Defenders Flashback Idea

Hello again everyone

So by now the hype train for the Marvel Netflix Defenders series has left the station and is moving at full speed! We finally have some casting news for Iron Fist, we have three seasons so far under our belt, and Luke Cage comes out in just a few months. And, according to Matt Murdock himself, Charlie Cox, they start shooting Defenders later this year.

With that in mind, I had an idea that I thought would be great as sort of a prologue montage at the very beginning of the series, before the main events pick up. And I actually got the idea from DC.

Batman v Superman was disappointing on many different levels. However, one of the scenes that most viewers agree was well done was the flashback scene of Bruce Wayne seeing the battle between Superman and Zod from the ground in Metropolis. That little bit helped to establish that character in that world. Not enough to be proper motivation in my opinion, but it was a good start that never got fleshed out. And I think it would be amazing to see something similar from the Defenders cast.

Now, let me take a moment to say that I have no idea what the plot of Defenders is going to be. It may not involve the New York incident at all. But what I do know is that the problems in Hell's Kitchen that led to Matt fully becoming Daredevil were in fact directly related to the invasion. And, even if the Defenders focus on more supernatural enemies, like the Hand, or Black Sky, or whatever is coming in Luke and Danny's series, the first major event to rock their city on a paranormal or supernatural level would have been the alien invasion. And I just think that it would be cool to see all of them at that point in time. Before they were heroes, before the Defenders were a thing. Just to see them all reacting to this one event in so many different ways, before bringing them together for the main series.

Let's start with Danny Rand. Now, I admit I know very little about Iron Fist because I've read very little about Iron Fist, but from what I've gathered and the casting announcements so far, it seems like his father, and associates of his father, are a big part of his world. So from my limited knowledge, I'm imagining Danny Rand in some kind of conference room, big shots all around, discussing who knows what, when it happens - the portal opens and aliens come flying into our world. The room goes silent as everyone stares at the events, moving closer to the windows to try to make out just what exactly is happening.

Jump then to ground zero. Jessica Jones is on assignment, following some piece of dirt for some dirty reason, when everyone on the streets start screaming and blasts can be heard from Chitauri ships. This would be a great time to show some "reluctant heroism" from Jessica, not wanting to involve herself but being unable to stand by and do nothing. So she helps people to their feet, pulls debris off their bodies, maybe even throws a brick at an alien. Obviously none of the Avengers themselves would show up, but maybe we see a shield, a hammer, or an arrow whiz by.

Move further away from the action to Luke Cage's bar. People are running in off the streets, panicking, and as is always the case in situations of mass panic, people start showing their true selves. Robbers stealing purses, riots in the streets, breaking windows and looting shops. And Luke Cage has to step in to keep some level of order in the chaos.

Finally, we see Matt Murdock. And Matt Murdock sees nothing. Everyone else at Landman & Zack is frantic, running wildly as they watch the destruction through the window. But Matt can't see anything, and is overwhelmed by the screams, the shocks pulsing through, trying in vain to determine what is going on, because it's nothing he's ever sensed before.

It doesn't have to stop there either. Depending on which supporting cast members are involved in the show, Foggy could come to Matt's side, trying to explain what exactly is going on. We could see Frank and Maria Castle calling their kids' school, which has gone into lockdown because of the event. Ben Urich arguing with his editor at the Bulletin - Ben wants to go cover the story but his boss doesn't want him to get hurt. Trish Walker reporting on her radio show, urging people to stay calm.

This event shook that city. And even if Defenders is about something else entirely, it would be a nice introduction, especially for anyone who hasn't watched every show leading into it, to show who these characters are when the chips are down, and what they can do.

So what do you guys think? Does this sound like a good idea? A cool scene? Or would it be pointless? If you like it, share this around, and #MakeItHappenMarvel!

Excelsior!

An Alternate View to MCU Villains

Hey all,

I know it's been a while, but I'm currently in the middle of my massive MCU marathon, over 115 hours of material at this point, in preparation for Civil War, and I've noticed something I think is worth sharing.

Now we all know that one of the MCU's biggest flaws is its villains. Many of them are one-dimensional, forgettable, and are too easily defeated or never heard from again (seriously, we need the Leader!). But I realized something that I think the MCU has done right, that many previous CBMs got wrong, and I haven't heard anyone mention it yet, so I'm stepping in.

Remember back before the MCU, whenever you had a new superhero origin film, how forced the villains always seemed to be? Obviously every hero needs a villain, but it always seemed to me a little forced how the villain always seemed to get their powers right after the hero got his.

Look at Spider-Man (2002). Peter Parker happens to get bit by a spider, and an extremely short time after that, Norman Osborn decides to do what any scientist knows is stupid by experimenting on himself and ZAM now we have a villain for him to fight. It's not organic, it's blatant.

In many films, the villain had to be written in, usually as a response to the hero. Now this isn't true of every CBM, but it happens more often in sequels.

Look at the Dark Knight trilogy. In Batman Begins, the main villains are in play before Bruce becomes Batman. Mobsters, Dr. Crane, and Ra's Al Ghul are all working towards their goals before Batman shows up. Bruce becomes Batman in response to that. But what happens next?

In The Dark Knight, one criminal steps up his game in a big way in response to Batman by becoming the Joker. No explanation of where he came from, no real motivation. And a lot of people say that's what makes the Joker great, but it also makes him very easy to write. If you don't have to explain anything, you don't have to worry about it. You just know that Batman needs a villain, so here he is.

Move on to The Dark Knight Rises, and your main villain, Talia Al Ghul, is out for Revenge. This is basically Die Hard The Dark Knight With A Vengeance. She's only there in response to him. And Bane is only there as a pawn for her. Catwoman is not a true villain of the film, as she acts more heroically than anything else.

Man of Steel is terrible about this as well. Of all the time that has passed since Zod and his followers were exiled, and Kal was sent to earth, it just so happens that when Clark comes out as Superman to save Lois happens at nearly the exact time that Zod et. al miraculously, with no explanation, free themselves and come to Earth. It's lazy writing. In BvS, Luthor. Jr. has no motivation. No in-story reasoning for his actions, but the movie needs a villain, so he's stuck in there anyway.

The X-Men films feature more organic villains, in terms of the government. But the actual "villains" of the X-Men lore are usually put in the spot of the hero as a result. So that's a whole different situation.

Now, look at the MCU. What I've noticed, and what I love, is that the villains were around first, and the heroes are mainly stepping up because of them. It may not be as "cool" as a mysterious figure like the Joker, but it's more organic to the story, and gives the villain more understandable motivation. I mean, General Zod was literally written to be programmed to do what he did, so that the writers wouldn't have to actually create any motivation for him.

Iron Man: Obadiah Stane was playing his game long before Tony Stark was even running Stark Industries. This is a villain that has been planning for decades and acts before we even have a hero. But his actions - giving the kill order on Stark, is what creates the hero. Stane may have gone out without a bang, but his character makes more sense in that world than Zod somehow showing up just as Superman puts on the costume. Then in the sequel, again you have a character who has been in the game for decades, Ivan Vanko. Ever since his father Anton was rejected by Tony's father Howard, his rage has been building. It's organic, it makes sense, even if the villain himself is lackluster. And Justin Hammer is just like Obadiah Stane, a greedy business man who wants what Tony has. Iron Man 3 used a flashback to establish that Killain, again, has been working on his plan for years, and that has progressed until the point of the film.

Captain America: In The First Avenger, Johann Schmidt had become the Red Skull before Steve Rogers ever picked up a shield. Abraham Erskine fled to seek out a hero in response to the Skull's existence. If the Red Skull had not been created, Erskine may have never finished his work. As Schmidt progressed with his plans, the need for a hero to stop him increased. It fits the story. And the followers of that man continuing his work into The Winter Soldier was a great twist. We didn't suddenly have dozens of villains for Cap to fight without explanation, we had hundreds of villains that were simply biding their time, waiting for their moment to strike.

Hulk: General Ross was a villain (though not 100% a dick) before Banner got angry. And the Hulk was caused due to the actions/lies of Ross himself. Seeing a pattern here?

Thor: Loki and his brother have known each other for centuries, with Loki's mischief ever growing. Thor's education in humility came as the result of Loki's tricks.

Ant-Man: Darren Cross had been working on his Yellowjacket suit for decades, and Scott Lang was trained in response to his danger.

Guardians of the Galaxy: These various characters need to band together to stop Ronan, who has long been a threat to innocents.

Do you see what I'm talking about? The MCU villains may not seem as menacing as villains in other franchises, but I believe that's because they're written to be more "realistic" and easier to relate to. I think the concept that the "villains" are mostly ordinary people, people that we know, that turn out to be evil, is more understandable, and honestly, scarier, than monsters that show up randomly to give the new hero something to punch.