Marvel's The Defenders: 8 Ways It Saved Iron Fist
7. A Better Villain To Go Up Against
One of the most common ways that superheroes are judged is by the quality of their villains. It's a very important dynamic, because the hero can be just fine, but unless they have the right bad guy to take on, the will always feel like they're missing something.
Therein lies another one of the big problems Iron Fist had: the lack of a definitive main antagonist. As opposed to the other series that gave us Wilson Fisk, Kilgrave, and Cottonmouth, Iron Fist gave us Harold Meachum, a boring character whose role as villain didn't manifest until late in the season, and a returning Madame Gao, a great character, but one we had already seen before and was too cryptic for her own good.
The Defenders fixed Danny's villain problem with the de facto leader of The Hand, Alexandra: a strong, well-acted character who has believable and clear motivations, as well as direct ties to Danny. In addition, her calm, sophisticated demeanor contrasts perfectly against Danny's roguish personality. And even though she isn't that great in the show's second half, Sigourney Weaver's sheer stage presence keeps her interesting.
She's not his definitive adversary, but if a hero is defined by their enemies, then Alexandra is a big step in the right direction for Iron Fist.