Jessica Jones: 10 Reasons Why Marvel's Films Simply Can't Compete
7. The Writing Is Much Stronger
You know what might be the best thing about Netflix's Marvel shows? The fact it doesn't really on forced humour to create likeable protagonists. Okay, maybe not the best thing, but it's a testament to writers like Drew Goddard and Melissa Rosenberg's ability to portray complex, nuanced characters with ease and with no reliance on quick one-liners to cement favourable opinions from the audience. The writing for these TV shows depicts flawed characters superbly, which is fantastic considering Marvel Comics originally made its name on countering the expectation that every hero that donned a mask had to be a role-model. It's not just the strong characterisations that make Netflix's Marvel better than the films, but the overarching storylines as well. Whether it be a court room drama with a superhero twist or a psychological thriller with Sci-Fi undertones, the level of intrigue, complexity and morality on display in these shows just blows their blockbuster counterparts right out of the water.
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.
