Hank McCoy (Before the Fur)

Hmm. I’m excited by this Netflix thing with Cage and Iron Fist and all of those guys. I think.

I’m not going to lie: I haven’t been terribly won over by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I think there’s a good show in there, somewhere, trying to get out. It just hasn’t quite gotten out yet. Maybe it can in a season or two if someone sticks with it. Hopefully they will.
Certainly, a series of superhero shows headed up by Daredevil and many various Marvel Knights characters has potential. And I suspect it will likely be grounded in a stark and dark realism. More martial arts and brutal street crime than superhero wall crawling and force fields. Netflix certainly knows what they’re doing; they’ve clearly got a knack for making good television programming so their capability isn’t in question.

There is a part of me that is feeling a little sad that these four aren’t getting their own big screen movie, however. I know the comic book movie fad has to die out sooner or later. I just was holding on to the fantasy of seeing a Heroes for Hire feature film or a Daredevil re-launch.

But hey, what do I know? I think Arrow is a pretty excellent show and these days HBO produced series are as well written and performed as any big screen movie (sometimes better). So maybe this is for the best. Maybe these characters are going to have a chance to shine in a way that Batman and other gritty street heroes haven’t. I’d love it if Marvel and Netflix brought in some big name talent for these guys too. I’m already trying to dream up who could play Cage though.

I do have one thought. If this really is going to culminate in the Defenders coming together (and granted none of these characters have, at any time, been on that team), is Dr. Strange going to make an appearance!? I mean, again, I would be half-sad that he didn’t get his big screen debut, but Strange is the ONLY recurring Defenders member in every incarnation of the team. The Defenders really are just a bunch of random guys that Dr. Strange brings together when things get out of control. Their members range from the Silver Surfer to Hulk to Iceman and Archangel from the X-Men. It’s weird stuff.

Could Dr. Strange be the glue that brings these guys together in a big Netflix crossover finale?