Marvel's The Defenders

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Aug 18, 2017
User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 433 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 283 out of 433
  2. Mixed: 109 out of 433
  3. Negative: 41 out of 433
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  1. thunderbeans
    Aug 19, 2017
    6
    I was really looking forward to this season but it was a bit of a let down. Apart from a few fights nothing that exciting happens, its predictable and never pushes the bounds of what they can do with the season. Why they had the main story focus around Danny Rand I don't know, but he is literally the most annoying character of the whole marvel universe. The filming was very frequently tooI was really looking forward to this season but it was a bit of a let down. Apart from a few fights nothing that exciting happens, its predictable and never pushes the bounds of what they can do with the season. Why they had the main story focus around Danny Rand I don't know, but he is literally the most annoying character of the whole marvel universe. The filming was very frequently too dark and the camera moving around way too much with too make shaking. This season had so much promise, it could have been so good yet it just ended up feeling like another crappy season of the iron fist.… Expand
  2. thoodee
    Aug 19, 2017
    5
    Don't know what it is, but after the last two Daredevil seasons, these Marvel shows have been getting more campier, predictable, and very formulaic. Very ABC network cookie cutter type of show, much like agents of shield. Why even have this on Netflix if you can't be a little edgier or put more thought into a storyline. I will say I got through it all unlike Iron Fist.
  3. entitet
    Aug 19, 2017
    4
    Just wow. This was mediocre. To put it short: the threat wasn't threatening enough and the so called super heroes wasn't super heroic enough. Even the non super heroic characters of the show put up a good fight against the villains and it felt like the writers wasn't able to come up with any situations where a super hero were needed. Just some uninspiring fights, which didn't impress. InJust wow. This was mediocre. To put it short: the threat wasn't threatening enough and the so called super heroes wasn't super heroic enough. Even the non super heroic characters of the show put up a good fight against the villains and it felt like the writers wasn't able to come up with any situations where a super hero were needed. Just some uninspiring fights, which didn't impress. In that sense, "The Defenders" could've just as well been a season of "24", but far less intriguing and much worse written. Something that could've and should've been a "Avengers" light or a Marvel tv show x4 became just as weak and messy as the first season of "Iron Fist."… Expand
  4. DefinitelyMayb
    Aug 18, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm not going to lie, but the Marvel Netflix series since DD season 2 has gone down hill rather quickly in terms of everything. Everything that made Daredevil and Jessica Jone great (or at least on par for some people) has quickly devolved into a sh*tfest with bad writing, clunky dialogue, dull action scenes, incoherent plot and character motivation and imo the cardinal sin, awful world building.

    The Defenders isnt completely awful but it starts off really slow with many jump cuts trying to set up the heroes up before meeting up. The acting in Defenders is generally really good, with Signourey Weaver doing a really good job with the writing that is given. Although the pacing is snail pace for the first 3 episodes, it quickly picks up by the end of episode 3 and the show does a really good job at bringing these characters together and the banter is generally quite fun. However, that when the show starts to go downhill rather quickly. **Spoilers: these are the problems set out below**

    1) Uninspired plot and convoluted motivations - By the end of the show, I couldnt believe how awful and uninspired the actual story was for the show. For something built up as to destroy New York City (by referencing Pompeii etc) but we realise that the Black Hand all along was to find some stupid dragon bones so that they can get the 'substance' that keeps them immortal. There also this convoluted plot about trying to enter Kun'Lun again but this is never explained. Although it is explained that the city will collapse once the bones are taken, they stated it would be an indeterminate time before it happens which is pretty bullsh*t. Given that they were immortal for a long period of time, but Alexandra decides to use all their remaining resources on Black Sky (Electra), it literally makes 0 sense why they would do that, nor the fact why is Electra that much special - it just seems she's a good fighter but nothing else. Why does electra kill Alexandra at the end? Its seems to come out of nowhere.

    2) Bad writing - The show by the end is just made up of bad writing.
    One of the problem was that they had so many side characters from the other shows, so they just decided to lump them in the police station and have them speak clunky dialogue. Why is the C4 put in the evidence room without locks? Why is the C4 even in a fricking police station. Characters that die seemingly just appear again. How does Sowande just gets captured like that? All the Hand seems awfully weak with the Japanese hand much weaker than Nobu despite him being like one of the key organisers. One of the most bizzare scene is when Luke Cage gets seemingly hit by a truck from nowhere and it is exclaimed that he is 'captured' (despite being just run over). Next moment he brings Sowande captured after he drives away. Another evidence of bad writing is the Defenders decides to blow the building up at the end, committing domestic terrorism despite the fact I have no idea how that would destroy the Hand or achieve anything. Characters seem to come in and out whenever they wish - for example Electra just turns up to their hiding spot out of nowhere. Iron Fist is as annoying and poorly written as usual, and also lacks martial fighting skills? He literally ends up beaten up everytime. Another unintentional hilarious moment is when Electra appears in the Chinese restaurant and gets hit by a car cause Jessica Jones pushes the car through the store?

    3) The action is sub standard - after watching the fighting scenes in daredevil again, the Defenders action is boring and pointless. Apart from a rather spontaneous fight we get at the company's office, everything else is dull, just people getting pushed or punched. Daredevil literally never uses his gear. The final fight is incredibly awful, being shot in the dark with little contrast as all the characters are dressed in black. It made 0 sense why Luke Cage would sustain damage from the japanese guy, and it is never made clear why Electra just doesnt kill them all when she has the chance - and how the hell does 4 of them cant beat electra, but when it is Daredevil alone, she seems to lose?

    4) World building is awful - Characters seem all over the place. Hand feels incredibly small and weak - for example, we never see the ninjas (until the end, but they dont even dress like ninjas). What happened to the terrifying ninjas. The actual Hand leaders are so incredibly weak at fighting and lack any characterizations. Heck Nobu seems more powerful than any of them and he's suppose to be more an underling. The polcie act like the Defenders are the biggest criminals, but they dont care about anything else? Everyone acts surprised that stuff happens despite the fact it set in an Avengers world with aliens.

    5) Sh* pacing and direction - What can I say? Sluggish at start and gets sluggish by the end. Odd pacing choices especially when the team gets together. Visually nothing interesting and is very bland.    … Expand
  5. StrayDogA8
    Aug 19, 2017
    4
    The scene is full of darkness, and the story is so terrible. Jessica has almost no contribution, maybe Colleen is more qualified to be the fourth member of the team.
  6. GunnerMcDagget
    Aug 20, 2017
    4
    The writing was well below average, there was no chemistry between the characters, the new villains weren't interesting. Sigourney Weaver was the star of the show but poor writing let her character down. 90% of the show felt like filler.

    A very disappointing series.
  7. santiagodraco
    Aug 21, 2017
    5
    Occasionally clever but mostly a drag Marvel's Defenders continues the studio's inability to deliver compelling television since the first 2 seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D and season 1 of Jessica Jones and Daredevil. I actually found myself hitting the fast forward button to skip past much of the monotonous and unnecessary drivel.
  8. imthenoob
    Aug 20, 2017
    4
    The show is pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie. The story is just trash, The main villains aren't interesting or come off as threatening at all. I view Defenders as a cheap way to wrap up the weak story line of Daredevil season 2 so they can move on and go do something else.

    It's not a total wash though because there are some things that are good: The defenders have great chemistry together.    The show is pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie. The story is just trash, The main villains aren't interesting or come off as threatening at all. I view Defenders as a cheap way to wrap up the weak story line of Daredevil season 2 so they can move on and go do something else.

    It's not a total wash though because there are some things that are good: The defenders have great chemistry together. They did a great job with Iron Fist and really redeemed his character here after that god awful first season. Aside from that, It's just not that good of a show. Not as bad as Iron Fist but still disappointing.    … Expand
  9. Coran06
    Aug 19, 2017
    4
    The story began well written, and the characters had good introductions to the plot, but around episode 4, many loose ends appeared and the end was shallow. Not even some very good fighting scenes in the beginning of the season could save this series.

    Unfortuantely, I was very disappointed.
  10. ahand
    Aug 20, 2017
    4
    Defenders suffers from inconsistent and poor pacing and tone. The netflix side of the MCU has been established in its earlier iterations (Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and to a lesser degree, Luke Cage) as being darker and more grounded in realism. When its mystic elements are put into play in DD2 and Iron Fist, the show tends to lose this established tone. This is evident in how most fansDefenders suffers from inconsistent and poor pacing and tone. The netflix side of the MCU has been established in its earlier iterations (Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and to a lesser degree, Luke Cage) as being darker and more grounded in realism. When its mystic elements are put into play in DD2 and Iron Fist, the show tends to lose this established tone. This is evident in how most fans and critics praise the Punisher storyline in Daredevil 2 over the hand aspect of the series.

    The ninja villains of this series have lost any edge that they may have had in previous series and no longer feel like a threat when untrained characters are able to beat them.

    Many of the characters could have been handled better. When the last "twist" involving Misty Knight in the final episode transpired, absolutely nobody cared - she just didn't get enough focus on the show to really be important.

    The fight choreography that was so lauded in Daredevil doesn't return in Defenders. Action scenes rely on shaky camera and quick cuts.

    Overall, this show is rather disappointing.    … Expand
  11. Geekstinct
    Aug 19, 2017
    5
    You cant see anything in half of this show. Scenes shot in the dark results in grunts and assumed punches. The plot is pretty stupid and Danny Rand is annoying as hell.
  12. reasonate
    Aug 29, 2017
    6
    I agree with many of the other posters. This was okay. I didn't hate it, but I kind of didn't care that much about it either. I watched the whole thing over a few days and while I didn't have to force myself to finish, nor was I excited and looking forward to the next episode. The writing and directing needed to be tightened up and improved. I think if they weren't spending so muchI agree with many of the other posters. This was okay. I didn't hate it, but I kind of didn't care that much about it either. I watched the whole thing over a few days and while I didn't have to force myself to finish, nor was I excited and looking forward to the next episode. The writing and directing needed to be tightened up and improved. I think if they weren't spending so much time catching people up on all of the characters and trying to give a nod to the supporting cast for all four series, the show would have been more engaging. They tried to combine too many shows into one. They tried to capture the essence of each separate series, and shoe horn them all together, but failed to create a new "essence" for The Defenders' series. It is tough to merge so many story lines and characters into a new, disparate show, and they did an okay job of it. Worth watching, but hope they do a better job the next time around.… Expand
  13. Eilanzer
    Aug 22, 2017
    5
    Shallow script with cool characters inside (iron fist still is a crappy whiny kid tough)
    The whole plot was full of problems and the villains even with amazing potential did nothing to scare a 10year old.
    Just a "MEH" show...Nothing to remember one week later...
  14. southernsun
    Aug 19, 2017
    4
    Meh. Kind of entertaining but ultimately a super predictable plot line but somehow also confusing and disjointed. A couple of episodes were good, but overall it was a disappointing effort. It's been all downhill since Daredevil Season 1.
  15. finnonfire
    Aug 18, 2017
    4
    Not much to say about Defenders. Its the same old story taken from some of the other series. Except now you have 4 characters as the focus instead of just 1. You'd think team up, save the city would be a good thing. It might be if you didn't have 4 B actors running around in situations that barely make sense, or actually add to the narrative.
  16. elyh
    Aug 21, 2017
    4
    Considering the source Materiel this series is mostly a waste of space. The series doesn't have the budget to really showcase a team of super heroes and the actors are way to average to make the characters likable. The only good thing about this series is Sigourney Weaver it was nice seeing her behind a camera again.
  17. AlphaJPrime
    Aug 19, 2017
    5
    Not a good plot, and Jessica, Luke and Iron Fist are not on par with the more developed and interesting Dare Devil. Several unnecesary and old SJW themes where brought to the series, which only bring more hate to the already crazy USA political enviroment. Fight scenes were poor, lighting management was poor. Secondary good characters were used with no sense (a nurse on a fight scene -Not a good plot, and Jessica, Luke and Iron Fist are not on par with the more developed and interesting Dare Devil. Several unnecesary and old SJW themes where brought to the series, which only bring more hate to the already crazy USA political enviroment. Fight scenes were poor, lighting management was poor. Secondary good characters were used with no sense (a nurse on a fight scene - actually holding her own against ninja assasins). Stereotypical characters make the series boring. It was really not that good, and it is what I expected after not being able to watch Jessica Jones, and understanding the poor concepts behind Jessica, Luke and Iron Fist. Good luck and please choose better heroes to team up with Daredevil. Daredevil is ready for the BIG screen.… Expand
  18. Michaletos
    Aug 21, 2017
    6
    Huge disappointment. The fight scenes were awful, In most scenes you could see that their punche hit nothing but the air. Very slow plot, lots of talking, Weaver was a wasted opportunity and very bad acting from the majority of the actors. Cox shines once again and he proves that he is a level above all the other actors (Weaver too). Pity. It could be great
  19. Progeny
    Aug 19, 2017
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was excited for this release, but had very muted expectations. I was hoping that the plot would lend to Finn Jones (Iron Fist) and Mike Colter (Luke Cage) being able to actually act, and not just loaf around spitting one liners... nope. The plot being centered around Finn Jones was a bummer. I was hopeful that being on a team would mute his uneven acting, but it seems Jones can't actually act (as in bring life to a character). Colter is not much better. He's just.. stiff. And the brooding black guy (who goes to jail AND has sex with all the women) is old. Can we get some nuance please? This has more to do with the writing, but I'm starting to believe he and Jones are best as ancillary characters only.

    This brings us to Élodie Yung (Elektra)... no. Just no. Same with Sigourney Weaver (Alexandra Reid). The only thing good that came out of those two was when Elektra stabbed her they slowly appeared on screen... I laughed out loud... such a meme(able) moment. Like why was she down there? It was like a scene from a puppet show.

    Charlie Cox is dope as usual, and Krysten Ritter (though I don't like the Jessica Jones character) plays her role well... we need to work on her punching form though.

    This series is somewhere around the iron fist series 1: Meh-sville with a couple of cool moments.    … Expand
  20. cajun67
    Aug 22, 2017
    6
    Netflix's second worst Marvel show (the worst being Iron Fist). At 8 episodes long, the season feels both too short and too long at the same time. The writing is a little campy, and a little cliched.

    Part of the problem is that these Netflix/Marvel shows are a little too grounded. You keep waiting to see something fantastic, and it never comes. There doesn't seem to be much budget for    Netflix's second worst Marvel show (the worst being Iron Fist). At 8 episodes long, the season feels both too short and too long at the same time. The writing is a little campy, and a little cliched.

    Part of the problem is that these Netflix/Marvel shows are a little too grounded. You keep waiting to see something fantastic, and it never comes. There doesn't seem to be much budget for CG, or maybe just not enough creativity. The effects in these shows are so low budget, these shows could have been made in the 80's.

    Anyway, The Defenders isn't terrible. It's just more of the same.

    I really hope that in the next round of seasons for these Marvel shows, Netflix spends a little more on effects and shows us the comic book world that fans really want to see.    … Expand
  21. MadViking
    Aug 23, 2017
    6
    Daredevil and Luke Cage had a sort of mystery towards them, what's going on and what do the bad guys want, with a build-up of suspense through the series. The defenders just go strait to the source, all the build-up tools laid out on the table, meaning that you could have easily have told the story in 3 episodes, and the rest is as such only bad fillers. There are cringe moments of badDaredevil and Luke Cage had a sort of mystery towards them, what's going on and what do the bad guys want, with a build-up of suspense through the series. The defenders just go strait to the source, all the build-up tools laid out on the table, meaning that you could have easily have told the story in 3 episodes, and the rest is as such only bad fillers. There are cringe moments of bad writing, cringe moments that doesn't feel natural in the series, and it drags on and on and on. All the mystery and all the suspense that made Daredevil and Luke Cage worth seeing through and through, has been completely flattened, and the Iron Fist is as terrible in this show as he was in his own.… Expand
  22. GreedyPete69000
    Aug 29, 2017
    5
    Was an ok watch. When it comes down to it, the effect of any of these Marvel Netflix shows comes down to the actors more than anything. Kristen Ritter and Charlie Cox portray their characters effortlessly and effectively, while Mike Colter brings up the rear and sadly, Finn Jones belly flops throughout the entire season. Damn shame. Villains were more fleshed out than in Daredevil S2 andWas an ok watch. When it comes down to it, the effect of any of these Marvel Netflix shows comes down to the actors more than anything. Kristen Ritter and Charlie Cox portray their characters effortlessly and effectively, while Mike Colter brings up the rear and sadly, Finn Jones belly flops throughout the entire season. Damn shame. Villains were more fleshed out than in Daredevil S2 and Iron Fist, which was nice. Fight scenes were difficult to follow. I have a feeling that directors with poorly planned fight scenes resort to close ups and shakey camera to mask the lack of suspense. Anyways, a big ole meh.… Expand
  23. speelbergo
    Aug 22, 2017
    4
    Dull and predictable. Complete lack of compelling conflict. The creators of this show obviously detest superhero stories, and as such, have no reason to be making superhero show.
  24. ScienceAdvisor
    Aug 21, 2017
    5
    A total disregard for continuity. Powers are only on display when convienent. Character traits shift from episode to episode. A story items are illogical, and repleat with plot holes. Somehow they managed to make this season souless, even with that ending. Less soap-bloat and more coherence will be required if this is to see more than a second season.
  25. Goo4you
    Sep 3, 2017
    5
    A thrilling let down that I really did not see coming. There is something rotting over at Marvel and there T.V products as of late. Where the movie properties built to a powerful conclusion movie (each phase capped with an avengers movie finishing off the arc) The small screen's composite components are the stronger of the bunch (minus Iron Fist)

    At 8 episodes The Defenders felt less    A thrilling let down that I really did not see coming. There is something rotting over at Marvel and there T.V products as of late. Where the movie properties built to a powerful conclusion movie (each phase capped with an avengers movie finishing off the arc) The small screen's composite components are the stronger of the bunch (minus Iron Fist)

    At 8 episodes The Defenders felt less like a conclusion to each character's story up to that point (which it did do somewhat) and more of a jumping off point for the next phase in the shows (which it did do). The problem is of the 4 Defenders, only 2 really have any dog in the race. Daredevil and Iron Fist have the biggest reason(s) to be here, while Luke Cage only nominally has something tying him to the story. Jessica Jones on the other hand (pun intended), is the most bereft of the bunch having no real reason to be here and is treated as such. It feels less like a team of heroes thrown together for the sake of saving the world and more like a bunch of actors sent out to the season to get people to continue to watch the show(s). The thing is; they didn't have to go this route. Many people that watched this already have been watching the seasons up to this point, we watched this for the payoff of last few years and we didn't get that.

    Of the other elements in the show, the staples are there. Combat was done well, as was the use of each heroes color tone/music choices. The acting was spot-on in tone for each character, though someone needs to coach Finn Jones a bit more. He has only two emotions "Crinkle-face anger" and "pseudo-calm face."

    I hope this isn't the trend Marvel is going with the T.V show(s). There was so much potential in the first season of each character's shows (well 1st phase before The Defenders), I hope the show(s) don't go flat going forward.    … Expand
  26. OllyNorton
    Aug 21, 2017
    5
    I'll start this by saying I have no real knowledge of the comics upon which these shows are based. I have however thoroughly enjoyed Dare Devil (9), Jessica Jones (8), Luke Cage (8), and yes even Iron First (6), so i was very much looking forward to this.

    Unfortunately it's kind of all over the place. There is never any real clue as to how The antagonist plan to actually destroy the    I'll start this by saying I have no real knowledge of the comics upon which these shows are based. I have however thoroughly enjoyed Dare Devil (9), Jessica Jones (8), Luke Cage (8), and yes even Iron First (6), so i was very much looking forward to this.

    Unfortunately it's kind of all over the place. There is never any real clue as to how The antagonist plan to actually destroy the city, and ultimately the well developed and intriguing Sigourney Weaver was toppled in a scene so un-impactful that it registers somewhere on the emotional spectrum between sleep and meh. They did manage to bring the heroes together in a somewhat clever way without it feeling incredibly contrived, it is still a bit contrived, but it's hard to find a reason for disparate characters to come together and they avoided many of the usual cliches. After that though it's generally a damp squib, the menace set up by Weaver falls flat, the plot to destroy New York makes no sense as we find out their intentions have really very little to do with New York at all. It's merely thrown around that New York will be destroyed to add gravitas to a fairly mirky plot. The music falls flat, the choreography is nowhere near as good as it is in Dare Devil, the overall aesthetic is so dark at times it's hard to really tell whats going on.

    It's not unwatchable though, once they get together the banter between the characters is good. Die hard fans will need to watch to see how the overall story arc progresses and where each character leaves off, with Matt being the one with most significant changes for his potential next season. That said this isn't great TV, or even good TV, it is watchable and enjoyable at times, but will leave many feeling very underwhelmed.    … Expand
  27. kman5473
    Aug 21, 2017
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Good:
    -Action sequences are on freaking point
    -Performances by the majority of the cast
    -The most central, and primary story arch of the team

    The Bad
    -The dialogue. Some of it is good, but for some reason the writers thought that the talking points would be the most interesting part of this show. It's not. At all. Because no one is struggling with grounded, humanized themes anymore like in Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, or the first season of Dare Devil. It's also not fun dialogue. Most of it is really straight-forward, kind of just moving the plot along without a character demonstrating the moral conflict their facing which leaves me with the question: WHY ARE YOU TALKING FOR SO LONG????
    -Iron Fist. A billionaire playboy with super powers still finds more reasons to brood than an alcoholic and jaded Jessica Jones, a blind lawyer who has seen so many of his loved ones die, and a black man who has been in jail for a few years.
    -The actor that plays Iron Fist. He does have some decent moments, but overall his performance was meh
    -The "plot twist" near the end of the season. I mean, it was clearly going to be that or Black Sky/Electra joins the good guys    … Expand
  28. OscarTheGrouch
    Aug 21, 2017
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Basically the first season of Defenders doesn't make a lot of sense.

    Why would the Hand hire street kids to tidy up their murders, when they have an army of professionals under their command already? To get Luke Cage involved obviously, but that could/should have been done with better writing. Because the 2nd question would be why would the Hand suddenly bother cleaning up their murders in the first place when they haven't done so in the past.

    For that matter why would the Hand go after the architect that built them their building? I mean, again I know it's to get Jessica into the story, but what exactly was the reasoning for the Hand? They already had the building, why bother with the architect in the first place? Exactly, bad writing.

    A bazooka couldn't hurt Luke Cage, yet people (with no superpowers mind you) with swords and martial arts are something that can hurt him? The initial fight with Iron Fist shows that martial arts alone does nothing against him until Rand uses his power, yet when the Hand does the exact same thing it's suddenly something he worries about. No, just no.

    Iron Fist going after a lackey trying to cover up a murder is 'white privilige' now? That scene was cringe worthy, did Luke Cage ask every person he knocked down in his own show if they were trying to make money to make a living? Of course not. Such a dumb scene, it's like they didn't know how to put this conversation into the show where the black person talks about white privilige to make the series hip with the hipsters, so they just made up some wack argument behind it.

    Why is Stick's arm with the hand which was cut off, longer than his arm with his hand still attached to it? :D

    So a white woman, a black man, and a Latin man were in K'un-Lun (somewhere in Asia) centuries ago and started the Hand? Really? Really? Was this done just to not appear 'racist' with making the Hand all-Asian villains? I think it's more racist that an Asian criminal organisation would need the leadership of a white person. But hey.

    Where were all the ninjas from Daredevil? You know those guys who didn't need teenagers to clean up after them, actually had great fight scenes, and looked a whole lot more menacing and cooler than 'random guy with weapon' which filled the Defenders show. There's an all out war with the Hand, and there are zero ninjas? No way.

    Agents of Shield actually has better fx and fight scenes than the Defenders. :(

    I guess the storyline was ok with the Hand trying to find more 'resources' to make their resurrections possible again After having used it all to bring Elektra back to life. It's just that basically the rest of the writing is a let down. Characters acting dumb, motivations which don't make sense, main villains which don't seem that threathening. I already had my hopes down, because there's only been 1 great Marvel Netflix series (Daredevil) and there was a bigger chance he would be brought down with the other 3 ok/bad series, than that he would elevate them to better quality. And sadly that was the case.    … Expand
  29. Omegagamer
    Aug 30, 2017
    4
    Dare devil was excellent, Jessica jones was excellent. Luke cage was amazing(until cotton mouth died, then it started to go down hill but still was great) and iron fist was just horrible but I was still excited to watch the defenders and now that I have, I can't believe how bad it was.

    Iron fist(finn Jones) is unsurprisingly terrible, one dimensional and practically drags the defenders    Dare devil was excellent, Jessica jones was excellent. Luke cage was amazing(until cotton mouth died, then it started to go down hill but still was great) and iron fist was just horrible but I was still excited to watch the defenders and now that I have, I can't believe how bad it was.

    Iron fist(finn Jones) is unsurprisingly terrible, one dimensional and practically drags the defenders show into oblivion, he's still whiny, still confused and unsure about himself, still looks unbelievable as a fighter and for someone being called "the immortal ironfist" gets his ass whooped in almost every scene.

    The hand returns but for some reason they seem very disorganized and make countless mistakes. If anyone watched the awesomeness that is dare devil then you know that the hand that dare devil fights against and the defenders fight against seem to be two different versions. In the defenders, there aren't any ninjas except for the ones the black sky kills, they've been replaced by guys in suits and they just can't match up to the defenders(they do of course beat up the Ironfist though). The defenders is slow paced and light on action in each episode, some of the plot makes little sense(an architect is able to elude the hand?) like, I don't understand how an architect uncovered their plans and worst of all the defenders has almost zero chemistry together, their mostly at each other's throats(except for Luke and Jessica) or just flat out distrust each other and keeps secrets for no real reason. It took three episodes just to get them all together, the only time they actually have chemistry is in the last episode in the final fight scene. Another pit fall for the defenders is the fact that they centered it around the Ironfist, he wasn't interesting in his own show and in many aspects, is worse here. For future reference they need to better the Ironfist character or just replace finn Jones. The defenders isn't really bad, just so disappointing    … Expand
  30. zouz123
    Oct 2, 2017
    4
    What happened to Netflix? this one is better than Iron Fist, but still extremely boring. I couldn't continue an episode in one sitting. The show is really slow and the characters (bad guys mainly) aren't that bad. Some scenes simply insult my intelligence as well. I'm still hopeful though.
  31. PrettyGood
    Sep 13, 2017
    6
    The show thrives when it focuses on a character, but it's predictable and focuses on the most disappointing Defender. The main plot while predictable, it was messy and slow. The villains weren't completely developed. A lot of side characters pulled from their original shows and put in a box together just to have them together on your screen. If you loved all four (yes, including Iron Fist)The show thrives when it focuses on a character, but it's predictable and focuses on the most disappointing Defender. The main plot while predictable, it was messy and slow. The villains weren't completely developed. A lot of side characters pulled from their original shows and put in a box together just to have them together on your screen. If you loved all four (yes, including Iron Fist) individual shows, then you will probably enjoy this one, too.… Expand
  32. brockcheese
    Mar 5, 2018
    6
    Really wanted to like this show but the writing is unfocused and the characters don't even meet up until the end of episode 3. I know it's a tv show and it takes time to develop, this show is only 8 episodes.
  33. LinttaFlamingo
    Feb 3, 2018
    4
    The Defenders is basically a third season of Daredevil but with all four of the superheroes. And it's actually quite bad.

    This was the series I wanted to watch immediately after watching Daredevil, so I could get more Daredevil. But because this thing also has Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, I decided to watch those too. Or more like watch two and force myself through one. Then    The Defenders is basically a third season of Daredevil but with all four of the superheroes. And it's actually quite bad.

    This was the series I wanted to watch immediately after watching Daredevil, so I could get more Daredevil. But because this thing also has Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, I decided to watch those too. Or more like watch two and force myself through one. Then I finally got to this series, and it's basically the same exact story of the evil Hand organisation that was never interesting in the first place. And even though this series only has eight episodes instead of 13, the story still feels like it's stretched very thin.

    I do like the heroes themselves. All the action scenes were fun to watch, especially in the last episode when we get a cool one take and some Wu-Tang Clan in the background, but there're also some badly edited scenes and some of them were way too dark. Not dark as in tone, I mean literally dark. I couldn't see anything. Some of the dialogue scenes between the characters work very well too, especially a dinner scene in the fourth episode. Unfortunately there are also a lot of scenes of people talking about how dangerous the Hand is and they were done in a very uninteresting way, and every episode has a couple of those scenes. A lot of times I felt like nothing was really happening even though technically there obviously was something going on, because the show keeps repeating the same things over and over again. It's either those uninteresting dialogue scenes, or members of the Hand attacking the four heroes and getting their ass kicked. All of the important characters of course take no damage at all. There's a scene in the last episode where Daredevil kicks Elektra in the face and Jessica throws her to a stone wall, but she literally just stands up without any bruises on her face. Not only should her face be absolutely smashed by that, but she also wouldn't stand up anymore. One character literally gets her hand cut off and she's just there like "Ouch, that hurts" instead of, you know, fainting and bleeding out.

    I wouldn't say the show is a complete disaster. The first three episodes have a lot of cool stuff in them. It was fun to watch the superheroes simply just live their life and I liked the way the colors changed a bit depending on which superhero was in the scene. And when they start to get together, it's done in a playful way and it was interesting to watch these four personalities clash together. But in the later episodes the show just got a lot more dull and the writing and directing was very inconsistent. Some things made absolutely no sense and the characters made stupid decisions, and all of it felt like it was because the story had to be stretched more and it was so frustrating.

    Not really feeling it. It's better than Iron Fist unsurprisingly, but this Hand thing needs to go so we can get a better story.    … Expand
  34. JulianIncen
    May 5, 2019
    6
    It falls short on a narrative level, and is demonstrated by the number of action scenes that are presented. Perhaps this will help improve the reputation of Iron Fist and Luke Cage.
  35. abm0
    Nov 24, 2017
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Could've been good, seemed to be gearing up for great things for the first half or so, but then it turns into excessive use of dramatic conversations (Jessica Jones S1 had its share of those, but not to the detriment of the plot and action like here) and at the very end excessive low-level fights against armies of dumb "minions", i.e. the stupid Daredevil-style neverending torrents of punches and kicks that don't mean anything and don't make any impression. And to think some of the first multi-hero fights were actually promising, had more focus, fewer moves that were more interesting to watch, and then they decided to close the deal with some Daredevil levels of boring and repetitive fights, going way down in quality instead of up. What a waste.… Expand
  36. VirgonoShaka
    Mar 24, 2018
    6
    Such a good idea, build up good characters in their own shows and then bring them together. Foolproof, right? Well, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Now, it is not bad, but it can't be said to be that good either. With some of the most forgettable villains around (MCU has a villain problem, right?) and some bleh story, the first season of the defenders is... ok. And consideringSuch a good idea, build up good characters in their own shows and then bring them together. Foolproof, right? Well, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Now, it is not bad, but it can't be said to be that good either. With some of the most forgettable villains around (MCU has a villain problem, right?) and some bleh story, the first season of the defenders is... ok. And considering the excellence of some of the other shows, that is just not ok, Netflix. Hopefully if or when a season 2 comes around, we can have what we expected.… Expand
  37. Marvel_Reviews
    Nov 17, 2017
    4
    THE DULL DEFENDERS!
    The show starts off strong but by the end of episode three takes a nasty turn for the worse. I felt that too many episodes were allocated to a story that could have been knocked into the runtime of 'Jungle Book 2'. All of episodes four to seven were unnecessary boring fillers consisting of characters just plainly talking to one another. Marvel Netflix's 'The Defenders'    THE DULL DEFENDERS!
    The show starts off strong but by the end of episode three takes a nasty turn for the worse. I felt that too many episodes were allocated to a story that could have been knocked into the runtime of 'Jungle Book 2'. All of episodes four to seven were unnecessary boring fillers consisting of characters just plainly talking to one another. Marvel Netflix's 'The Defenders' is not worth watching.    … Expand
  38. DavidDaniel
    Dec 25, 2017
    6
    The Defenders was a much expected show by a lot of people. I wasn't so enthusiastic. The action scenes are good, there are plenty of memorable one liners and yet the show wasn't compelling enough to make me press play on the next episode right after the previous ended.
  39. geewah
    Jan 15, 2021
    6
    Disappointing.
    The cast of heroes are okay without being great, but what drags this down is it's pacing and the villan/bad guys.
  40. Dimocracy
    Jul 6, 2023
    5
    I like the interaction between the characters, but everything else here is just a shame and a failure to meet the expectations of the fans from this collaboration.

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017
43
#43 Most Shared TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. The Huffington Post
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Aug 21, 2017
    70
    Some of the mystical stuff in The Defenders remains just that: mystical. But after a couple of episodes, and a couple of fights that resemble high-tech barroom brawls, viewers will get the rhythm of the story.
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  2. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Liz Shannon Miller
    Aug 18, 2017
    75
    The ultimate weakness of The Defenders is found in its plotting, especially the way it indulges in one massive superhero storytelling cliche towards the end. But when the show focuses on character, it’s at its best, especially when the secondary characters,--the women!--get a chance at the spotlight.
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  3. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Ira Madison III
    Aug 18, 2017
    50
    The Defenders should be the best Marvel series Netflix has produced. Except... it isn't. Keep in mind it's very fun to watch and with a shorter episode order of eight, it won't be a slog to get through. But when it comes to the villains, the show gets bogged down in the worst aspects of the Netflix series.
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