job she pulled in London. Blew a hole in a Russian embassy vault and made out with all their classified documents.” He shakes his head. “The charge caved in the safe, like someone had bashed the door in. Ransomed the documents back to the Russian government. Someone told me she made over five billion rubles on that job.”

“Can’t put a price on information,” Oliver replies before crossing the street.

Hogging up to the officer holding her, Oliver adjusts his coat over his suit. All he has to do is flash the fake ATF badge to get across the line.

As he’s walking up, the young officer asks her, “Do you have any more explosives on your person?”

A dangerous glint appears in her eyes as her pink lips twist into a flirty smile. “Only one way to find out,” she replies. She leans in closer to him. “Careful, though. You might lose a hand.”

“That isn’t Miss Smoak’s style,” Oliver cuts in smoothly. Both of them turn to him at once as he flashes his badge. “Peck. ATF.”

“Great, another fed,” Felicity remarks with the roll of her eyes. “At least you’ll be nice to look at when you’re questioning me for hours.”

Barely biting back on a grin, Oliver continues. “Let me guess what she did this time: simple G4 mainliner, back-wound. Quick fuse with a drag under twenty feet.”

“That sounds about right,” the officer replies.

“We’ve had a warrant out on this one for a long time,” Oliver says. “We need to check for any more explosives.” He grabs her by the shoulder, turning her and bending her over the hood of the squad car.

“I don’t mind playing rough,” she says, “but at least buy a girl a drink first.”

Trying his best to ignore her and stick to the script, Oliver says to the other officer. “It’s probably best if we get my partner to search her,” he suggests. “Look for Briggs. Can’t miss her.”

“Who?” the local cop asks.

“Just find her!” Oliver insists.

The minute the cop is out of earshot, he leans over the top of her, slipping some items from his jacket into her hands. “Felicity Smoak? I’m Oliver Queen.”

She turns to him with a grin. “I know who you are,” she assures him with a roll of her eyes. “Everyone in this business knows your name and face.”

“For right now, I’d settle with a distraction,” he admits. Unlocking her handcuffs with a lockpick, he asks, “How soon can you put something together with what I just gave you?”

“Done,” is her answer.

“Pretend you’re still cuffed and come with me,” Oliver says.

He leads her by the shoulder out of the crime scene. “So why are you helping me?” Felicity asks.

Oliver smiles down at her. “I’m running a heist and I need a munitions expert. I’m told you’re the best. It’s a heist that--”

“I’m in,” she says.

“I haven’t even told you the score yet.”

“Don’t care,” Felicity assures him with the wave of her hand. “I’m rich and bored.” She smiles at him, the kind of smile that makes his insides do funny things. “All I want is to work with some experienced criminals again, and your reputation precedes you.” She slips her arm through his. “I’m in.”

They’re about twenty feet away when he turns to find smoke pouring out of the top of one police car. There’s screaming just before an explosion. The police car she planted it on goes up, but four more in the vicinity turn into balls of flame.

Felicity cackles as she turns back to watch it. “They weren’t expecting that shit!” she crows to Oliver. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she calls to her former partners, “You boys have fun rotting in prison!”

She turns back to Oliver, grinning from ear to ear. “So where are we going?”

“Starling City.”

“What’s the job?”

“Casino heist. Take is fifteen million.”

“Casino heist?” she repeats. “I’ve never done one of those before.”

“No one has ever successfully robbed a major casino in this country,” Oliver points out.

"Depends what you call a robbery,” Felicity corrects. “If by ‘robbing’ you mean ‘counting cards all night until you win ten million in Vegas,’ then technically I’ve robbed a casino.” She releases a longing sigh. “God, I miss Vegas.”

“Surely you can afford to fly,” Oliver points out.

“I can,” she assures him. “I’m banned.”

Oliver does a double-take. “How the hell do you get banned from an entire city?“

“I won over ten million dollars,” she reiterates. Felicity grins. “From each casino on the strip. “Didn’t go over well.”

She pats his shoulder as they meet up with Diggle. “Come on. Let’s go make history.”

#ocean's 11 au #ocean's 11 #fic by masque #oliver queen #tommy merlyn #john diggle #rene ramirez #nyssa al ghul #dinah drake #curtis holt #thea queen #sara lance #roy harper #felicity smoak

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briangroth27 · 7 years

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Marvel’s Defenders Season 1 Review

Full Spoilers…

Marvel’s Defenders was enjoyable and is definitely worth watching, but I’m not sure it did all it could have. The chemistry between Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Kristen Ritter), and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) worked very well, but Iron Fist (Finn Jones) was the weak link. He had a few good moments, but Defenders still couldn’t redeem him for me. I was impressed by the inclusion of nearly every major supporting character from the four previous Netflix series, even if they weren’t used to their fullest potential. The Hand didn’t reach the heights I was hoping as the ultimate bad guys in the Netflix corner of the MCU (so far), but I was genuinely entertained and feel that their arc has come to a mostly satisfying conclusion.

Matt Murdock/Daredevil Matt’s one of my favorite comic characters and I’ve loved Charlie Cox’s interpretation of the character over three seasons now. I was surprised to find him retired from superheroics, but it was great to see him relating to and comforting a recently paralyzed teen (Gabe White) in his opening scenes; I’d definitely like more glimpses at how Matt’s powers and his blindness shape his worldview, so things like this—a way to save a kid without being Daredevil—are very cool. So much of Matt’s arc over the course of his series has been about how best to be a hero and what the line between hero and villain even is, so it was nice to see him mulling over whether he’d done the right thing in stepping down as Daredevil. When he did finally return to the suit, it was awesome! Murdock was hands-down the best fighter in the show, which hurt the credibility of these other martial arts masters a bit. His flippy and highly acrobatic style is always fun to watch, and Defenders was no exception. Matt’s casual parkour to travel the city (and evade Jessica) got a good workout here and I hope it pops up even more in Season 3, as that’s a comic book element I wish they’d show more of in Daredevil. Elektra (Elodie Yung) was the only character who matched his fighting prowess—Colleen (Jessica Henwick) was close, but didn’t get to do as much hand-to-hand as the others—and Iron Fist and the Hand looked lackluster in comparison.

Speaking of Elektra, I loved how dedicated (and possibly deluded) Matt was into thinking he could save her. Executive Producer Marco Ramirez said he felt Matt believed Elektra was a problem he had to deal with himself and I get that, but I think that drive could’ve had bigger implications for the team. It threatens to destabilize them at one point, but when Matt figures out Elektra’s been in his apartment, he lies about what he’s found to Jessica (almost directly after promising her he won’t keep anything back) and he’s never caught. I understand why he wouldn’t come clean—he was the only one who thought she could be redeemed and Stick was liable to have her killed like the last Black Sky (Bonale Fambrini)—and I wish he hadn’t lied, but if they were going to include that action it should’ve had a consequence.

While Luke informed Danny of his white privilege, I thought Matt’s was more striking. Matt was found at the scene of a homicide covered in blood—the cops even took his shirt to test it—yet the idea that he could be involved in Stick’s (Scott Glenn) death didn’t even occur to anyone at the precinct. At first I brushed this off as “who would suspect the blind guy?” but Misty (Simone Missick) didn’t have a reason to think Luke was a killer either and he was still under suspicion. Just because Matt was Luke and Jessica’s lawyer, he must be innocent? The cops barely questioned him about what happened. When he breaks out of the police station with them later, the cops assume he’s been kidnapped?

I loved that so many story threads from Daredevil wrapped up here; it felt like an unofficial Season 3. Not only did we finally find out what the Hand wanted with that specific plot of land, but we learned what wall Stick was referencing in Daredevil Season 1 and what the pit from Season 2 was for. I also liked that Matt’s past with Stick and his old mentor’s way of doing things got in the way of rejoining the war. That was a smart, organic way of giving Matt pause about joining up instead of just being bull-headed (even though he was that too; as Cox pointed out about Season 2—and was just as true here, part of Matt’s arc was learning to ask for help). Murdock feeling nervous about unmasking in front of the others was a great moment of vulnerability for him; even if it was partially about protecting his loved ones, I think it also connected back to his lack of certainty about suiting up again. Taking the scarf off meant declaring that he was Daredevil. I do wish they’d taken a moment for Matt to confront Stick about Nobu’s (Peter Shinkoda) death: one of the very few issues I had with Season 2 was that he threw Nobu off a building and never said whether he knew he could survive the fall or not. If he didn’t, then he definitely tried to kill Nobu, which could’ve been a reason for his retirement (he’d failed at being an upstanding hero, even if Stick was the one who actually finished Nobu off). That’s something that could’ve brought more context to where we found him at the start of Defenders. That said, the rest of his arc was great and I loved that it concluded with Matt saying he was glad Luke and Jessica were with him before they went into the pit at Midland Circle.

I’m glad they didn’t leave any question about whether Matt survived or not and that they’ve already confirmed Daredevil Season 3! I’m excited to meet Maggie Murdock and to see how they handle Born Again, which seems to be where they’re headed; I don’t want to see Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) dragged through the mud like in the comic, though. Whatever the next story is, I hope that after upping the challenges from gangsters to undead ninjas, Matt gets to face off with supervillains next!

Jessica Jones While Matt and Danny’s arcs segued into the miniseries’ plot most cleanly, I was impressed Jessica and Luke’s investigations brought them into the Hand hijinks just as naturally. In fact, the confluence of these four heroes at Midland Circle felt more natural than an outside force recruiting random superpeople to join the Avengers. I liked how thorough Jessica was with her investigation into the Hand’s building and that they took the time to show it. It would’ve been easy, particularly in a condensed miniseries, to just have her show up and explain the work she’d done, so showing it was a great bit of characterization instead.

While Jessica’s general disdain for heroics can be fun—particularly when interacting with Matt and Danny—it is beginning to become one-note. She isn’t new to these powers and even if she doesn’t want to dress up in a costume (or even want her abilities), I’d like to see her at least more willing to help people, even if it’s just to pay her bills. If nothing else, her powers make her job easier than it would be for most people, so why hate them so much? Speaking of her powers, they absolutely need to determine some limits to what she can and can’t do; vaguely strong and maybe able to fly isn’t good enough. Still, Ritter found a good balance between her disdain for her powers and being overwhelmed at all the magic going on without coming off as coldly unwilling to help. I do think they could’ve dug into her discomfort with magic and resurrections by bringing up Purple Man at least for a moment. It would’ve been great to force her to confront the idea of resurrections with the possibility—however remote—of Killgrave also coming back and what that would mean for her. If snapping his neck herself wasn’t enough, could she ever find peace? Particularly since David Tennant is back in some form in Season 2, this would’ve been a great moment to tease that she’s still dealing with lingering doubts about her success in getting rid of her abuser.

I loved that there wasn’t much (if any) angst between Jessica and Luke once they met for the first time since Jones’ first season. They’d both moved on and that growth was fine by me. I didn’t like the implication of Jessica asking Luke out for coffee (even if I can’t quite remember if it had the connotation in her show that it did in Luke Cage), so I was glad he shot her down. I know they’re married in the comics, but just being friends works for the MCU in my opinion. If she’s going to have a relationship with a superhero, I really liked her interactions with Matt here. They had some really fun banter, so I’d be open to seeing where they might go. Perhaps Jessica and Matt could strike up a romantic/heroic partnership like he did with Black Widow in the comics. They worked well together when they visited the Raymond home and it was nice to see Jessica connect with Lexi Raymond (Chloe Levine) through what she’d learned about Matt’s dad, showing she understood him as well.

Regardless of who she ends up with (not that she needs to end up with anyone), I’m glad Jessica’s arc took her to a place where she could open up again. Starting to experience and engage with the wider world of powers was a cool metaphor for getting back into the business of living her life as well. It would’ve been good to see how Malcolm (Eka Darville) fits into her detective agency a bit more, though. That’s not where she was yet, but we could’ve gotten some tease about how they’d work together at the end. On the other hand, Trish’s (Rachael Taylor) radio talk show reporting on the earthquakes in New York felt like a classic superhero/journalist connection for Jessica and I hope they play that up in Season 2. If she could act as an early warning source of information for Jessica, it’d be great! I’m also very ready for Jessica to face an enemy who isn’t Killgrave; she was perfectly out of her element with the Hand and I’m eager to see her face completely new challenges in her second season!

Luke Cage Luke was a big surprise for me when I watched his series; I knew almost nothing about his character and came out of his first season a huge fan. Colter portrayed him as something of a soulful Captain America just trying to do right by his neighborhood and it was perfect (I’d love for him and Steve to meet and just hang out some day!). I was surprised Defenders got him out of prison right away and I liked that fresh start. I thought his past crimes would continue looming over him, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him out so soon and an even better one to see that he’d truly moved on from his past. Of all of the heroes, Luke seems to have put his demons behind him completely at the start of this miniseries; with his time served, his personal history is settled.

I love Luke and Claire (Rosario Dawson) together and their post-prison sex session was a long time coming! I’m glad they wasted no time and I hope this relationship grows a lot in Luke’s second season. Also wasting no time was Misty Knight, who immediately got Luke back into the business of crime fighting (by the way, I like that Luke is effortlessly able to remain friends with not one but two of his exes). I love that he’s still so dedicated to his community and his personal bonds with the people within it are perfect, not only for his character but as a contrast to how the other heroes interact with the civilians around them. Matt may connect with people as Murdock, but Daredevil is meant to be scary and stealthy. Luke seems like he’d stop and talk about life with someone he’d just saved (assuming the villain was down), and continue checking in for weeks after the rescue. That’s not something we normally see from heroes and it’s something I’d love to see more of. His concern over both Cole (J. Mallory McCree) because of his job working for the Hand and Cole’s mom Dolores (Debbi Morgan) because of her family’s tragedies were excellent, even if he couldn’t save the day.

I would’ve loved to see Luke take down Sowande (Babs Olusanmokun), but his reappearance with the Hand leader in tow was still a great moment. I do think his hopefulness could’ve been tested by Sowande and the Hand’s apparent ability to completely demoralize their enemy; that’s a failing of the Hand’s characterization here and a missed opportunity to test for chinks in Luke’s armor. I enjoyed that Luke remained the most moral of the heroes, not wanting to blow up a building, and I wonder if that moment in particular was partially because he knew how easily the system can turn against you even if you’re doing the right thing. That said, I think he (if not Matt too) should’ve had a problem with leaving the Hand ninjas to die in the explosion; they agreed no one would get hurt and that seemed to go out the window once the bombs were activated. Regardless, his morality and sense of calm played well off of Matt’s obsessive crusade, Jessica’s apathy, and Danny’s unrefined enthusiasm. In fact, the scenes of Luke bonding with Danny, informing him of his white male privilege, and commiserating about how much gaining their superpowers hurt were the one area I saw a glimmer of hope for Rand. I don’t need them to team up here like in the comics by any means—Luke has a vibrant and fertile corner of the MCU without needing Danny to make it more interesting—but it’s good to know that if they do become best friends like in the comics, Luke can pull some likability out of Danny.

I think they definitely need to work on creating distinctive fighting styles for both Luke and Jessica. Both of them seemed to just barrel through ninjas and throw them around, but they could be doing more (though “barreling through” could work as Luke’s preferred style, since he doesn’t have to worry about gunshots or getting hit). On a story level, I’d really like to see Luke move faster into helping people in addition to getting involved with one person at a time. I wish they would’ve ended the season with him opening up his hero for hire business, possibly in the old barbershop. Misty started the season prodding him to become more of a helper and I would’ve liked to see how he decided to do that in a bookend scene at the end of the miniseries.

Danny Rand/Iron Fist I don’t want to keep harping on Rand—who looks for things to hate?—but even with his slight improvement here, he’s still the weak link of the Netflix MCU. While they smartly ignored the contradictory bits of his mythos (how can he defeat the Hand if he’s not allowed to leave K’un-Lun and why didn’t he know his greatest enemies still existed?), he still came off as brash and green (not in terms of his super-suit, though; he apparently still can’t have that). Danny trained to be one of the world’s greatest warriors for 15 years and there’s no excuse for him to still appear so fresh-faced. Even if they wanted to play a “training isn’t the same thing as war” arc with him, he’s been written as being so inept that it seems like he wasn’t trained at all. I’ve read that the idea behind Danny in this miniseries was to look up to the others as experienced heroes he could trust and seek out a partnership with them, but that didn’t really come through. Sure he’s enthusiastic about a team-up, but as soon as Danny doesn’t get his way, he’s off to do some stupid thing. I will say that while the other Defenders get to take verbal shots at him, Finn Jones played Danny in a way that didn’t feel like he couldn’t take their barbs; a definite improvement over his temper tantrums in his first season. And again, his bonding scenes with Luke were the most relaxed and natural Jones has felt in the role, so I’m glad they found the touchstone of that bond.

Defenders does undo a few of the questionable aspects of Iron Fist, though. Claire not calling Matt in for help against the Hand made a bit more sense now that we know he was retired, even if I’m convinced Matt would’ve suited up to help her anyway. The Hand not using the creepy-cool ninjas from Daredevil’s second season in Iron Fist’s first also makes sense if Elektra got the last of the resurrection substance (though where the undead ninjas went during Iron Fist remains a question. Even if Danny didn’t know much about the Hand, at least Defenders opened with him and Colleen running around hitting the Hand’s bases. This miniseries also finally made use of Danny’s white privilege after his own series ignored it; nothing against Jones, but casting a white actor added nothing to his character there, despite the internet’s insistence that he stay a white guy like in the comics. I liked that while Jessica had to do actual detective work to find Midland Circle, Danny was able to stroll into his company and ask someone else to look it up for him. This could’ve been played up more—and like I said earlier, Matt’s privilege was a much bigger example that seems to have flown under the radar—but I’m glad they finally touched on it and hope for more in Danny’s next season.

As many problems as they solved (at least partially), however, there were still some questions. How does Danny still know so little about his arch-enemies that they need Stick to provide all the exposition on the Hand? I wish Stick and the Chaste had appeared in Iron Fist to connect the dots a little better, but Danny being so clueless makes no sense. His fight choreography was still at the level of his first season, which made him immediately pale in comparison to Matt’s even though he’s supposed to be the much more experienced fighter. Danny bouncing off Luke looked silly more than anything; I was as annoyed with him as Luke looked. I wish the miniseries had ended with Danny getting his costume instead of the track suit-looking outfit he was wearing; it even looks like Matt’s from Daredevil Season 1, only in green and yellow, which would’ve been a perfect way for him to honor Matt’s request that they continue protecting the city. Now that the Hand is gone, I’m somewhat interested in seeing if defending Hell’s Kitchen is enough of a purpose to fulfill Danny, but he’s seemed so lost as it is that I’m not convinced it’ll feel very different.

Claire Temple I’ve really enjoyed Rosario Dawson’s Claire evolving over the course of five previous seasons! Her meetings with each hero felt completely organic and her appearances in each show are always a highlight. Since she’d gotten involved with each of the heroes so naturally, it didn’t feel contrived that Luke would get in a fight with someone else she knew; it just felt like another thread coming together like it was supposed to. I really liked that Colleen pointed out Claire is the foundation of this team of heroes and her reaction to that affirmation was great. While Luke is a steady source of hope, Claire is a great breath of fresh air and a perfect, practical wake-up call to these heroes.

That said, while Claire got the most screentime out of the supporting cast members (perhaps besides Colleen), I’m surprised she didn’t have more to do. As natural as facilitating the introductions was, it felt like she stepped away after that. When she’d appear in the individual series (minus Jessica Jones), she became an integral part as soon as she was involved in the action and I was hoping for more of that here. True she was involved in the final assault on Midland Circle, but nothing she did there had to be done by her specifically. I’m definitely interested to see what role she plays in the future of the Netflix MCU. Will she just remain their “Night Nurse,” patching them up and giving them advice? Or does she have a greater destiny? I don’t need or really want her to become a superhero herself (though she did take to combat pretty naturally in Iron Fist), but I would’ve liked an indication of where she’s going now. It’d be cool if they came up with a completely new role for her that wasn’t a now-common trope like the central information hub or something.

Allies Along with Claire, Colleen Wing was my favorite aspect of Iron Fist. Willingly being part of the Hand and then finding out just how evil they were was a fantastic arc and her reveal as a member was the biggest shock in the series for me. It was great to see her back for this and I’m glad she was right in the thick of the action almost the whole way through. However, I wish her history with the Hand had been more relevant to the events of Defenders. True, she finally got even with Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez) and I was glad to see that, but what about all the Hand operatives she trained? Her righteous fury at being used and lied to was great, but a moment to consider the criminals she’d primed for service would’ve been better. How many secret ninjas are out there doing harm because she trained them? Even better, instead of facing Bakuto again and reaching the same resolution they did in their battle in Iron Fist, what if Colleen had been faced with her former pupils?

I really dug Misty Knight in Luke Cage and I was happy to see her here. Reaching out to Luke to get him to contribute more was a nice beat, but I would’ve liked less skepticism about the vigilantes from her. She walked a tightrope over the need for vigilantes vs. the rule of law before, and it seemed like the end of Luke’s first season felt like she was opening up to the idea of vigilantism, even wearing her comic book outfit. If I’m remembering that correctly, she’s the only character who felt like she took a major step back at the start of Defenders. Others have pointed out the significant mention that she’s in a Rand-owned hospital after getting her arm cut off, so it’ll probably be a Rand-developed cyborg arm that she gets. I’m interested to see how that goes with this version of Misty. I’d also like to know if she’ll face any consequences in the fallout from Midland Circle. While the Defenders seem to have gotten off without any trouble, she’s a cop and helped them. Will there be repercussions that lead her to life as a vigilante?

I like Scott Glenn’s Stick and have truly enjoyed his antagonistic mentor/fatherly relationship with Matt, but by Defenders I was ready to see him go. It just felt right for him to pass the torch on to the next generation in this war or, more fittingly, for the war’s last soldier to go out helping to end it. Cutting his own arm off to escape Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver) and Elektra was badass (even if his severed arm was less than convincing) and I was impressed by how capable he still was even after losing the hand and who knows how much blood! His no-nonsense attitude played well against the Defenders, even if it drove them away at times (true to their characters). I chuckled at him low-key wanting to kill Danny when the others were trying to convince Rand to lay low and I was pleased the writers actually let him try to do it. My distaste for Iron Fist aside, it wouldn’t have felt right if the Defenders were able to talk him down from trying to solve the problem the only way he knows how; just like the first Black Sky we met, Stick felt he had to kill Danny. It was also cool that Stick figured out a new weakness of Luke’s with his knockout gas; going forward, I hope the Luke Cage writers continue to explore other ways of attacking him besides bullets. It was tragic Matt didn’t make it back in time to say anything to Stick when he died; I would’ve liked one last bit of resolution to their disagreements, but sometimes you don’t get that in life.

It was good (and a little surprising) to see so many of the supporting characters show up here. That said, I wish there was more for them to do, even if it was just cool that they got time to interact with each other (something I wasn’t expecting at all). Foggy (Elden Henson) and Karen fared the best, with their concern over Matt becoming Daredevil again giving them some good material to dig into. It would’ve been nice to see more about how Karen felt about Matt being Daredevil since she only found out in the last moments of the Season 2 finale, but their talks here felt right. I liked that she was annoyed that his Daredevil life interrupted hers by making her a target again. Thinking about it now, I hope Matt’s presumed death isn’t what pushes Karen back into whatever darkness has been hinted at in her past, which could tie into her arc in Born Again. Foggy giving Matt his suit felt like a big step for him and I’m definitely interested to see how he handles Matt’s “death.” Trish and Malcolm’s attempts to get Jessica back into the world were good, but they didn’t really work (her camaraderie with the Defenders did), so I would’ve enjoyed them having some effect on the outcome of the series or our main characters. Maybe Trish knowing what went down at Midland Circle could’ve twisted the police’s arm into covering it up and letting the Defenders go, under threat of her show revealing there was a massive infrastructure takeover by the Hand (that she’d have proof of in this scenario) and the PD were completely powerless—and maybe even infiltrated by—to stop. That would’ve connected nicely to her bosses cutting off the call to her show about the earthquakes not being normal early on in the miniseries.

Alexandra Reid I thought Alexandra was a great leader of the Hand and I wish she hadn’t died. Even if she had to go, I think we should’ve known her (and the Hand’s) further plans beyond eternal life and returning to K’un-Lun. I’m bored of businesspeople as villains, but the Hand’s corporate front felt thin enough that she didn’t really resemble one to me too much. Alexandra seemed more like an independently wealthy individual who expected her power to allow her to continue with her routine, no matter how many people she had to crush along the way. She was likable and an imposing villain with unexpected depth from her motherly relationship with Elektra, but ultimately I thought she’d be a bigger threat or have a larger plan than her own survival. While personal and relatable, I originally didn’t feel that type of plan needed four heroes to stop, but as I’ll discuss later, it may be the perfect evil scheme for the Defenders. I didn’t think she’d physically fight the heroes, but I would’ve liked to see a bigger confrontation between them. I liked that she was somewhat amused by the Defenders standing up to her and I would’ve enjoyed seeing her fully unleashed against them (why was Gao the only one with a special power?), even if just once. Her wardrobe was definitely distinctive and felt appropriately of another era, as was Weaver’s air of superiority that effused from her in nearly every scene. I also really liked that none of the Hand leaders were tired of immortality; that’s a tired trope and, even if all they wanted was to maintain the status quo, it was cool to see immortals who didn’t want to stop living.

Elektra Natchios I loved Elektra’s arc in this series, from confused “blank slate” Black Sky to Hand assassin to master of her own destiny. Though her resurrection and training scenes were solid, I wish we’d learned more about what the Black Sky was exactly and why she was different from the other undead Hand ninjas. I’m assuming it means that she was supposed to be resurrected as a complete blank slate rather than one who can regain her memory completely (in addition to being able to take down the Iron Fist), but we should’ve gotten some clarification on that point. Still, Yung did a great job of slowly investigating and recapturing flashes of her former life! I also loved her mother/daughter relationship with Alexandra; it was just “off” enough to work really well. I didn’t see her killing Alexandra coming at all! I read that Marco Ramirez said the intention of that moment was for Elektra to take hold of her life and determine who she was for herself. I’d say that worked—and I realized later that she also killed her other mentor, Stick, which is a nice signifier that she won’t be returning to either of her lives—I just wish we’d seen what she wanted with leadership of the Hand. Apparently she wanted to stay immortal too, but did she have any other plans? Was she going to lead the Hand in a new direction? If so, what was it and were the other leaders only helping her to get their hands on the substance? If she was just going to keep things the same, then killing Alexandra loses a bit of impact (at least plotwise, because the emotional statement of the action is definitely there), I think.

If Elektra was the one to drag Matt out of the pit, then I’m definitely excited to see them meet again sometime in the future. Despite saying the fight with Matt and leadership of the Hand was what she wanted, if she saved him then he wasn’t completely wrong about her. I’d definitely be interested in seeing who she chooses to become now and how she gets there. Perhaps there’s still hope for her after all…

The Hand I liked Alexandra, Elektra, Gao (Wai Ching Ho), and Sowande quite a bit. The supernatural element the Hand brought to the MCU worked well for me, even in the grounded Defenders corner, and I liked them as a step up from gangsters. However, I do feel they’ve run their course and don’t need to see them in this form again; the next level of bad guys should be supervillains. It would’ve been nice if each of the Hand’s Fingers had their own individual goals and plans for their renewed immortality, but I understand why such limited screentime would keep them (mostly) united in their purpose. Though Gao rapidly became one of my favorite MCU villains, if she survived the destruction of the tower I’m not sure where she goes after this. Perhaps a Gao who’s lost everything would be an interesting adversary. I totally missed that her drugs in Daredevil’s first season were made from powdered dragon bones; it was cool she was able to diversify herself and that was a clever way to tie things together. I don’t need to see her again immediately, but I wouldn’t be opposed to her popping up sometime later. Sowande employing neighborhood kids to clean up Hand business was a cool operation and a neat way to tie in Luke Cage. I hadn’t considered that they’d need a clean-up crew and thought that was a smart way to flesh out their support structure. However, I was sorry to see Sowande die so easily: he had excellent presence and it felt like he deserved more. I don’t find Bakuto imposing, so he didn’t leave much impact on me here; his battle with Colleen felt like a retread of Iron Fist. The Hand seemed like enough of a threat before he was revealed to be alive and it didn’t seem like they got more dangerous with him around. Murakami (Yutaka Takeuchi) was similarly underwhelming and didn’t seem like a fitting step up from Nobu. He was billed as some great warrior—Nobu’s boss, even—but it felt like he was consistently taken down first whenever he fought. Any character can be redeemed, but it doesn’t seem like there was enough to his character to justify a return (and that’s if the debris didn’t decapitate him).

I wish every Finger of the Hand had a supernatural specialty; that would’ve provided the heroes with a wider range of threats than a constant onslaught of ninjas. Gao’s telekinesis was cool, but why didn’t the others develop some sort of power? Perhaps Sowande’s could’ve been the ability to increase paranoia and fear in those around him, just like the people who’d captured him in his story were afraid of the Hand barricade around their base. He could’ve been the MCU version of Mr. Fear, perhaps. If that had been the case, while it would’ve been a little too similar to Avengers and Loki’s scepter, at least a Danny whose fears and paranoia had been spiked wouldn’t have looked like an idiot for trying to fight the others when they just wanted him to lay low. An enemy with a power like that would’ve also been a great, distinct challenge from the physical threats the team faced as well as a way to look at the heroes’ deepest fears. Regardless of having power or not, Sowande’s story was truly imposing, so I wish we’d seen it come to fruition in some manner. Alexandra pointed out that they didn’t even try to rescue him and while I thought that was a funny acceptance of how that plot petered out, I was left to wonder why they didn’t try.

I’m not the first to say it, but I wish the Hand had attacked the police station everyone’s loved ones were staying in, forcing the Defenders to rush to save them. I really wish Sowande’s threat against the heroes’ friends had come to fruition even while they were in police custody; the Hand’s attempt to rescue him could have easily been kidnapping everyone the heroes cared about and offering a trade (as well as a way for his story to come true for our heroes). Misty, Colleen, Claire, Trish, and Karen protecting Foggy and Malcolm while holding off the Hand as best they could until help arrived could’ve been a great, tense sequence! In terms of character, it could’ve acted as a callback to Karen killing Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore) and potentially needing to take Hand lives to protect the people she cared about could’ve given us an idea of where her opinion on Punisher’s methods had landed. Trish dipping back into Nuke’s (Wil Traval) super-drugs—maybe she’d kept a few because she didn’t feel safe—would’ve been another cool callback and potentially a hint towards her heroic Hellcat persona. An attack also would’ve been a smarter use of Colleen’s past with the Hand—since she’d know their methods and plans of attack (and even individual ninjas!)—than Bakuto trying to recruit her again was. It would’ve paid off Claire’s self-defense training as well. A decimated police force would’ve taken the cops out of the Midland Circle bombing scene too, answering a few questions about why they were so willing to cover it up. They could’ve also played with the Hand agents who’d infiltrated New York’s infrastructure here, with some of the cops turning on the heroes’ friends and threatening them from inside the station as well. Aside from upping the stakes dramatically, that would’ve helped push Misty towards vigilantism even more.

I wish Alexandra would’ve utilized the secret Hand agents positioned throughout New York to manipulate the city against the Defenders. Unless they were the masked cannon fodder ninjas (and if they were, what happened to the undead ones Matt couldn’t sense?), where were they? Part of this wish is me thinking a more immediate doomsday plot than the city falling due to excavating the dragon bones would’ve upped the stakes in the final battle. Elaboration on what the Hand wanted after securing their immortality and returning to K’un-Lun once more (and what Elektra was going to do differently as leader) would’ve helped in that area too. However, writing this review led me to realize that the real doomsday threat was nothing changing. I think, in addition to wanting to go back to K’un-Lun, the Hand were looking to maintain the status quo, because it gives them their power. If that’s the case, I think it’s kind of impressive that they are so unconcerned with time that they’ll spend all this effort to infiltrate New York’s infrastructure just to secure their plan to destroy it in the excavation of the dragon bones; the city itself doesn’t matter at all, it’s their lives. And once New York is gone, they’ll just move on to the next city and infiltrate it to feed their power.

And really, what better enemy for heroes who represent the downtrodden is there than the system itself? The hidden Hand agents would’ve been the perfect way to dramatize the status quo being held in stasis by Alexandra and Co., so I think not utilizing them was the biggest misstep of the show. True, Winter Soldier and Agents of SHIELD already played this card with Hydra, but Iron Fist introduced a similar situation and it should’ve been utilized instead of ignored. Given the Defenders are civilians, the impact of the upper class keeping the lower classes down would’ve been much more relevant than the similar reveal in the lives of super-spies. For one thing, they could’ve personally threatened the heroes’ lives: Luke could’ve faced getting sent back to jail, the suspicion around Jessica over John Raymond’s murder could’ve become a full-blown frame, Matt could’ve been threatened with being disbarred, and Danny could’ve faced losing his seat on the Rand board of directors (which would’ve erased a fair chunk of his privilege). All of these factors could’ve pushed the heroes to their limits as they struggled with how far they’d go to preserve the lives they’d built, and what they’d do if those lives fell apart. This miniseries should’ve been an all-out war between the Defenders and the Hand’s operatives so that they could ultimately clear the deck—and the city—of Hand agents. At first, I didn’t think Defenders felt as relevant as the individual series have—Daredevil dealt with gentrification, Jessica Jones with sexism and abuse, and Luke Cage with racial inequality and injustice—and making the Hand’s larger goal of maintaining the status quo clearer would’ve been a solid way to make the show feel more timely. Those in power trying to retain their control over the system and the Defenders—just so they could extend their own lives at the cost of millions of innocent civilians, no less—would’ve perfectly contrasted with Elektra’s attempt to define herself and the heroes’ attempt to cast off that power and forge new lives for themselves.

General Notes Ultimately, I liked Defenders and I can’t wait for more, but it felt too short. It mostly worked as one 8-hour story, but I wish they’d had another five episodes to flesh things out more. The miniseries did a great job of introducing each main character and providing enough information that viewers could’ve missed any of the previous series and not felt lost, while at the same time not feeling repetitive for those of us who’ve seen everything. The establishing bits we got of the heroes felt fresh because they were at least half-steps into their new lives rather than retreads of their entire history. I liked that Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb had each of the individual series’ creators go over the Defenders scripts to make sure their characters were consistent with what they were doing outside the miniseries. It’s nice to know the heroes’ main series are the driving force behind this corner of the MCU, not the crossovers or universe-wide plots.

I liked S.J. Clarkson’s direction in the first two episodes; everyone was filmed through gates and other obscuring scenery, giving the impression that they were physically walled off from each other. The color palettes for each character also helped sell the idea that they all came from different corners of the world (and Twitter commenters pointed out that their colors converge in the sign for the Chinese restaurant where they have their first real conversation!). I wish Avengers had leaned more into the disparate tones and textures of each hero’s background like Defenders did, rather than going for a glossy one-size-fits-all feel. The more contrast in each character’s background, the better the clash will be when they finally meet. At the same time, Clarkson included transitions like one character flipping up a hoodie while the next flips theirs down; that was a neat way to transition between storylines that subconsciously builds to the team-up. Likewise, John Paseno’s score blended each hero’s music quite well. The one musical moment I wasn’t a big fan of was the Wu Tang Clan used over the climactic fight; used anywhere else in the series, it would’ve been fine, but it didn’t give the epic impression that fight should’ve had. I wish they’d gone with an orchestral Defenders theme for that moment. I also loved the opening titles: they brought back the cityscape idea from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage that made Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem feel like characters unto themselves. Depicting New York in each hero’s color was another great way to display their differences while emphasizing that they all had a common stake in this city.

Moments like Foggy getting Luke out of prison and Luke and Danny running into each other on a case were really natural, simple connections between shows. When Foggy was told to keep Jones out of Hogarth’s (Carrie-Anne Moss) firm’s business, the handoff to Matt—who then became Jessica’s lawyer—was smooth and part of a nice, continual build of connections before the team finally converged on Midland Circle. The Defenders’ casual conversation in the Chinese restaurant worked really well to bond them into a single unit, even if Danny remained the odd one out. It’s probably more a function of the plot than his character, since Jones’ ribs at Daredevil’s costume aren’t much different from everyone discounting Rand’s experience with the supernatural, but it felt like Matt, Luke, and Jessica formed a stronger bond with each other than they did with Danny. He’s also removed from the team, so the rest of them have more time to bond without him. I wish the Hand had utilized more of the supernatural—that’s the one area Defenders seemed to back off from when blending tones early on—and it probably would’ve helped Danny come into the team’s good graces faster if they could see examples of the supernatural happening around them. It also could’ve made him the team’s supernatural expert, giving him a specific role to play besides “brash new guy.” Otherwise, the series blended the tones of its forebears very well.

As much as the miniseries seemed to back off of the supernatural outside of resurrections and the Iron Fist, I loved that there was an actual, literal dragon skeleton under the city! I assume the dragons were buried, domed over, and had cities built on top of them to obscure their locations, but it would’ve been nice to get confirmation of that. An extensive excavation of the dragon skeleton as the cause of New York’s “fall” wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but I didn’t mind it. Perhaps there should’ve been a more epic cause of the city’s destruction than a sink hole, like the monks of K’un-Lun had blessed the cities to stand eternally over the dragons and if the dome were breached the city would be cursed by its imminent destruction or something. Still, in hindsight I think the normal, logical result of removing the dragon’s skeleton is a little underwhelming, but not disappointing.

The Netflix series have an issue with connecting to the larger MCU, but there’s one area that I think really should’ve been touched on here. As I saw pointed out in an IGN comment section, Luke, Jessica, and Danny should’ve had to sign the Sokovia Accords as part of the Midland Circle cover-up. I liked that breaking the law was a legitimate concern for these street level, civilian heroes, and slapping them with the Accords would’ve been a good way to re-emphasize that status. It would’ve been particularly clever if even after the Hand’s hidden agents were routed from their positions throughout the city, the heroes still had to sign the Accords because of a different status quo. Once Matt returns, his unregistered status could add increasing pressure to Daredevil as he goes forward, while the others could be forced to operate within the constraints of the Accords.

All in all, Marvel’s Defenders is definitely worth watching, even if it falls short of the epic final confrontation with the Hand it could’ve been. Even so, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s solidly good. The heroes’ bond—particularly between Matt, Luke, and Jessica (with hints of good material between Luke and Danny to be mined in the future)—was the show’s biggest strength and always a lot of fun. Defenders doesn’t function like a standalone crossover and that’s a great thing: the heroes come out of this changed and I can’t wait to see where they go as their shows continue! Until then, if you’re not following the show’s Twitter accounts I highly suggest it; they’re written in-character and they interact with each other, busting each other’s chops just like on the show!

I’m definitely ready for another Defenders miniseries!

#marvel #defenders #daredevil #matt murdock #charlie cox #jessica jones #kristen ritter #luke cage #mike colter #the hand #alexandra reid #elektra natchios #elodie yung #stick #scott glenn #claire temple #rosario dawson #madame gao #wai ching ho

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airoasis · 6 years

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Jose Ramirez defends title with brand-new trainer and renewed inspiration

On March 17 in New York, Jose Ramirez achieved a lifelong dream as he outfought and outboxed Amir Imam to win an uninhabited junior welterweight world title.It was a jubilant victory, and when the ratings were read, Ramirez commemorated with his team, consisting of longtime fitness instructor Freddie Roach.Jose Ramirez vs.

Danny O'Connor Where: Conserve Mart Center in Fresno, California When: Saturday TELEVISION: ESPN, ESPN Deportes 9:30 p.m. ET Little did anyone know at the time, but that would be their final

battle together. Normally, fighters alter trainers when they lose, not when they win the biggest fight of their career.Though Ramirez proclaims a deep respect and adoration for all Roach did for him, and for his Hall of Popularity profession, he likewise felt like he required more attention and to be more of a priority.And so in spite of a career-best win, Ramirez called Roach in April and informed him he was moving on.Ramirez left Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood

, California, where Roach assistant Marvin Somodio was typically his hands-on fitness instructor, to go with trainer Robert Garcia.Editor's Picks"I wish Freddie absolutely nothing however the finest. He's an amazing coach, now it's a new chapter and I'm delighted I'm with somebody that feels the exact same excitement about my career and who does the little

things to make me comfy,

"Ramirez told ESPN.So committed to the modification, Ramirez rented an apartment for himself, his girlfriend and their 2-year-old child that is just a couple of minutes from Garcia's fitness center in Riverside, California, so he would not have to make the everyday hour-plus drive from his location in Los Angeles."It's larger and I pay less than in L.A.," Ramirez said, laughing.And so Ramirez will go into his very first title defense with Garcia as his chief 2nd rather of Roach when he squares off with heavy underdog Danny O'Connor (30-3, 11 KOs ), 33, a southpaw from Framingham, Massachusetts,

in the main occasion of the Leading Rank Boxing on ESPN card Saturday night at the Save

Mart Center in Fresno, California, where Ramirez, from neighboring Avenal, California, is a substantial draw and the toast of the neighborhood for his ring exploits and steadfast social work."This was my dream. Because I was little, I desired to become a world champ and then have the ability to protect the title in front of the fans of the Central Valley, "Ramirez stated."That is occurring on Saturday."Before the fight with Imam, Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs ), 25, had currently begun to think about

making the switch to Garcia.He has actually known Garcia for many years, and a couple of months before the Imam fight, prior to he began his full camp at Wild Card, he went to train with him for about a week. Jose Ramirez, left, got a new fitness instructor in Robert Garcia for his junior welterweight

title defense against Danny O'Connor. Photo by Mikey Garcia/Top Rank "I liked how he worked, but I had to go to the Wild Card to complete up, "Ramirez stated. "Marvin invested a great deal of time

with me, and I desired Marvin to be there and see become a world champion, and Freddie also invested a long time in me. I could not make the move before ending up being a world champion. I felt I owed them that respect, to provide them that credit of ending up being a world champ together. "After he won the title, Ramirez stated he was still uncertain if he would make the modification.

"I still wasn't One Hundred Percent sure of leaving the Wild Card. I was utilized to being there.

Marvin existed. It was extremely tough to leave," Ramirez said.But then something happened that Ramirez stated made the decision clear for him. He and a friend participated in HBO's March 29 Hollywood premier of the network's documentary on battling legend Andre the Giant with Roach. Ramirez had just won the title and hoped that he would stroll the red carpet with Roach, who would reveal off his new champion. "I wish Freddie nothing but the very best. He's an incredible coach however now it's a brand-new chapter and I enjoy I'm with somebody that feels the exact same enjoyment about my career and who does the little things to make me comfortable."Jose Ramirez Rather, Ramirez said a member of Roach's group" informed us to go in the back door and we'll see you within," while Roach strolled the red carpet." I was a little offended,"Ramirez said."If I had a world champ, I would make certain he was known. I hadn't made a 100 percent option to leave until that day."And so now he is with Garcia and

pleased with his choice." I required somebody to really think in me and be encouraged to press me to my limits,"Ramirez said."Freddie has actually had many champions. I

have no idea if his enjoyment was still there. I saw enjoyment in Robert to train me. He wished to train a guy who was valuable and who could take it to the next level. He was excited to see someone like me, and that motivated me. He wishes to be a part of it too. He opens up the health club to my sponsors to go see me train." Freddie's group, they're really nice. They have my regard. Now with Robert, the difference is he has a lot of really great prospects and champions, and it resembles a group. I seem like I belong to a team. I was more by myself

in Wild Card. Now there are others who press me." Garcia makes obvious of the truth that he had his eyes on Ramirez even when he was an amateur. Jose Ramirez, right, defeated Amir Imam by consentaneous decision in March to win a vacant junior welterweight belt. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

"I wanted him considering that the beginners," Garcia said. "I went to a few of the amateur battles that he had in the Fresno location, and I remained in talks with his daddy and Jose and everybody surrounding Jose. They chose they wanted to begin their profession off with Freddie Roach and no hard sensations, no absolutely nothing. Before his last battle when he ended up being champ, we currently had actually been speaking about training together. He had already trained in my gym for a week or so, but for him, he stated it was too challenging to be driving back and forth since he still had a house in Hollywood, and it was very near to his fight to do the drive every day, so he decided to end up training camp and consider that fight, the world title fight, to Freddie Roach, which he felt Freddie Roach was worthy of.

"I still had two of my people drive to Hollywood for sparring to assist him get ready for that fight. We already had that connection, and following that battle, it was already said we would begin collaborating. He's very dedicated, trains extremely hard, really simple, a kid that has so lots of things in mind not just for himself however for his community in the Fresno location. Just a great kid."

Rick Mirigian, Ramirez's supervisor, said the pairing has been exceptional.

"I wanted him given that the amateurs. I went to a few of the amateur fights that he had in the Fresno area and I remained in talks with his father and Jose and everyone surrounding Jose. They chose they desired to begin their profession off with Freddie Roach and no difficult feelings, no absolutely nothing." Robert Garcia

"Ramirez has actually shown a fire I have not seen in a long period of time," he said. "He mores than happy and inspired, feels at home and feels a bargain of respect. Garcia has done exactly what he assured, provided him the top priority time, had high-level sparring with guys like Mikey Garcia, and has actually made some great tweaks with Ramirez's defense that does not take his aggressive nature away, however offers him some different appearances and visible enhancement in those areas.

"It was the right call [to change trainers] Not an easy call, however the best one, as we value and will constantly respect Freddie and Marvin. Being a world champion required being the top priority now and having the fighter feel highly that you truly think in him to be a star."

When Mirigian worked out the offer for Garcia to end up being Ramirez's fitness instructor, he got one major concession that showed the Ramirez camp simply just how much of a concern he would be.Garcia likewise trains his younger sibling, four-division world titleholder Mikey Garcia, a ruling lightweight titlist and one of boxing's finest pound for pound. In the not likely event he and Ramirez have actually battles set up on the exact same day, Robert Garcia assured that he 'd opt for Ramirez and leave Mikey in the care of their dad, Eduardo Garcia, and Robert's boy, Robert Garcia Jr." We've been in that scenario previously, two fighters or two

world champs fighting the exact same day. That's why I have a terrific group with my daddy, who has actually constantly been there to assist with whatever I need. My kid. He's found out a lot," Robert Garcia said. "He's prepared for whatever we have to do. If Jose is to eliminate the very same day as Mikey, which we would aim to prevent as much as possible, however if that day does come, I don't even have to speak to Mikey about it or my dad." My papa and my son would deal with Mikey's battle because, like I said, we're a team. Plus, my papa is really familiar with Mikey's career. My papa's part of the group every day. My boy is likewise, so we would have no problem with that. That would not be a problem at all. I would go with Jose, and my dad and my son would stick with Mikey."It's that sort of dedication and commitment that Ramirez was looking for."I think I found it now in Riverside," Ramirez said.

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