It’s the Liminal Space Between Christmas and New Year’s so Why Not Watch the Netflix Marvel Shows?

It’s that time of year again when nothing really matters and we’re all just sitting around in our homes trying to figure out what day it is (unless you’re working like me because I know it is Monday but I am mentally in the “time doesn’t exist” space of the holiday season). In this time, people are generally running around with family and friends but since a COVID surge has reared its ugly head once more, we’re all sort of stuck back inside trying to figure out what shows we haven’t binged.

So why not jump into the world of Netflix’s Marvel series? Starting with the show Daredevil starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Netflix’s foray into the Marvel Universe gave us a more intimate, on-the-ground level look at the Defenders and their world in Hell’s Kitchen from the comics. I was just going through all the shows and paused at The Punisher because it seemed like life was somewhat back to normal but now that that most definitely is not the case, what if we threw ourselves all back into those series?

Here are the Netflix shows to check out, linked for your viewing ease:

Daredevil

Jessica Jones

Luke Cage

The Defenders

The Punisher

Iron Fist

And if you want to get technical about timelines rather than binge these shows one at a time all the way through, here’s the “watching order” via What’s On Netflix:

1. Daredevil (Season 1)
2. Jessica Jones (Season 1)
3. Daredevil (Season 2)
4. Luke Cage (Season 1)
5. Iron Fist (Season 1)
6. The Defenders (Limited Series)
7. The Punisher (Season 1)
8. Jessica Jones (Season 2)
9. Luke Cage (Season 2)
10. Iron Fist (Season 2)
11. Daredevil (Season 3)
12. The Punisher (Season 2)
13. Jessica Jones (Season 3)

These series, apart from providing for some excellent superhero TV, clearly tie into the larger world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are important to the overall story arc. And recent events in Marvel movies and Disney+ shows indicate the Netflix properties could start to become more integrated in the future—as fans have long hoped.

It’s important again in the larger MCU (***spoilers for Hawkeye and Spider-Man: Far From Home***)

With the inclusion of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in the prime!Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Netflix world important. D’Onofrio came back as Kingpin/Wilson Fisk in Hawkeye, which ties to Maya Lopez/Echo’s storyline. And while it might seem as if he was murdered at the end of the season, I have a feeling that it isn’t the last we’ve seen of Fisk (mainly because the shirt he’s wearing is one that comes from a comic panel where Maya shoots him and he survives … like in the episode).

Had a lovely chat with #Hawkeye EP and director Rhys Thomas on the latest @ringerverse episode about the return of @vincentdonofrio‘s beloved Kingpin and if he’s the same guy we met on Netflix’s #Daredevil. He sure is! https://t.co/SBI6DiUChw pic.twitter.com/8wSLXGMeDM

— Joanna Robinson (@jowrotethis) December 24, 2021

And it is something that D’Onofrio confirmed himself.

Trust me In Hawkeye I’m playing the character as if the character from DD survivor of “the blip”Is now set on getting back his city.
The blip weakened his crown, his authority over his kingdom. Now he wants it back. He’s in damage control mode.
That’s all. Merry Merry.

— Vincent D’Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) December 23, 2021

So why not take the liminal spacetime this week to celebrate the Netflix era of the MCU in style? If you’re like me, you still have some catching up to do, so let’s (try to) enjoy what they did with the Defenders on Netflix and think about how these characters can continue to play a part in the growth of the MCU.

(image: Marvel Entertainment)

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