7 Redeeming Features Of The Marvel Netflix Series

A significant contributor to the MCU’s success has been its ability to weave an ever-growing number of standalone stories into an overarching narrative. Everything feels interconnected and the Netflix series were much the same way, enabling The Defenders crossover to happen relatively seamlessly even if it was ultimately nowhere near as compelling as the Avengers.

Joining up multiple stories is always a risky move, as viewers can be alienated if significant plot developments occur in the series or films that they haven’t watched. The Netflix series combatted this by making it clear that whilst each was set in a connected world, they could still be followed as standalone stories (making Iron Fist mercifully skippable). Those that did choose to watch each one sequentially, however, were rewarded with additional (and well-planned) depth.

From Jessica Jones being established as the inadvertent killer of Luke Cage’s wife and Foggy Nelson taking a job at Jeri Hogarth’s law firm, through to Karen Page existing as The Punisher’s confidant and Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple appearing in each series as a connecting thread, the pieces of the puzzle all fit together extremely well.

It’s just a shame that the various series had to peter out before they could be interwoven even further, with Heroes For Hire and Daughters Of The Dragon both seeming like logical next steps that could have been taken.