Jessica Jones: 10 Reasons Why Marvel's Films Simply Can't Compete

10. They Just Aren't As Mature

Yes, even with Winter Soldier's strong political edge, Marvel's films tend to struggle with mastering that balance between focussing on mature themes and capturing the sensationalism of their comic book source material. It's a harmony most comic book adaptations never seem to be able to capture either, but often with Marvel the whacky outweighs the mature. This isn't really a problem with Netflix's offerings, though I'd be lying if I said that they weren't taking inspiration from darker storylines. In the case of Jessica Jones the series was largely based on the Alias comic, a revolutionary storyline crafted by prominent scribe Brian Michael Bendis (who also wrote what many consider to be one of the few runs on Daredevil equal to or even better than Frank Miller's acclaimed stint on the comic decades earlier). Alias was significant for its careful handling of adult psychological themes not prominently traversed in the medium, and that transition has been relatively painless as the material has made its way to the small screen. The MCU has rarely delved into the darker elements of their characters, and when they have its taken a backseat to the quips and explosions that the franchise has made its name on. We never got to see Tony Stark struggle with his alcoholism (see Demon in a Bottle) or dwell on the aftereffects of his war-mongering, nor did we see enough exploration of the character's struggles with PTSD in the aftermath of the battle of New York. Iron Man 3 thusly suffered (though we daren't mention Trevor Slattery), and it's made evermore frustrating by the fact that actors like Downey Jr. are more than capable of delving deeper into the inner workings of the characters we need to see more of. Again, Winter Soldier is the exception to the rule in this instance. Chris Evans' portrayal of a man out of time is wonderfully nuanced, and it led to a truly heart-breaking scene in which Peggy's dementia begins to sever his only link to the past. Obviously this is heavy material to work with, and Marvel's films do need light to balance out the dark, but the lack of emotionally impactful moments in the series is an issue that needs to be highlighted.