MCU: 8 Problems Netflix's Marvel Universe Needs To Fix

3. The Defenders Failed, And Now It Struggles To Connect The Universe

While each solo series had its own narrative, the wider purpose was to build an interconnected universe, where the first phase, so to speak, would culminate with The Defenders, allowing the TV shows to operate much like the movie universe.

The only problem is that The Defenders was largely a bust, and has perhaps done more harm than good for these shows (not only because there's been a noticeable drop-off in hype since).

Because they're in the same universe, these shows do still need to overlap, which is why you have things like Foggy turning up for cameos in Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, or Karen Page appearing in The Punisher. However, contradicting that is the fact that the majority of these heroes work best alone; Jessica Jones doesn't want to be part of a team, so you don't pair her up with Daredevil, and yet they're both running around Hell's Kitchen at the same time.

There's a strange feeling of disconnect to the universe, whereby they're neither all in or not nor completely separate, and that's before you get into the fact that the big screen MCU doesn't acknowledge it and this universe hardly ever feels connected.