Jessica Jones: 10 Reasons Why Marvel's Films Simply Can't Compete
2. They Aren't Restrained By The MCU
One of the best things about Netflix's Marvel shows is that they're their own thing, not burdened by quotas on how many references they need to namedrop, or how their plotlines need to intersect into the next big event. They stand tall on their own two feet because they occupy a certain space in the MCU, away from all the cataclysmic events that define the series outside of Netflix's confines. So far we've seen a few nods to the wider universe, but they've been anything but overbearing. The Battle of New York is only referred to as 'the incident' and nods to the Hulk and Captain America aside, these references appear natural and help cement the shows' presence in the ever expanding MCU. All of these shows are going to eventually culminate in a manner similar to The Avengers when The Defenders drops a few years from now. It's as of yet unclear how all these heroes (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist et al.) will collide and what threat they'll endeavour to stop, but there's plenty of time for seeds to be planted as Netflix continues its march towards total domination of the TV superhero genre.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
