“Daredevil” and Marvel's adult series change platforms

2021 was a stunningly brilliant year for the Marvel series premiered on Disney+: WandaVision , The Falcon and the Winter Soldier , Loki , What If...? and Hawkeye marked an unprecedented artistic quality and ambition at the level of the series. Never have you seen such a solid quintet released in the same cycle. But although Disney had the happiness of closing a perfect year, there was something pending: the Marvel series that were on Netflix. Some of which were and have enormous popularity.

Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Luke Cage , Iron Fist , The Punisher and The Defenders were released between April 2015 and January 2019. Although not all of them achieved the same quality or success, together they add a weight that makes them an indispensable piece of the Marvel world.

Yes, they are series for a more adult audience, with content that is very different from what is usually seen in today's Marvel. Could they, despite the differences, eventually be integrated into the Disney+ platform?

The answer appeared in a very concrete way in Spider-Man without returning home, where Matt Murdock/Daredevil appeared in his role as a lawyer, although he was also seen as a superhero. It was not the first clue, but it was the most important one. Fans noticed: Daredevil and the other adult Marvel series were going to join Disney. In total, there are six titles that stopped being on Netflix on March 1.

Daredevil, three seasons, released in 2015. It got instant approval and brought out the bitter taste of the 2003 version from fans. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is a lawyer from New York who has gone blind but has developed his four remaining senses. Everything was fine in this series where the villain Wilson Fisk/Kingpin was masterfully played by Vincent D'Onofrio. The success of this title opened the door for everyone else.

Jessica Jones, three seasons, released in late 2015. Krysten Ritter plays Jones in this series about a traumatized superhero who opens her own detective agency. It is a different tone from Daredevil because of the main role and her status as a researcher. Although it is still the same universe, certain elements of realism make it look very different.

Luke Cage, two seasons, released in 2016. Mike Colter is the protagonist of this story about a superhero who is in turn a fugitive from the law. He takes refuge in his neighborhood, Harlem, and after resolving some conflicts of his own, he ends up becoming a hero of the place. He is a Marvel character focused on the world of the African American community, which also marks his aesthetics and tone.

Every group of series has its own setback and Iron Fist is the least loved series of the group. Two seasons she had, however, but with a rejection of specialists who described her directly as bad. Here the protagonist is a powerful businessman who has returned after many years to recover his company. Martial arts and magic play a big role in this series starring Finn Jones.

The Punisher premiered in 2017 and had two seasons. Jon Bernthal plays Frank Castle/Punisher, a former military man determined to avenge his family's death at any cost. This is the most violent series in the whole ensemble, because it is a story of an avenger, not a superhero. The plot is well known because it was taken to the cinema three times previously.

The Defenders, a miniseries that is a crossover of the characters from the previous series, except for The Punisher. Here the heroes must unite to fight a common enemy: The Hand. The great villain in the story is played by Sigourney Weaver.

This story consolidated the idea of a common universe, beyond the crossed apparitions that appear in each of the series. The six series make up a whole.

Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher, and The Defenders have arrived at Disney+ in the United States and other countries and will land worldwide during the course of 2022. The strongest figurine in the team, Daredevil, will have, apparently, a reboot, keeping its lead actor. The rich universe of Marvel series looks like it will finally be united on a single platform. It will be interesting to compare two ways of understanding superheroes belonging to the same company.

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