Now that the era of the Marvel/Netflix series are currently in fans’ collective rear view mirrors, it’s hard to not wax a little nostalgic about it. While not everything that was produced for Netflix was pure gold, there was a lot of great TV and several great characters. Unfortunately, 2017’s The Defenders kind of pulled the rug out from under all of the work they put in building up to it. A big problem was the number of incredible supporting characters who did not get the screen time they deserved. The producers should have taken away about 90% of Iron Fist’s time and spread it out among them.
Colleen Wing
The first season of Iron Fist on Netflix was borderline unbearable to watch at times. Casting someone who knew as little about martial arts as Finn Jones was a huge mistake. But one of the bright spots of the series was Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing. This character appeared much better versed in martial arts than Danny Rand, making you frequently wonder why she didn’t have the Iron Fist. Wing got decent screen time in The Defenders but definitely deserved more as she didn’t feel like a full fledged member of the team.
Stick
As Daredevil’s difficult and often rude mentor, Stick plays a key role in the Marvel/Netflix world. He sees the horrors The Hand has on the horizon and does everything in his power to prevent that from happening.
As such, you’d think he’d play a bigger role in the endgame that goes down in The Defenders but his presence is more understated than you might expect. Stick is the long time enemy of The Hand, not the members of this slapdash team that accidentally formed to stop them.
Misty Knight
Both seasons of Luke Cage proved to be excellent TV, due in no small part to Simone Missick as Misty Knight. The cop with a bionic arm is a legitimate hero in the comics, and the same was true in all the Marvel/Netflix series she appeared in. But while she does help The Defenders in the show, she isn’t really part of the team. One of the problems was that she didn’t get her bionic arm until the second season of Luke Cage, which happened after The Defenders. If she had her new arm to fight The Hand, she might have gotten a little more screen time.
Trish Walker
Much like Misty, Trish didn’t pick up her powers until the seasons of Jessica Jones that came after The Defenders. If she had gotten them before, she probably would have seen a lot more time in the series.
As Jessica’s best friend and frequent partner in crime, Trish had a unique perspective on the super hero shenanigans going on in New York. Unfortunately, she’s took a backseat to other characters throughout The Defenders. Hellcat could have been extremely helpful in the fight against The Hand.
Turk Barrett
A surprising as this will be to some, Turk Barrett plays a role of some importance in the comic books. His terrible criminal plans frequently get broken up by Daredevil, usually as comic relief from more serious things happening around New York. The Marvel/Netflix version of him might be a bit more gritty, but he’s no less inept at being a criminal as both Daredevil and Luke Cage have busted him. Turk was consistently a great side character that could have been used much better in The Defenders, particularly as an ongoing source of information.
Claire Temple
Rosario Dawson’s character quickly became the glue holding the Marvel/Netflix world together. She appeared in multiple series, including The Defenders, and was really the only character who consistently crossed over between them. Temple did play an important role in the rookie team series but you can’t help but feel like it should have been a bigger one.
She was intertwined in so many street level heroes’ lives that you almost expected her to end up as the team leader of The Defenders. At the very least, she seemed like the only one remotely grounded in reality.
Jeri Hogarth
Somehow, Carrie-Anne Moss only appeared in one episode of The Defenders. Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot of need for anyone to sue The Hand. If there was, Matt Murdock probably would have been able to handle it. Much like Claire Temple, Hogarth appeared in several Marvel/Netflix series starting with Jessica Jones. While she might not have any superpowers to speak of, Hogarth was a formidable lawyer and had an incredibly sharp mind. She was definitely a resource that was not put to good use.
Madame Gao
One of the most menacing characters in the Marvel/Netflix world was the ancient Madame Gao. She tormented the heroes through Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders. The immortal drug dealer and founding member of The Hand was behind some terrible things in her long life, many of which played out in this series.
While she appeared in several episodes of The Defenders, she took a backseat to members of The Hand who showed up for the first time. It’s too bad since Gao was at the foundations of the threats The Defenders were facing.
Wilson Fisk
Leaving Wilson Fisk entirely out of The Defenders was a critical mistake. Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of the Kingpin of Crime was what made the first season of Daredevil work. Not having him as the big bad behind everything was criminally ridiculous. While the Five Fingers of The Hand were menacing, fans were meeting many of the for the first time. They already knew the Kingpin and what he was capable of, meaning he required less time spent on backstory to have his character make sense. Plus, who wouldn’t have wanted to see Fisk fight The Defenders with an army of ninjas behind him.
Frank Castle
Fighting said army of ninjas without calling in Frank Castle just seems like a terrible idea, regardless of who leads them. Daredevil season two was in essence a backdoor pilot for The Punisher and led directly to the first season of that series. While season one happened after The Defenders, Frank had already been introduced by the time that team up happened. He was familiar with both Daredevil and Elektra, and had experience fighting The Hand. At that point, he was better suited for The Defenders than Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage were.
