Oh No, Is The Defenders Going to Be Iron Fist-Centric?

Like everyone else on the internet, I’m feeling pretty excited about the action-packed, snark-laced Defenders trailer from Comic-Con. Sigourney Weaver’s character, Alexandra, looks like a properly scary female villain, and I already can’t wait to watch her and Wai Ching Ho’s Madame Gao split a dozen extra large meals of scenery together. I’m so happy to see Kristen Ritter’s angry face in anything, I was delighted to see Rachael Taylor’s Trish make an appearance, and I would literally watch Mike Colter react to paint drying.

However, this trailer also seems to confirm that The Hand and/or its offshoots will be one of the primary villains. The fight scene in the Rand board room screams “secret ninja organization,” we see Gao return, and Elektra seems to be training as a warrior under Weaver’s Alexandra. Plus, the whole “war for New York” has been building with The Hand since Daredevil.

To be fair, this could also mean a sizable focus on Elektra. At the Defenders panel, Weaver did tease that “[Alexandra] spend[s] a lot of time with Elektra, and their relationship is certainly one of the most unusual that I’ve ever experienced. It’s very, very strange.” I’d certainly like to see a plot which focuses on that character reclaiming some of her agency.

Or this could mean more focus on Matt Murdock/Daredevil, who first encountered The Hand as a villain. But given previous interviews, the way that Danny seems to bring the team together, and the way he urges everyone “We belong out there, together” and “They’re hunting our friends, our families…and they’re not going to stop there,” I’m getting the sense that he’ll be the team lynchpin. And…I’m pretty meh about that prospect, TMSers.

Like many viewers, I found Iron Fist underwhelming, and I found Danny a bit of a cypher, with strange motivations and decision-making. I’m not buying him as the emotional core of a team, and I’m worried that The Defenders is going to ask me to.

Now, I also understand that there are viewers who think the backlash was a bit much, and actually enjoyed Finn Jones’s portrayal of Danny Rand. For you, I’m happy that The Defenders looks like it’ll highlight a character you enjoyed. I’m also hoping you’ll all prove me wrong, and Danny will work better as an ensemble character, with the proactive and self-positive attitude to counter everyone else’s deep mistrust of authority. But for now, the idea of leaning on this character for emotional weight does have me worried.

Iron Fist itself has been renewed for a second season, and we are indeed getting the Daughters of the Dragon team-up between Misty Knight and Colleen Wing that TMS previously requested. Our gratitude to Netflix for being so obliging, and for tricking me into checking out Iron Fist‘s second season.

How are you feeling about The Defenders trailer? Did it assuage some of your worries? Add some?

(Via io9 and Nerdist; image via screengrab)

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