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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User Reviews

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  1. 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.
  2. Truejustice
    May 7, 2021
    8
    superior to all CW garbage TV shows MCU once again prove to be a true and only king when it comes to superhero series... like with movies
    Defenders are almost pure masterpiece and awesome TV show that combine four awesome characters in epic story. 8/10
  3. 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.
  4. saltydog99
    Aug 5, 2019
    7
    The defenders was one of my most anticipated shows of 2017 and for the most part it did not disappoint. The show has a little more pop and flair than its predecessors and the characters riff off each other well and that is its main strength. Daredevil and Jessica Jones work great together and both actors play their roles brilliantly. Iron fist and Luke cage work together okay, but they areThe defenders was one of my most anticipated shows of 2017 and for the most part it did not disappoint. The show has a little more pop and flair than its predecessors and the characters riff off each other well and that is its main strength. Daredevil and Jessica Jones work great together and both actors play their roles brilliantly. Iron fist and Luke cage work together okay, but they are still hindered by Finn jones's constantly misguided performance. Jones is a good actor but he just does not capture a well liked and fun Danny Rand. The main villain in Alexandra Reid is fairly interesting and she leads the show with mystery. The casting of Weaver was a perfect choice and her character thrives because of it. The other hand leaders are all interesting and cool and all very well acted. I do believe the villains are a major strong point and that is in major part to the actors and in partial part to the writing. The overall story is the major hindrance here and it is a shame because you have such Cool villains but they're plot is lame and ends in lackluster fashion. Daredevil and Elektra have the only epic ending and everybody else just kinda walks away like nothing happened. The editing, and cinematography are also pretty good and don't have any obvious holes. This show is a really good merger and a successful crossover, but never really meets its potential.… Expand
  5. 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.
  6. Dsros96
    Oct 30, 2018
    9
    This show was amazing. Every character shines in this crossover. Only flaw is that Iron Fist/ Danny Rand gets portrayed worst than he was on Iron Fist.
  7. Adelthorne
    Oct 16, 2018
    10
    Thanks to this show, I decided to see Jessica Jones also. IF and LC was not worth the time to watch though. But they do fit in to this group. Thanks to Daredevil and JJ. I cant wait until a season 2 is coming. And I hope it not be cancelled because of IF cancelling.
  8. ukrScorpion
    Aug 17, 2018
    7
    I big fan daredevil series
    I love Luke cage and iron fist
    Awesome Punisher and good jessica jones
    But Defenders soooo boring and sooooo slow 1-5 series
    Buut 6-8 series is good
  9. 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
  10. MarvelJoe
    Mar 13, 2018
    8
    It's a good show and I understand the story but the show does has some flaws. Iron Fist character and how slow the story is and how I not expected. I did feel a little disappointed but fight scenes were good and Iron Fist does get better in this show but by better I mean "his fast pacing fighting" and yes he's still a thundering dumbass and hot tempered like in the Iron Fist show which toIt's a good show and I understand the story but the show does has some flaws. Iron Fist character and how slow the story is and how I not expected. I did feel a little disappointed but fight scenes were good and Iron Fist does get better in this show but by better I mean "his fast pacing fighting" and yes he's still a thundering dumbass and hot tempered like in the Iron Fist show which to me doesn't describe his character. At the end, it was kinda unwatchable after watching it. To me, it's a solid 80 good but unforgettable.… Expand
  11. 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.
  12. 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
  13. 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.
  14. gtwist
    Nov 26, 2017
    8
    Marvel's The Defenders was an extremely entertaining mash-up of all of Netflix's characters that we love. Everyone is in there prime, and the action was awesome! Sigourney Weavers performance was very strong, but her character was lacking. Still a great season, and makes up for Iron Fist's first season.
  15. 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
  16. Notachild
    Nov 22, 2017
    7
    A somewhat good TV show that brings a compelling story but lacks in delivery and scen to scen writing. You could not be super stoked about this show if you watched all of it. About 40% of the show is quite boring and the production quality feels somewhat homemade.
  17. 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
  18. Hype2x
    Nov 3, 2017
    2
    It's so disappointing. Netflix has sadly stepped down from its early Marvel shows quality wise.
    Daredevil Season 1 was masterpiece, its Season 2 was really Good. Jessica jones was Great. Luke Cage was okay. But since Iron Fist, Marvel-Netflix has stepped down.
    It's not garbage level of Iron Fist, but it's still disappointing for the Team-up of Netflix that started greatly with Daredevil    It's so disappointing. Netflix has sadly stepped down from its early Marvel shows quality wise.
    Daredevil Season 1 was masterpiece, its Season 2 was really Good. Jessica jones was Great. Luke Cage was okay. But since Iron Fist, Marvel-Netflix has stepped down.
    It's not garbage level of Iron Fist, but it's still disappointing for the Team-up of Netflix that started greatly with Daredevil until now.
    Team Dynamic is good, Danny's character has been upgraded. Daredevil still shines. However the villain issue still continues, which means the Female Villain wasn't on pars with the Hype. Hand were awful.

    Overall, a Disappointment for Netflix/Marvel. I hope The Punisher be great, because it seems like it's going back to Season 1 of Daredevil days.    … Expand
  19. CineAutoctono
    Oct 7, 2017
    7
    "Marvel's The Defenders" was a simple and daring series, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, protagonists of this new series that since the first chapter has been good, after they joined everyone was improving, history and characters were very good, this new series of Netflix-Marvel brought us more surprises.
  20. 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.
  21. Spydar71
    Sep 15, 2017
    8
    I liked this story a lot. Great ending. I liked how they pulled the four stories together and closed off some story lines and opened up new ones to come. Glad to see Misty finally lost her arm, which means the Misty Knight we love is soon to appear. Can't wait. Personally I think Iron Fist should become more of a supporting role and be replaced by the Daughters of the Dragon instead.I liked this story a lot. Great ending. I liked how they pulled the four stories together and closed off some story lines and opened up new ones to come. Glad to see Misty finally lost her arm, which means the Misty Knight we love is soon to appear. Can't wait. Personally I think Iron Fist should become more of a supporting role and be replaced by the Daughters of the Dragon instead. Both of those women are great actors and deserving of their own story line, still within the realm of The Defenders. Wouldn't shake anything up to bad, just hurt Finn's ego some.… Expand
  22. 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
  23. alejandro970
    Sep 10, 2017
    8
    One of most recent bets of Marvel/Netflix; a sort of Avengers integrated for working class heroes: Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones in a dysfunctional team. The action sequences and the plot makes enough for make it worth.
  24. TheQuietGamer
    Sep 4, 2017
    7
    The long-awaited culmination of Netflix's four show slice of the MCU is finally here. While it's great to see these heroes finally unite after a combination of five seasons worth of build up, it's going to be no secret some mistakes were made along the way. While this is still guaranteed to entertain anyone who has been keeping up to this point, one can't help but wonder if theseThe long-awaited culmination of Netflix's four show slice of the MCU is finally here. While it's great to see these heroes finally unite after a combination of five seasons worth of build up, it's going to be no secret some mistakes were made along the way. While this is still guaranteed to entertain anyone who has been keeping up to this point, one can't help but wonder if these characters should have come together to face a threat that's a little more interesting and left a lot of their excess baggage at home in their own shows.

    Where the series really succeeds is in it's depiction of the characters. Danny Rand is so much more enjoyable here than he was in Iron Fist. Finn Jones gives a much better performance and while Danny still has those moments of spoiled entitlement, the fact that he has to share the spotlight with others makes him so much less grating. Jessica Jones is also notably improved here. Krysten Ritter feels like a better fit for the character than she did before. Something that may also be due to the shorter running time and work alongside other leads. Much Finn Jones a lot of her inadequacies aren't so pronounced. Colter and Cox are just as fantastic as ever. Everyone has remarkable chemistry and it's a blast to watch them interact. Jones and Colter are so great together I honestly wouldn't mind seeing a Luke Cage and Iron Fist spin-off. Cox and Ritter are also great, seemingly allowing their characters to find a real friendship. I also wouldn't mind seeing those two team up again. Of course Colt and Ritter are just as perfect together as they were back in JJ. When are their characters getting back together already?

    The action has also taken a huge step forward. This is an area where Daredevil and to a lesser extent Luke Cage haven't really struggled the way the other two series have. It's nice to see Jessica Jones throw some punches and actually use that super strength of hers for more than just awkwardly flipping people. Danny Rand now actually feels believable as a master of martial arts. The choreography remains great throughout, even if it's a little more sloppy in the last few episodes. It's also weird to see Luke Cage take such a beating. They totally nerfed him.

    Where The Defenders fails to learn from it's predecessors is in it's writing and storytelling. The fact that this is a mini-series and only consists of 8-episodes means that something is always happening. Unfortunately, weak villains and a bland plot mean that it isn't always interesting. While giving an excellent performance, Sigourney Weaver and the rest of the leaders of "The Hand" hardly feel threatening or compelling. While far from new territory for DD and Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones feel rather out of place in a story involving so much mysticism. Things are fine at first. We get treated to a lot of great character moments as we catch up on what these heroes have been through between season of their individual shows, and watching them come together to fight a mysterious menace is initially very compelling. However, as the mini-series rushes towards it's conclusion things start to fall apart. Things get ridiculous to the point of being outright dumb at times, and we realize just how lame the threat to New York actually is. It also feels like the writers tried way too hard to shoehorn in the side-characters from each series, adding to that somewhat bloated feeling.

    The Defenders series does seem to have learned somethings from it's predecessors, but at the same time keeps a lot of their flaws. As a result this isn't going to bring the same level of satisfaction that first Avengers movie did back in 2012. Yet, enough of each series individual strengths come together to ensure that there is still a good time to be had. If you've enjoyed yourself up to this point, you aren't likely to stop now.

    7.9/10    … Expand
  25. HJRodrigo
    Sep 4, 2017
    0
    Show started too slow and had little payoff. It seems that Netflix is regressing to the crappy era of superhero movies that was ashamed of the source material and had the characters/settings be more "realistic". These characters are supposed to be larger than life. That is one of the reasons kids liked to read the comics, because it was an escape from reality. The Netflix Marvel stuff isShow started too slow and had little payoff. It seems that Netflix is regressing to the crappy era of superhero movies that was ashamed of the source material and had the characters/settings be more "realistic". These characters are supposed to be larger than life. That is one of the reasons kids liked to read the comics, because it was an escape from reality. The Netflix Marvel stuff is currently getting fairly boring and lame. I hope that Daredevil does not continue in this awful direction.… Expand
  26. 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
  27. AthanasiosT
    Sep 3, 2017
    9
    Combines the best parts of the four heroes' stories, stays dark and violent with good directing and photography. Maybe focused a little too much on the fighting part and a little too less on the characters, but still one very good show.
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. AllanBarbosa
    Aug 29, 2017
    7
    The first 3 episodes remember very much Daredevil what is a great point, but after the third, the show transforms into a "PUNCHEST Show" without a good connection and a script, A "Tamed" Daredevil, "Badass" JJ, "Bulletproof" Luke Cage and a "A shallower who has become a better character" Iron Fist, turned "Marvel's The Defenders" imperfect and running. Although, the comedy, action and theThe first 3 episodes remember very much Daredevil what is a great point, but after the third, the show transforms into a "PUNCHEST Show" without a good connection and a script, A "Tamed" Daredevil, "Badass" JJ, "Bulletproof" Luke Cage and a "A shallower who has become a better character" Iron Fist, turned "Marvel's The Defenders" imperfect and running. Although, the comedy, action and the entire group scenes, are very good, but does not reach the feet of all other Marvel-Netflix series excluding "Marvel's Iron Fist".… Expand
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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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
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