Daredevil: Born Again (Season 2) + The Punisher: One Last Kill

 

From ChatGTP: Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again picks up about six months after the end of season 1, with Matt Murdock operating as a fugitive vigilante while Wilson Fisk tightens his grip on New York as mayor. Fisk expands his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF), effectively turning the city into a police state where masked heroes are hunted.

Matt teams up with Karen Page, journalist BB Urich, and a growing underground resistance to expose Fisk’s corruption. At the same time, Fisk gains support from powerful political figures, including the mysterious government operative Mr. Charles, who hints that Fisk’s influence may spread beyond New York. 

Because of the AVTF, Matt has been in hiding ever since saving Fisk from Bullseye in season 1. In season 2, Karen is placed on trial, accused of aiding vigilantes. Matt comes out of hiding to represent Karen as his lawyer. As the trial proceeds, he reveals himself as being Daredevil to undermine Fisk and save Karen, effectively ending any separation from his personal life and Daredevil. 

The trial against Karen Page turns against Fisk, as state authorities come after him, forcing him out of office and into exile. However, Matt's admission that he is Daredevil has its own consequences, as he is arrested for his actions while he is Daredevil. 

The biggest item to come out of this season is the return of Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones. I enjoyed the Jessica Jones series and her character, so her return was exciting. Additionally, it is revealed that Jessica has had a child since we've seen her last and the father is Luke Cage, setting up a possible reunion of the Defenders!

The Punisher: One Last Kill is a standalone episode of another one of my favorite Marvel characters. It's interesting because on the surface, The Punisher is a character that I wouldn't be interested in. But he is so emotionally complex, and Jon Bernthal plays him so well, that he has become a character that I really like. From ChatGTP:

After the events of Daredevil: Born Again, Frank is isolated, traumatized, and trying to abandon the Punisher identity entirely. He locks away his weapons and appears close to suicide, haunted by visions and memories of his dead family.

The story begins when crime boss Ma Gnucci places a bounty on Frank’s head to avenge the destruction of her family. Criminals flood Frank’s neighborhood looking to kill him, turning his apartment block and surrounding streets into a war zone. Frank initially wants nothing to do with the violence. Once the attacks escalate, Frank fully becomes the Punisher again.

Bernthal is fantastic as always as The Punisher. This is the most violent Marvel show I've seen, and at times the violence is a little bit much for me, however.

Spider-Man 2

 

Spider-Man 2 became available on Playstation Plus and I almost immediately started playing the game. I really enjoyed Spider-Man the original game, as well as Miles Morales. The gameplay is nearly identical in this game as the previous two games. The biggest two differences is that you can switch between Miles and Peter, and the map of New York in this game seems quite a bit larger than prior games. The larger map is appreciated, though sometimes you do spend quite a bit of time going from point A to point B. With that being said, it is quite a bit of fun slinging your way around Manhattan. My only complaint with these games is that the action can feature quite a bit of button mashing. Oftentimes, you are facing multiple (20+) enemies at a time, usually alone (though sometimes the other Spider-Man comes to help out), requiring you to use all of your Spider-Man skills to survive, which requires a lot of button mashing. Because of this, I wasn't sad to periodically give up Spider-Man's skills to do a stage as MJ or even as Peter instead of Spider-Man. It was always a nice break from the button mashing, but ultimately this is a Spider-Man game, and I was always happy to return to Peter Parker or Miles.

The plot of the game was good enough. It was a little helter-skelter, and a bit psychedelic at times, but overall it was a good story. The game starts with you facing Sandman, but quickly shifts focus to Kraven the Hunter, who is in town to collect superheroes for experimentation. The focus quickly shifts to Venom, however, who first infects Harry Osborn. Later it infects Peter, and then Harry again. Harry as Venom becomes the final boss, and saving Harry from Venom becomes the final task. Harry-Venom causes a ton of chaos and damage to the city along the way. I'm not a very big fan of the character Venom, and would've been just as happy sticking with Kraven the Hunter as the main villain throughout the game, but maybe that's just me?

Beyond the button mashing, with the plot of the game being decent, the rest of this game is top notch. This is one of the best-looking games I've seen on the PS5. The audio and voice acting/dialogue is really good. At several points throughout the game I found myself chuckling at something that was said by one of the characters. I also want to applaud the duration of the game. I finished the main story in 10-15 hours. I did a couple of the side quests, but there were several more that I could have done had I decided to. But I was happy with the duration of the main story of this game, going to show that you don't have to have a 40+ hour main quest to justify a good game.

Daredevil: Born Again (Season 1)

 

Charlie Cox's Daredevil character is my favorite Marvel Defenders character and show. The original Netflix series has been one of my favorite Marvel series or movies in the entire MCU, actually. With that being said, I was super excited when Daredevil: Born Again was announced, complete with the entire cast of main characters, including Cox's Matt Murdock, Foggy, Karen, and Kingpin. The show got good reviews, and I've been looking forward to watching it since it was released about 6 months ago.

The season starts with Matt's friend and co-working lawyer Foggy being shot and killed by season 3 villain Bullseye. Fast forward one year, and Karen has left New York for San Francisco and Matt, devastated that he couldn't protect his friends, has left Daredevil behind. Meanwhile, longtime Daredevil nemesis Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, is elected mayor of NYC. Similar to how Matt has left Daredevil behind, Wilson is trying to leave Kingpin behind. Or at least he says he is trying. As predicted, things don't stay calm in NYC for long, as crime becomes rampant and Wilson vows to control the vigilantes. Wilson becomes increasingly unstable with his power as mayor, even introducing his own police force to deal with vigilantes, a force that doesn't necessarily have to play by the rules. Things boil over when Matt's client, who happens to be the masked vigilante the White Tiger, is killed by the police.

Overall, I enjoyed season 1 of Born Again. Anytime Charlie Cox or Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) are on the screen, they demand your attention. They are both very good at playing their respective characters. I will admit, Fisk's rise to political power as a known criminal and his willingness to push the boundaries of his power and the police force hit a little too close to home for me in today's political climate. Fisk does become mayor in the comics, but I do not know if his actions are similar there, or if his character for the show was written to reflect the parlance of our times. Additionally, there were a few episodes in a row earlier in the season where Daredevil doesn't make an appearance at all. This was a bit of a disappointment, given that he is the main star of the show. All of this is done to set up a complex situation where Daredevil comes out of retirement to protect Hell's Kitchen and NYC again. I anticipate season 2 will be a bit more faster paced and avoid this issue. Muse is a villain that appears this season, but he and Fisk villain Adam are both under developed and not that interesting, honestly. This show is about Kingpin and Daredevil, and that is a good thing, given how good those characters and actors are. There were a couple of scenes featuring The Punisher as well, which I liked. When the season ended, the Punisher was locked in a cage but was in the process of escaping. The season overall was quite enjoyable, despite Daredevil missing in a couple of episodes. I anticipate season 2 will be even better, and thus am looking forward to it when it releases next spring. 

Jessica Jones (Season 3)

 

I've finished season 3 of Jessica Jones, and with that I have watched all of the Netflix-era Marvel Defenders series shows, minus season 2 of Iron Fist, which I skipped on purpose. The only show left to watch is 2025's Daredevil: Born Again. Jessica Jones is on my podium of favorite Defenders characters in third place, so I was looking forward to this season. While we're discussing the podium, surprisingly The Punisher is number 2, and Matt Murdock's Daredevil is number 1. 

Season 3 starts where season 2 left off. Jessica is still mad at her friend/adoptive sister Trish for shooting her mom and going through with the experimental surgery to become superhuman. The very end of season 2 eluded to the fact that the surgery was successful, with her dropping then "catching" her phone with her foot. Adept comic readers probably figured this out long ago, but in season 3, because of the surgery, Trish is transformed into Hellcat. I was completely aloof, and didn't see this coming at all until the end of season 2 after Trish had the surgery.

Trish turning into Hellcat sets the stage for season 3. As mentioned, Jessica is still mad at Trish from the events of season 2. Jessica is attacked by a psychopath killer named Gregory Sallinger, who targets people with abilities and powers, believing them to be "unworthy" of their abilities. Jessica uses her private investigation skills to try to imprison Sallinger. This proves difficult, and the newly aggressive Trish Walker as Hellcat seeks quicker justice. This reaches a tipping point when Sallinger kills Trish's mom, and Hellcat attacks and kills Sallinger. Jessica is compelled to do the "right" thing, and turns Trish in to the authorities. In the final scene, we see Trish being taken to the Raft with Jessica watching in the background.

This season was fine, but I prefer the dynamic we got in season 1 with these characters. As the season progressed, it became a bit unclear who the actual enemy was - Sallinger or Trish. I don't particularly like Trish as a villain as I don't think she's a bad person by nature. Sallinger is a terrible person, and a good villain for a psychological thriller, but a bit of an odd choice for a comic book villain. Also, his identify was revealed very early, and since Jessica is a private eye, it would have been nice for his identity to have been a bit more of a mystery. This season also suffered a bit from the same problem that I had with Luke Cage season 2. With Hellcat being the more aggressive character going after Sallinger, and then subsequently becoming the villain and going to jail, you could almost remove Jessica completely from this season and it would have turned out mostly the same. 

Jessica Jones as a character is a good one. Her alcohol loving, don't give a shit attitude is always entertaining. Each subsequent season of all of the Netflix-era Defenders shows got a bit worse (with the exception of Daredevil), but this doesn't mean they were bad. They just weren't as good as their initial seasons. Jessica Jones has been announced to appear in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, and I am excited to see her appearance in that show next year.

The Punisher (Season 2)

 

On the surface, The Punisher is a character, and thus show, that I wouldn't be overly interested in. From a superhero perspective, he doesn't have any special powers, per se. He's a violent, and oftentimes murdering vigilante, and in general this character type doesn't appeal to me. However, this show is so well done that he has become one of my favorite Defenders characters. Most of the shows in Netflix's Defenders seasons had better debut seasons when compared to their second season, and this is the case with The Punisher as well. Season 2 just wasn't quite as good as season 1. With that being said, however, it was pretty decent, and better than Luke Cage season 2. 

Season 2 starts with The Punisher trying to separate himself from the events of season 1. He's on a little road trip, but quickly finds himself involved in a violent scene in a bar, where he saves a young woman from a group of attackers. He had become friendly with the bartender, who was killed in the attack. This series of events leads to one of the main plots of the season. From ChatGTP:

1. Frank Castle and Amy Bendix

• Frank meets a teenage girl named Amy Bendix, who’s on the run after witnessing a murder tied to a covert operation.

• Amy is being hunted by professional killers, so Frank takes her under his protection.

• Their relationship grows into a surrogate father-daughter bond, grounding Frank emotionally.

3. John Pilgrim and the Schultz Family

• John Pilgrim, a violent ex–white supremacist turned religious enforcer, is sent by the wealthy Schultz family to silence Amy and protect their political ambitions.

• Pilgrim is torn between his brutal missions and his desire to protect his sick wife and children.

• His path eventually collides violently with Frank’s.

This part of the plot is the more interesting story. Unfortunately, it often takes a back seat to the other main plot, which is a continuation of Frank & Billy Russo's story from season 1. Billy, having his face destroyed by Frank, is now known as "Jigsaw", although I don't remember anyone actually calling him that in the show. Again, from ChatGTP:

2. Billy Russo’s Return as Jigsaw

• After surviving Frank’s brutal attack in season 1, Billy Russo suffers brain damage and memory loss.

• He forms a group of disaffected veterans, while struggling with rage, trauma, and his fractured identity.

• Russo becomes increasingly unstable, plotting revenge on Frank and those he blames for his downfall.

Frank & Billy's story works well in season 1, because it expands on the Punisher's background, first discussed in Daredevil season 2, and explains the background reason behind Frank's family being murdered, and how Frank became the Punisher. Their story is less interesting in season 2 because now that we have had the history explained to us in season 1, all that is left is for them to kill each other. Billy as Jigsaw is unstable at best, and is generally just a crazy character at this point and not all that interesting. He also forms this relationship with his psychiatrist that got a decent amount of screen time and I didn't find it all that believable. 

Frank's story with Amy & John Pilgrim was more intriguing, but unfortunately there were entire episodes where Amy wasn't even in the show. Eventually you learn that John is working with the Schultz family, but they get very little screen time. They are evil people, and when Frank finally kills them, it is somewhat satisfying, but I think it would have been more satisfying if they were featured more and Billy less.

At the end of the day, The Punisher was one of the better Netflix Defenders series shows. While it did suffer from season 2 letdown and seasons that were probably 2 episodes too long, Frank Castle turned out to be a much more complicated character than the psycho killer he's portrayed as (though he is that as well). Jon Bernthal does an excellent job portraying Frank, and his acting adds a lot of depth to the character. For season 2, I just wish there was a little less Billy and a little more John Pilgrim.

Luke Cage (Season 2)

 

Season two of Luke Cage picks up where season 1 ends. With Cottonmouth dead, Mariah Stokes (Dillard) is now fully in charge of the Stokes family business - selling guns. However, a person from Mariah's past shows up, fully ready to take on Mariah and rule Harlem. His name is Bushmaster, and he's all hyped up on Nightshade. From ChatGPT:

After clearing his name, Luke Cage has become a hero in Harlem, admired by the community but also pressured by the fame and expectations that come with it. While Luke tries to balance his public image and personal life, new and old enemies rise to challenge him.

• Mariah Dillard fully embraces her role as Harlem’s power broker, seeking to build a criminal empire with her partner Shades, but her brutal methods and family secrets start to unravel her influence.

• Bushmaster, a new villain with enhanced strength and a personal vendetta against Mariah’s family, emerges. He wages war on Harlem, forcing Luke into the middle of a violent conflict.

• Luke’s strained relationships with Claire Temple and his father add emotional weight as he wrestles with what it means to be Harlem’s protector.

• Misty Knight, recovering from the loss of her arm in The Defenders, rebuilds her career and identity with the help of a bionic prosthetic from Danny Rand (Iron Fist).

By the end, Harlem’s balance of power shifts dramatically:

• Mariah dies in prison, leaving Harlem’s Paradise to Luke.

• To protect Harlem, Luke reluctantly steps into the role of “the new King of Harlem,” blurring the line between hero and crime boss, and raising questions about his future.

Season 2 of Luke Cage is a decent gangster show, but is not a great superhero show. Initially it is a little unclear who the main villain of season 2 actually is, but as the season progresses it becomes clear that it is Mariah. Bushmaster is the new character, and he is not a great guy, but has legitimate reasons to be angry at Mariah and her family. I think Mariah not being a superhero herself as the main villain, and Luke being too nice of a guy, becomes an issue as the season progresses. Luke fights with Bushmaster a couple of times, but despite having opportunities to kill Mariah (or at least not help her in the fire), he doesn't harm her. I remember one scene where he and Misty are looking for Mariah, and she's at Harlem's Paradise (her club, which is basically where she's always located) the entire time. She never hides. Misty's actions as cop, then former cop, then cop again, as well as Luke's involvement with law enforcement are problematic as well, but that's a rabbit hole I won't go down here. Likewise, I don't know how much I enjoyed the Luke as a celebrity aspect of the show either.

Probably the best part of season two was the relationship between Mariah and Shades. Shades (played by Theo Rossi) is an exceptional character, and the dynamic between the two characters always grabbed your attention while they were on screen. 

Going back to the comment about season 2 being a decent gangster show but not a good superhero show, the reason why I said that was because I feel like Luke could have been removed from the story and it would have played out exactly the same. In the end, Mariah's daughter kills Mariah, not Bushmaster or Luke. Luke doesn't even eradicate Bushmaster from Harlem - he just leaves on his own. Luke had multiple opportunities to get rid of Mariah, but instead he bounces back and forth from wanting her dead to protecting her. Potentially Bushmaster would have succeeded in replacing Mariah as the king/queen of Harlem had Luke not interfered, but generally Luke could have been absent and the story would have been the same. This is a major problem since the show is supposed to be about Luke Cage. 

In the end, I suppose Luke succeeds and ascends to the throne as king of Harlem. But it's almost like he just falls into this position, as opposed to earning it through his superhero powers. I like Luke Cage, the character, but all of these reasons are why The Punisher has been the better show. On the surface, The Punisher is a character (and show) that I wouldn't be interested in at all. But one thing is for sure: You can't take that guy out of the show and have the same outcome.

Jessica Jones (Season 2)

 

I really like Jessica Jones the character, and I really enjoyed the fist season of this show. The second season was a bit of a tough pill to swallow, however. The season starts with Jessica struggling, both mentally and with alcohol, following the events with Kilgrave. This is completely understandable, as Kilgrave is possibly the most terrifying Marvel villain I've encountered. As Jessica deals with her own demons, she discovers that others with powers are dying, which leads her to research and investigate IGH, the company responsible for giving her powers. She discovers that someone with powers is targeting others with powers and killing them. For the first several episodes we have no idea who this person is, only getting brief glimpses of them here and there. This mystery surrounding who the main villain is for season 2 lasted an episode or two too long, to the point where it became a bit frustrating. We eventually find out that it is Jessica's mother, who survived the crash that supposedly killed Jessica's entire family after receiving treatments from an IGH doctor. Jessica is obviously pissed, but instead of killing her despite having numerous changes, she drags her feet and by the end of the season ends up trying to protect her until her friend Trish Walker ends up shooting her. Ouch.

Speaking of Trish, the side characters step up big time in season 2. Trish becomes addicted to officer Simpson's (from season 1) adrenaline drug. At first she is using it to help investigate who the villain is, but eventually this turns into her wanting to get her own powers, and goes as far as consulting the IGH doctor to perform the same procedure on her as he did on Jessica and her mother. Once again, Jessica is pissed. 

Malcom is promoted at Alias Investigations, only to be alienated by Jessica. He then tries working with Trish before she turns on him. Jeri Hogarth, the lawyer who is in multiple Defenders series shows, is diagnosed with ALS and also shows interest in working with IGH to possibly heal her ALS. In the end, she is conned by both her former colleagues at the law firm and the former IGH employees who end up robbing her. Hogarth, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, is a great side character. Generally I like Trish, Malcolm, and Jessica, so it is tough to watch all of them struggle so much.

I'm sure you could do a much more in-depth discussion on how the second season highlights complex female friendships, mother-daughter relationships, rivalry, etc. The characters are written and acted very well, and these concepts are likely explored well here. I felt like the plot pace was a bit slow in terms of revealing the main villain, and once she was revealed she just wasn't as intriguing of a character as Kilgrave, though it was nice to see David Tennant's character make a brief appearance this season. I also really like all of these characters, so seeing them struggle and bicker so much was just sad, honestly. At the end of the second season, everything was looking as if it was improving for them, albeit individually. They were still pissed at each other. Here's to some reconciliation and forgiveness for season 3.

The Punisher (Season 1)

 

On the surface, the Punisher wouldn't be a show or character that I would like. The thought of an ex-military guy going vigilante in order to seek revenge for his family's death doesn't exactly appeal to me. Prior to season 2 of Daredevil, I knew nothing about the Punisher beyond knowing that he existed. As he wreaked havoc on Hell's Kitchen, he crossed paths with Daredevil and thus I was introduced to his character. Season 1 dives deeper into the Punisher's past, explaining the motives behind why his family was murdered. In the process, we experience a complicated plot that is told with fantastic writing and acting. As summarized by ChatGPT:

Overview:

The Punisher Season 1 follows Frank Castle, a former Marine who becomes a vigilante known as "The Punisher" after the brutal murder of his family. While the public believes he's dead, Frank is living in hiding, working under an alias and trying to leave his violent past behind. But he’s pulled back into a world of conspiracy and violence when he uncovers a larger plot tied to his family's death.

Main Plot Points:

• Frank Castle's (Jon Bernthal) Past: After avenging his family at the end of Daredevil Season 2, Frank is presumed dead. He now lives a quiet life under the name "Pete Castiglione." However, he’s still haunted by memories of his family and war trauma.

• The Conspiracy: Frank learns that his family's deaths were not random but linked to a covert military operation he was part of in Afghanistan, involving illegal activities like heroin trafficking and assassination missions, led by high-ranking officials.

• Micro (David Lieberman) (Ebon Moss-Bachrach): A former NSA analyst who faked his own death after discovering evidence of government corruption. He contacts Frank, and the two form an uneasy alliance to expose the truth.

• Billy Russo (Ben Barnes): Frank’s former best friend from the military and CEO of a private military company (Anvil). He is later revealed to be deeply involved in the conspiracy and a key antagonist. Russo betrays Frank and plays a major role in the events leading to Frank's family's murder.

• Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah): A Homeland Security agent investigating the same conspiracy. Her path crosses with Frank’s multiple times, and she becomes both an ally and a moral contrast to his violent methods.

• Curtis Hoyle: A support group leader and former Marine buddy of Frank's. He serves as Frank’s emotional anchor and conscience.

Final Episodes:

• Frank exposes the conspiracy, leading to the downfall of the corrupt CIA agent Rawlins (Agent Orange) and the betrayal by Russo being fully revealed.

• In a brutal confrontation, Frank defeats Russo but chooses not to kill him. Instead, he smashes his face into a mirror, leaving him disfigured—setting the stage for Russo’s transformation into Jigsaw in Season 2.

• The season ends with Frank finally being free from his past, but unsure of his place in the world.

On the surface, the Punisher feels like a murdering psychopath. However, in this season we learn that he is, in fact, a deeply complicated character. While he does murder plenty of people, they are typically evil themselves, with deep and twisted links to Frank's past. Again, the story is complicated but very well written as well as acted. All of the main actors are excellent. All of these aspects result in a character and show that I actually liked quite a bit. It's the classic "Don't judge a book by the cover." scenario. I actually think this season was one of the best Marvel TV show seasons. 

The Defenders

 

After finishing the Netflix Daredevil series, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to watch all of the Netflix Marvel Defenders series. Most of the shows got good reviews on IMDB, and featured Marvel characters that I was not familiar with. After finishing all 3 seasons of Daredevil, I stumbled upon a website with a suggested viewing order of the shows and began to follow that recommendation. That's why on the site you see that I'm jumping from show to show instead of watching all of the seasons of a single show at once. The interesting thing about the Defenders shows is that they are mostly independent of each other, but there are small Easter eggs about the other shows here and there, and plot points and characters from other shows are occasionally mentioned, so it's good to have background knowledge of the entire Defenders realm.

I'm glad I decided to watch these shows in a suggested order so that the plots of each individual show makes more sense. The Defenders is a show that features all of the Defenders characters, and I was tempted to watch it first to get an introduction to the characters. This wouldn't have worked out as there is no introduction to the characters or the setting in this show. It picks up right in the middle of the action, expecting that you know what is going on and the back stories to the characters. I suppose this is OK, as you don't necessarily want to re-tell the stories from all of the individual shows. But if you were to pick this show up and watch it by itself it wouldn't make any sense to the viewer.

With that being said, let me give a little background to the characters before diving into the show. The Defenders are made up of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand (Iron Fist). The characters have already been introduced in their individual shows, and their back stories have been told as well. The interesting thing about the Defenders is that unlike their more famous and glitzy colleagues (Iron Man, Spider Man, etc.), the Defenders characters are all about protecting the streets and neighborhoods where they live. They typically work independently and by themselves, and have a more gritty and subtle appearance. (There was a fantastic example of this in the show, where the Defenders are forced to ride the subway to get where they were going [see below]. No fancy jets here!) The one exception to this is Danny Rand/Iron Fist, who comes from K'un-Lun specifically to destroy the Hand. In this show, the Defenders join forces to battle against the Hand.

We were first introduced to the Hand and Elektra Natchios in Daredevil season 2. They are a powerful organization, a group of ninjas who seemingly have their "hand" in everything, with the goal of gaining immortality. They are from K'un-Lun, and Danny Rand, who was trained in K'un-Lun as the Iron Fist, returns to New York City to destroy the Hand. This show picks up right after season 1 of Iron Fist. Realizing that he can't fight them alone and win, he joins with the other Defenders to go up against the Hand and protect the city.

All of this makes sense on paper (and if you've seen the first season of each individual Defenders character's show) and should make for a great show. The trouble is that the plot of this show is a convoluted mess. The main issue is with the motivation of the Hand. At the end of season 2 of Daredevil, Elektra. We learn in season 1 of Iron Fist that the Hand has the ability to resurrect people and grant them immortality. In the Defenders, the Hand resurrects Elektra, believing that she is the Black Sky. In doing so, however, they use all of their special substance needed to grant immortality. They need to return to K'un-Lun in order to get more, and in order to return to K'un-Lun, they need Danny Rand's Iron Fist. Meanwhile, Elektra decides she doesn't want to work for the Hand and kills their leader. The Defenders go to the headquarters of the Hand, a skyscraper in New York, and have a dark and not well visualized fight. They go to the basement of the building, where the gate to K'un-Lun is located. Despite very obviously stating that the gate will only open if Danny hits it with the Iron Fist, he proceeds to hit it with the Iron Fist. The gate appears to lead to a dungeon under New York where a dragon skeleton is located, not K'un-Lun. The importance of this is a bit confusing, and it may not even matter at this point because Elektra is no longer working for the Hand. Additionally, instead of the Defenders using their superhero skills and super strength to defeat the members of the Hand, they decide to use explosives to blow up the building, despite the fact that the building is essentially empty and thus doing so accomplishes nothing. To add fuel to this dumpster fire, no one is charged for a crime despite very obviously blowing up a building. There are individual scenes and moments in this show that are pretty decent, but the show as a whole is not that great because of the messy plot. At any rate, I'm on to the next Defenders show which is The Punisher season 1.

Iron Fist (Season 1)

 

Continuing my watch party of the Marvel Defenders series in chronological order, Iron Fist was next in line. Much like the other characters in the Defenders series, with the exception of Daredevil, I was unfamiliar with Iron Fist. In summary, Danny Rand went to the lost city of K'un-L'un to study martial arts. During his training he was anointed as the Iron Fist in order to defeat the Hand. During his time training, people though he had died in a plane crash, so of course when he returns to New York City, everyone is surprised to see him. His family ran a mega corporation, and when they actually died in the plane crash, his father's business partner Harold Meachum initially took over the company. However, he died of cancer and now his kids Ward and Joy run the company. The twist is that Harold made a deal with the Hand to spare his life in order for the Hand to infiltrate their company. Danny figures this out and everyone thinks he is crazy at first. The company, and the Meachum family, are torn apart. Over time, people learn that Harold is still alive and is evil because of his deal with the Hand, and Danny is able to defeat the Hand with his Iron Fist power. That's the general synopsis of the first season of Iron Fist.

As far as the Defenders shows go, Iron Fist is one of the lower rated shows, with an IMDB rating of 6.4. I think the plot progression in season 1 is a bit slow, as is character development. It took several episodes to get past the introductions of who the characters were and how they knew each other from the past and get to the meat of the season which was the Hand's involvement with the Meachums and Danny's goal to destroy the Hand as the Iron Fist. Once we finally reached that point, however, the show was pretty good. I'm sure that an expert reviewer could pick apart the writing or acting or some other aspect of the show as being mediocre, but even a mediocre Defenders show is one of the better Marvel shows. 

The character's relationships in this show reminded me a bit of Peter Parker and the Green Goblin from Spider-Man, with Harold Meachum knowing Danny as a kid and ending up being on the bad side. It was very similar to Peter's relationship to the Green Goblin. One of the fun aspects of watching the Defenders shows is how their stories and characters intertwine. Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), originally seen in Daredevil, is featured in several episodes of the first season of Iron Fist. There are subtle references to Luke Cage ("sweet Christmas") as well as Jessica Jones. They are individual characters fighting their own battles, but their stories often intertwine which I like. 

Luke Cage (Season 1)

 

Much like Jessica Jones, prior to the Netflix series being migrated to Disney+, I was unfamiliar with the character Luke Cage. He did appear in season 1 of Jessica Jones, so I was somewhat familiar with him by the time I watched the first season of his own dedicated show. I really like Mike Colter's portrayal of the Luke Cage character. He's probably my second favorite Marvel Defenders character at the moment, behind Daredevil.

Before discussions on the first season of the show, let's take the time to discuss Luke Cage the character. He was falsely imprisoned and while in jail underwent experimental treatments which resulted in super strength and impenetrable skin. This means traditional weapons such as guns can't really harm him. Fairly typical comic book superhero stuff. However, Luke mostly stays to himself and doesn't flaunt his powers. The show takes place in Harlem, and has strong gangster-like vibes, which I like a lot. Luke becomes involved with the gangsters after one of them kills his friend Pop. Of course, the main gangster bad guy happens to be Luke's half-brother Diamondback, and the show plays on the backstory of the two. The other interesting angle that is played is with the police, as they try to figure out if Luke is one of the bad guys or not. My only criticism of the show is that at times the pacing is a bit slow. The first season had 13 episodes, and I feel like it probably could have had 10 episodes and told the same story. 

On an end note, season 1 featured quite a lot of Rosario Dawson's character Claire Temple. Claire was briefly in season 1 of Jessica Jones, but I'm most familiar with her from Daredevil. I didn't really expect Claire to be involved much (if at all) in Luke Cage, so having her character have such a large role was an unexpected pleasant surprise. 

Jessica Jones (Season 1)

 

If not for the existence of this show, I would have never heard of the Marvel comic character Jessica Jones. Thus, on the surface my interest in the show wasn't too high. However, I really enjoyed the Daredevil series on Netflix, and after reading a bit more about the Defenders and the reviews of the show, I decided to give it a watch. In fact, I decided to watch through the entire Defenders series of shows from Netflix (now on Disney+). I'll be publishing blog posts about each season as I progress through them. For now, however, let's focus on Jessica Jones: Season 1. I want to specifically focus on Jessica herself and the main villain, Kilgrave. 

As I mentioned above, I knew nothing about Jessica Jones prior to watching the first season. From reading a few reviews, I learned that she is a private investigator, but that was the extent of my knowledge of her. The show starts with her working as a private investigator, seemingly catching people in affairs and a bit down on her luck. She also seems to have a bit of an alcohol issue, and no apparent super powers, which makes her significantly different than any other Marvel superhero I've encountered. I kind of liked the change in pace. As the season progresses, the layers of the onion are slowly peeled away and we learn about what makes up the complicated person who is Jessica Jones. Her family died in a car wreck that may have been at least partially her fault. She was then adopted by a showbiz family who didn't treat her well. She then encountered Kilgrave, who controlled her psychologically and was the icing on the cake in terms of explaining Jessica's personality and actions. We do learn along the way that she does have some superpowers, namely the ability to jump higher than normal and she's quite strong. She's a dark, complicated character, and like I said, I enjoyed the change from the normal superhero routine that this show provided.

Kilgrave was also a new character to me. For the first few episodes, he is only mentioned but not seen. It becomes apparent that he had a major negative impact on Jessica, and his hidden visual identity adds to the mystery of the character. His super power is that he can control people's minds, and when I first heard this I thought it was pretty lame. However, when I saw his power in action I changed my tune. He can walk up to people and tell them to do anything, like stab yourself 100 times, and they will do it. It's similar to a Jedi mind trick (this is even referenced at one point of the show, like Obi-Wan but less cool), except that Kilgrave is evil. The show turns into a psychological thriller, more akin to a Stephen King novel than a Marvel comic, because Kilgrave haunts Jessica with his powers while she tries to figure out a way to stop him. One of the main issues that Jessica struggles with is how to prove that Kilgrave can control people's minds. Who would believe that? Kilgrave is probably the scariest Marvel villain I've come across. His ability is much scarier than being super strong or being able to fly. The amount of damage he can do by controlling people's minds is absurd.

The show itself starts and ends the season strong. The middle few episodes are a bit slow paced. There is something incredibly frustrating when the good guys have the bad guy trapped, and instead of just killing him they let him go, which is what happens in the middle section of the season. But beyond that frustration the first season did a good job of setting up the story and characters overall. The cast is quite amazing as well, and includes appearances by Rosario Dawson as Claire, the nurse from Daredevil, as well as Luke Cage. Kilgrave is played by Dr. Who, and Carrie-Anne Moss plays a big role as well. Rachel Taylor (seen below) plays Jessica's best friend Trish. And of course, Jessica is played by Krysten Ritter.

Daredevil: Season 3

 

After a 2 year hiatus that came after finishing Season 2 of Daredevil, I finally got around to Season 3. I got sidetracked by another show before starting season 3, (I can't remember which one but likely a Disney+ Star Wars or Marvel show) but wanted to return to the show before Daredevil: Born Again comes out on Disney+ in 2025. The Daredevil character, played by Charlie Cox, has become one of my favorite Marvel characters. I honestly knew nothing about the character prior to watching the show, and I only watched the show because it got good reviews and out of all the Netflix era Marvel shows, it was the one that sounded the most superhero-like. The show is very good, and has become one of my favorite Marvel TV shows.

Season 3 starts with the gang split-up. Matt/Daredevil is nursing his wounds from the end of season 2. Nelson and Murdock are no longer together as Foggy has joined a larger, fancier law firm. Karen has taken a job at the newspaper following Ben Urich's death. Wilson Fisk returns as Kingpin, and is the season's main villain. 

The season starts where we last saw Fisk - in prison. Fisk cuts a deal with the feds, releasing him from prison where he becomes imprisoned in his own high rise penthouse. In exchange for this, Fisk offers dirt on local criminals. Fisk's end goal is to regain power over Hell's Kitchen, and it is revealed that Fisk has several federal agents under his control. Daredevil's hatred towards Fisk grows, and he becomes obsessed with taking out Fisk. Fisk tasks one agent with special throwing abilities, known as Bullseye, to imitate Daredevil to turn the public perception of him being a good guy to one where he is the enemy. Of course, in the end, Daredevil is victorious. Wilson Fisk returns to jail, under the agreement that he will behave himself as long as Vanessa (his now wife) is kept safe. The gang gets back together, now as Nelson, Murdock & Page. 

As I said above, this show gets great reviews and I think it is one of the best Marvel TV shows. It is well-written, well-acted, and rarely to you shake your head at what occurs. With that being said, I enjoyed season 3 of the show. The bigger picture for me, however, is the larger Marvel Defenders picture. The Defenders are a group of anti-heroes, often portrayed as outsiders. They have special powers like other superheroes, but often work alone and follow their own agenda. The Marvel Netflix shows follow various Defenders characters, with Daredevil being one of them. I've enjoyed the Daredevil show so much that I've decided to continue to watch the other Netflix shows. I've seen seasons 1-3 of Daredevil already, but found a website with a suggested watch order of all the Netflix Defenders shows. The next show on the list is Jessica Jones, a character who is a private investigator but otherwise I know nothing about her.

Echo (TV Series)

 

I've reached the point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) where I am picking and choosing which shows/movies I watch. No longer am I consuming the content simply because it is a part of the MCU. With that being said, I almost skipped this show because I don't have any attachment to the Echo character. However, once I learned that Daredevil and Wilson Fisk were going to be in the series, I decided to watch. I really like Charlie Cox as Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio as Fisk. Sadly, Daredevil was only in one scene in the entire series. Fisk, on the other hand, played a big role as the main villain in the series.

I found this show to be OK but generally not all that necessary. It was only 5 episodes long, which played a part in my decision to watch as well (i.e. it was a small time commitment). Echo's father is killed, a scene we previously saw in the Hawkeye series, and she learns that Fisk was behind his death. She shoots him in the face and flees New York to her homeland of Oklahoma, assuming he is dead but of course he survives the assault. Echo had been working for Fisk in New York, and her family is supporting Fisk through a shipping operation in Oklahoma. Echo seeks revenge, and gets it by planting a bomb on a train in Oklahoma that detonates once it arrives at a Fisk facility in NYC. Echo returning to Oklahoma brings all kinds of drama to her family in the small Oklahoma town because Fisk's goons are searching for her and her family doesn't want any trouble. This begs the question - Why return to Oklahoma to plant a bomb intended for a facility in NYC when you're already in NYC? It seems as if she goes way out of her way to achieve this revenge, while endangering her family. This is never fully explained and is somewhat bothersome, considering it is the main plot of the miniseries. 

Throughout the show, Echo experiences a series of flashbacks through the eyes of her ancestors. At the end of the mini-series, we learn that Echo's family is part of a mythical Native American tribe who can summon their ancestors to help them fight, possibly among other things. Summoning her ancestors allows them to collectively defeat Fisk and rid him from the Oklahoma town. This is the grand finale, but again, it isn't clear why they're there in the first place. Maybe this series is just a vehicle to explain Echo's powers which will be displayed in a later MCU project?

Echo communicates through sign language. I don't know anything about sign language, but I thought the communication with her family looked authentic. This was ruined, however, by Wilson Fisk's augmented reality sign language arms in the final episode. He communicated just fine with her earlier in the series using a translator. The addition of the augmented reality arms was just goofy. 

This is another MCU series that was just confusing to me. It wasn't bad, per se. The acting was good and I appreciated the exposure to sign language. A large portion of the plot seemed unnecessary and there was no character progression or development. I would've been fine with Fisk winning the battle as I still feel detached from Echo's character.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3

 

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are some of my favorite films and characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Needless to say I have been looking forward to watching this movie since it came out on Disney+. While there seems to be a plethora of mediocre MCU movies recently, Guardians 3 received decent reviews. 

The movie focuses on Rocket's back story. Essentially he was the subject of a series of experiments to create the perfect race of people for a perfect civilization. He becomes injured, and in order to save him the Guardians must find his creator. This leads them on an adventure to a variety of mucous-filled weird worlds. They meet up with an alternate version of Gamora, who no longer remembers Peter or the rest of the Guardians due to the events of the Infiniti War. 

With Rocket being injured, he spends almost the entire movie on life support, unable to speak. This is a major negative, in my opinion, as Rocket is one of the more entertaining members of the Guardians. And with Gamora having no memory of the Guardians, that means two of the core members are essentially absent from the movie. There's still plenty of banter and comedy, however, especially between Dax and Mantis, and even Nebula has several scenes that were amusing. 

Rocket's back story is a sad one, and unfortunately involves animal cruelty and experimentation. This is also a bit of a downer. All of this is to say I kind of felt "meh" about this movie. I didn't dislike it, per se, but I also didn't love it. It's probably my least favorite movie of the 3 Guardians films, though a part of me thinks I need to watch it again to give it a fair chance. The typical banter between the members was my favorite part and at least made the movie somewhat of an enjoyable watch.

Secret Invasion

 

In the 2019 movie Captain Marvel, which takes place in the 1990s, Nick Fury promises a group of refugee Skrulls to find them a home. Fast forward to present day, and the Skrulls are still homeless and are unhappy about it. While temporarily living on earth, their numbers have exponentially increased and they have been able to infiltrate high ranking government positions with their shape-shifting abilities. They're immune to the effects of nuclear radiation, so a group of extremist Skrulls have moved to an abandoned nuclear power plant site. Their plan is to create a nuclear war, killing off humans and allowing the Skrulls to take earth as their home planet. 

As many of the reviews say, the show falls a bit flat. The main villain and leader of the Skrull extremists, Gravik, is shown bombing places and performing terrorist acts, to emphasize that he is a bad guy. But on the other hand, he does kind of have a point that Fury screwed him and his people by not fulfilling his promise from Captain Marvel, so you kind of want him to succeed, even though he is going about it the wrong way.

The show promises to have an espionage spy feel, but pretty quickly you can figure out who is a real person and who is a Skrull, so that aspect of the show is a bit shallow. Fury himself seems tired and old. I feel like a show with him as the main character would have worked better at the height of the Avengers movies versus 2023. Emilia Clarke's character G'iah has a fantastic Marvelesque CGI fight with Gravik, which also falls flat because we never really get to know G'iah's character, so who cares if she dies?

Don't get me wrong, this show isn't bad, per se. It's just OK. I think the story itself has promise, and it will be interesting to see what comes of Gravik's super-Skrull creation in subsequent projects. Beyond that, however, I think this show is pretty forgettable. It falls into that bucket of now many other Marvel (and Star Wars) shows that seemed promising but underwhelmed in the end. WandaVision, a really good Marvel show, feels like it occurred a lifetime ago.

Spider-Man (2018 game)

 

I was in the middle of playing Immortals Fenyx Rising when I saw the news that 2018's Spider-Man would be leaving Playstation Plus. What a great reminder that games on Playstation Plus are borrowed, now owned. Playstation Plus can giveth, and Playstation Plus can taketh away. Anyway, I enjoyed playing Spider-Man: Miles Morales so much last year that I knew I wanted to play this game. I placed Immortals Fenyx Rising on pause and immediately started this game before it left Playstation Plus.

Just like Miles Morales, this game is fantastic. Visually it looks spectacular. Its recreation of New York City is a fun environment to explore, especially if you have Spidey super powers. Speaking of these powers, it is just fun to go into battle against people when possessing these powers. It is a bit of a break from the usual tactic of using a gun or other weapon. I enjoy it so much I am planning on doing a few side missions while I have the chance.

The story is good and classic Spider-Man. New York is attacked by a super villain who is also close to Peter Parker, and his friends and relatives become involved as well. Except in this game it isn't a super villain, it's super villains. The game uses an all-star list of villains, including well known villains like Doc Ock and Norman Osborn, as well as some that were new to me like Mister Negative. The dialogue in this game is quite good as well. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. 

The gameplay is similar to Miles Morales' gameplay. Its a combination of button mashing fights, with puzzle solving and stealth action mixed in to spice things up. Generally speaking, it's just fun to battle with people and fly around NYC using Spider-Man's abilities. There were a few scenes were you got to play as Miles and Mary Jane, which was fun as well.

As I mentioned above, I'm planning on doing a few of the side and extra missions. I only do extra tasks on games when I really enjoy them, if that tells you anything. This game was a lot of fun. I'm already looking forward to the sequel, which is scheduled to be released later in 2023.

God Of War (2018)

 

Before I begin discussing 2018's God of War game, I want to spend some time to discuss my experience with the entire God of War game series. There isn't actually much to discuss, which makes my positive impression of this game so interesting. The God of War series first appeared on the Playstation 2, and has been a popular game series on every Playstation console since. Because of its popularity, the games have been on my radar, but I've never been too interested in them, to be honest. The first reason is the title. When the game first came out on Playstation 2, I actually thought it was about Christianity's God. I finally learned that it was about Gods from Greek mythology, but I've never been too interested in Greek mythology, and so I was turned off from the series partially because of the title. The other reason why I was never too interested in this series was because of the hack and slash nature of the gameplay and its gory depiction of violence. I was aware of the game series from the beginning, but never payed too much attention to the games because of these reasons.

Fast forward to 2022, when God of War: Ragnarok was released. As discussed on this blog, around the start of the pandemic I started watching the movies that made up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor: Ragnarok is one of my favorite MCU movies, so of course the God of War game about Ragnarok caught my attention. The Thor MCU movie introduced me to Norse mythology. Despite never finding Greek mythology too interesting, I found Norse mythology appealing due to its depiction in the MCU.  With Playstation Plus, 2018's God of War was available for me to play as part of my subscription. I decided to give the game a chance, anticipating that I would play Ragnarok if I liked the 2018 game available on Playstation Plus. The game did not disappoint.

Where to begin with this game? I guess I'll start with the negatives (for me). It features mostly hack and slash gameplay action which I'm not a huge fan of. The violence didn't bother me too much, because my enemies were either already dead or made up Norse myths, and their blood was orange, so I was OK with what occurred on screen. The "finish him" scenes where Kratos violently ripped an enemy's skull in half with his ax were a bit much. However, the flip side to this was it was so, so satisfying to defeat an enemy by throwing Kratos' ax at them, and even more so when the ax hit them on its return to Kratos. This is the only thing I kind of disliked about this game. Everything else was just awesome.

The storytelling in this game is fantastic and is the best part of the game. I came into the game knowing nothing about Kratos or his past. It is reveled early that he has a questionable past. Your tasked with spreading your wife's ashes off the tallest peak in the realms, and your son Atreus goes with you on the journey. This is the first game in the series that takes place in a Norse mythology setting. The previous games all take place in Greek mythology. Seeing the World Serpent in Midgard, or the mist surrounding the mountains of Midgard, or the bifrost, or any of the other realms is just jaw dropping in their appearance. On your journey, you meet a witch in the woods, who turns out to be Freya. Early on you are attacked by the stranger, who turns out to be Baldur, son of Freya (or possibly Frigg, and Odin). Baldur was "blessed" by Freya to be invincible, but is mad at his mother for making him unable to feel anything. 

Once Kratos and Atreus reach the tallest peak in Midgard, they meet Mimir. Mimir is known for his wisdom, but has been tied to a tree by Odin and cannot escape. Mimir informs Kratos that the tallest peak in the realms is actually in Jotunheim, land of the giants. Kratos and Atreus head for Jotunheim, but first decapitate Mimir in order to take his head with them for his wisdom. 

Kratos and Atreus eventually reach the peak in Jotunheim, where they are able to spread Kratos' wife's ashes. Along the way, Atreus learns that Kratos is a Greek God and that his mom is actually a giant from Jotunheim. She and the other giants referred to Atreus as "Loki". Oh, and Kratos and Atreus also kill Magni and Modi, Thor's sons. After spreading her ashes, Midgard experiences an unusual winter, and Thor shows up to Kratos' house to begin Ragnarok.

The entire world of realms where this story takes place, the characters and their over the top abilities, the enemies from the Ogres to the Giants, is just absolutely amazing. Anything goes with this type of story telling. An enemy or character cannot be too big, or too powerful, or too over the top. But it all ties together in a way where the setting, gameplay, and story are just fantastic. I was thinking back to my favorite games since 2017's Breath of the Wild (which is one of my all time favorite games), which includes both Playstation 4 and 5 games, as well as Switch games. The 2018 God of War game is my favorite game since Breath of the Wild. Close seconds (tie) are Jedi: Fallen Order, Red Dead Redemption II, and Horizon Zero Dawn. I'm assuming Ragnarok starts right where God of War stopped, with the unusual winter in Midgard and the beginning of Ragnarok. I cannot wait to play it.

Guardians Of The Galaxy (Game)

 

Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun game, and I'd recommend it IF you are a fan of the Guardians. The best part of the game is the banter between the characters. I find Rocket, Drax, and the whole group of characters to be amusing, and the conversation between them is entertaining and hilarious at times. Visually the game looks good, though it took me a bit of time to get used to how the characters look, especially Quill. He looks nothing like Chris Pratt or Peter Quill from the comics.

The story is just as good as any of the stories in the movies. Briefly, the Guardians get picked up by the Nova Corps for trespassing. They meet Ko-Rel, Peter's former lover, and her daughter Nikki, who Peter thinks may be his daughter. The Guardians are allowed to leave in order to make money to pay their trespassing fine. They scam a powerful character named Lady Hellbender, and when they return to pay their fine, they discover that several Nova Corp officers are possessed by the "Promise". Lady Hellbender's goons chase after them, and the Guardians flee to Knowhere where they ask Cosmo for help. They figure out that the possessed Nova Corp officers are under the power of the Universal Church of Truth, who use the power of the Promise to harness Faith Energy and power their ships and weapons. Both Peter and Drax are tempted by the Promise, and have to fight off the temptation. Along the way they meet up with Adam Warlock, and discover that Warlock's evil alter ego Magus is manipulating the church for its power. The Guardians eventually defeat the church and Magus to save the galaxy. 

It took me a while to get used to the team based gameplay. You play as Quill, but during battles you have to instruct the other Guardians on who to fight and what to do. Also, at times you have to use the other character's skills to move objects, open doors, etc. to proceed. Once I got used to the gameplay it wasn't a big deal, but wasn't initially intuitive. The bigger deal is that during several points throughout the game, I got stuck and couldn't figure out what to do next. Usually there was a small gap in a wall that I needed to squeeze through and couldn't see, but sometimes it was because I wasn't picking the "correct" sequence of dialogue responses. This seemed to me to be a bit arbitrary, and was annoying to have to resort to a YouTube video to watch a tutorial to figure out how to get the game to advance. Despite this annoyance, overall the game was fun, and I think would be liked by Guardians fans.

Holiday Specials

 

'Tis the season for holiday specials. We watched a couple this weekend. Spirited is a comedy musical with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. It's a modern version of A Christmas Carol. Both Ferrell and Reynolds are good in the film, and there's plenty of funny moments mixed in with the singing. Overall it was good.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are some of my favorite characters and movies in the MCU. Their holiday special has Drax and Mantis teaming up to abduct Kevin Bacon as a Christmas gift for Quill.  Apparently Peter talks about Kevin Bacon a lot. Drax and Mantis are funny together, as usual, and are the main stars of the show. It was good entertainment as well.