Awesome / The Defenders (2017)

Matt Murdock: What I'm saying is, going at them head on, that'll get you killed.
Danny Rand: Only if we do it alone.

—Royal Dragon

After two and a half years of build up, Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand finally come together to stop the Hand.

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The H Word

• Matt has taken up pro bono lawyering in light of Elektra's death. He may not be partners with Foggy anymore, but he proves he can be a very good lawyer by himself, as he successfully wins an $11 million lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company. After winning the suit, he is approached by Karen, who is covering the case for the New York Bulletin. She is quick to congratulate Matt on winning the case and is complimentary toward him and his performance in the room.
• Jessica is first shown doing a bit of heroism by intervening when Trish is unable to persuade a parking enforcement officer not to tow her car, pulling the car off the truck herself. Later, she is approached by a mother and daughter looking to locate their missing husband/father. She initially turns them down, but reconsiders after getting a threatening phone call from a guy using a voice scrambler who warns her not to take the case. Jessica hasn't lost her investigator's edge, and concludes that this means something shady is going on that someone doesn't want her to discover.
  • Malcolm then posits the possibility that the guy is actually an amateur, and she could retrace the call. This gives Jessica an idea, so she calls the operator and makes up a sob story to get the caller's number.
• Luke is being released from prison, and the inmates are cheering him on, showing that he's still got his celebrity status even behind bars. His reputation even is still present back in Harlem, where people are immediately cooperative upon realizing who he is.
  • He is escorted to the exit and the guard pulls out his handcuff keys, then pretends to have trouble getting the cuffs open. When the guard "accidentally" drops his keys, Luke has had enough. He casually snaps the cuff chains and spouts a one-liner with a smirk, showing that he is there only because he chooses to be. A different guard even stands up in alarm.
    Luke: [shrugs] My bad.
• It turns out that Foggy is the good lawyer that Claire had been recommending to Luke, and he's managed to get all the charges against Luke dropped even without Matt there to tag-team the defense.
• This exchange between Luke and Claire that shows he is a hero through and through:
  Claire Temple: How does being Harlem's hero allow you to live an actual life?
  Luke Cage: Right now, I just wanna help people.

Mean Right Hook

• Luke Cage and Danny Rand face off at last, and it's an amazing fight that plays to both of their strengths. Danny unleashes all of his martial arts skill, landing combo after combo on Luke... who barely reacts to any of them. And whenever Danny fully commits to his offense, Luke is able to land a counterattack that frequently ends with Danny on the ground. On the flip side, when Luke initiates an attack he's the one who can't lay a hand on Danny, almost looking like he's moving in slow motion compared to the martial artist. In fact, whenever Danny focuses on his defense, he's able to dodge or parry everything Luke throws at him, even getting him to hit potentially dangerous things like an electrical box. Then Danny summons the Iron Fist to finally break the stalemate, leaps up to punch... and a slow-mo effect shows it crashing into Luke's chin before Luke goes flying across the alley and into a metal door, denting it.^note On the off chance you hadn't seen it, the scene is a Call-Back to a moment in Cage's own series where a thug punches him and crushes his own fist Both men take off as the cops arrive, with both Danny and Luke completely baffled with what they just encountered.
• A small sample of Misty Knight's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Jessica. It serves as a crushing Break the Haughty moment for Jessica, who claimed in her series that her unorthodox methods always got results:
  Misty Knight: You've interrupted a citywide investigation. You stole evidence from my crime scene. And you got my one lead killed.
  Jessica Jones: I was trying to help him!
  Misty Knight: But you didn't.
• Then in comes Matt Murdock, and now you know absolutely for sure that the crossover, which is The Avengers for the Netflix shows, is happening, and the average fan is left squeeing. The hilarious interaction between our protagonists is very much expected and in-character, as well as a Mythology Gag to when Matt appears in the Alias comic.

Worst Behavior

• Luke and Danny's second meeting. Luke calls out Danny for instantly resorting to violence on hirelings and not using the money and resources he has as a billionaire to stop the upper level members of the Hand. This leads Danny to reconsider his action and actually put his resources to good use, leading to the awesome moment right above.
  Danny: You know nothing about me.
  Luke: I know enough. And I know privilege when I see it. You may think you earned your strength, but you had power the day you were born. Before the dragons. Before the chi. You have the ability to change the world without getting anybody hurt.
  Danny: These people won't be stopped that way.
  Luke: So you're taking the war to the ones at the bottom, is that it? If I were in your shoes, I'd think twice about using that thing on people who are trying to feed their families. This isn't gonna work out, it's obvious. Good luck, man.
  • Of course , after Cole is murdered Luke is forced to concede that Danny was also right: the Hand can't be stopped unless they're willing to fight them head on and goes to the board room to do so.
• Danny arrives at Midland Circle, using his position as CEO of Rand Enterprises to see the Midland CEO.
  Receptionist: Name, please.
  Danny Rand: Daniel Rand of Rand Enterprises.
  Receptionist: Here to see?
  Danny Rand: The CEOs of Midland Circle Financials.
  Receptionist: Are they expecting you?
  Danny Rand: Not like this.
  • During the meeting, Alexandra tries to counter Danny's threat to expose them saying they aren't trying to hide. Danny immediately counters that yes, using their money and street level thugs to do the dirty work is hiding.
• Danny confronts the board and begins a Badass Boast on how he will destroy them...then Alexandra comes in, gives him a clap on the shoulder and a smile, and announces she's in charge.
  Alexandra: K'un-Lun. How is it these days?
• The fight at Midland Circle.
  • Danny grabs a supposed secretary who draws a gun on him, but Alexandra tells him "they'll rip right through her to get to you". In unison, every one of the "board members" rises up and pull out weapons and Danny gets an Oh, Crap! look as he realizes he just walked into a trap.
  • But, after a pause, Danny just plows right into the group, taking down goons left and right. When some enter and fire tranquilizer darts, Danny grabs one and bends his arm back so he shoots a pair of comrades. He then grabs one of the fired darts out of the wall and uses it to stab two more goons.
  • The goons manage to finally use numbers to throw Danny on the table, holding him down...at which point the conference room doors blast off their hinges and Luke saunters in. And those guys holding Danny down? He quickly throws them off after a moment.
    • Pause when Luke enters and you can see a couple of suited men smashed onto the broken doors.
  • A trio of men enter to fire automatics rifles at Luke, who stands and takes the bullets with Danny hiding behind him. As soon as they're done, the two go into action together. When another pack of goons enter, the two face the camera side-by-side, Danny holding up his glowing fist.
  • The "Hallway Scene": Marvel and Netflix hit their height of badassery as we see Matt, Jessica, Luke, and Danny fighting off mooks in a perfect shot that pays respects to each of their abilities and fighting styles.
    • Matt slams one guy into a wall, and then he and Danny then simultaneously punch the unfortunate schmuck in the face.
    • Then in perfect tandem, Luke and Jessica punch another pair of men across the corridor, and then Danny bounces off the wall to deliver a right hook to the third one, while Matt continues to beat up the unfortunate guy in the background.
    • Luke plows another unfortunate mook through a wall.
    • Jessica slams yet another goon into a wall, then hits the elevator button. Pragmatic Hero at it's finest, making sure they can actually leave when the fighting is over.
    • And look closely: as everyone's kicking the ass of random mooks, Elektra is slowly coming up behind them, ready to turn the tables on the fight.
  • A resurrected, possibly Brainwashed and Crazy Elektra with Black Eyes of Evil, in the closest ever costume to her comics one, fights Matt and punts him through a glass wall.
  • Matt roundhouse kicks a computer at Elektra and pins her to a table.
  • The fact that while Elektra does eventually beat Matt, Matt himself actually held his own incredibly well.In fact, it was rather the shock of who he was fighting that caused him to lose ground.
  • How tough is Alexandra? Even Gao was afraid of Danny. Alexandra? Just casually strolls on in during his little speech, mocks him by saying he can finish, and then sets everyone on him. Also she casually mentions she killed one Iron Fist in the past.
  • Danny saving Matt from Elektra by smashing her sword with the Iron Fist, which then sends her through a wall.
• Before all that there is blind, old Stick, beaten and chained, fighting off Alexandra, Elektra, and several Hand ninjas before cutting off his own hand and escaping.

Royal Dragon

• When Jessica left the restaurant after Stick barked at her to "Sit down and Shut Up!". While in most shows, anyone on the receiving end of this would do what they're told, this just ended up ticking Jessica off due to her trauma with Kilgrave. There is no way someone who spent months being held prisoner by a super-powered control freak will take well to someone similarly trying to order them around like a dog. It was almost surprising that Jessica didn't punch him in response.
• After leaving the others, Jessica returns to the restaurant... by shoving a car through the window.
  • Seeing our four heroes side by side is also this as the fight at Midland Circle showed them fighting together and now we actually get to see them prepare to work together.

Take Shelter

• During the brawl, Jessica becomes the first person to actually land a hit on Madame Gao, sending her flying.
• During the fight we get to see the Defenders' fighting dynamic more with Luke and Jessica teaming up against Elektra and Danny and Matt taking on Murakami.
• Hand leader Sowande takes on Luke and for the majority of the battle is curbstomping him. Later, when the others escape from the restaurant to hide out at Colleen's dojo, Matt hears someone come in and smiles as Luke walks in and reveals he has Sowande subdued and tied up.
• Jessica just narrowly gets to Trish before the Hand arrive at the restaurant she's eating at, forcing Jessica to take her upstairs to avoid the minions. However, Murakami is there and manages to beat Jessica enough to almost kill her... only for Matt, in full armor, to toss the billy club at Murakami, disorienting him enough for Matt and Jessica to knock him off the balcony, forcing Murakami to retreat. Daredevil is back with a vengeance.
• Stick casually decapitating Sowande after the latter takes Danny hostage.

Ashes, Ashes

• The fight between The Devil of Hell's Kitchen and The Immortal Iron Fist. After being sucker punched by Danny, Matt steps back, then counters with a surprise jab and the showdown begins. Their fighting styles are very different with Matt utilizing boxing as primary method of attack while Danny switches between roundhouse kicks and elbow strikes. For the most part of it, Matt however, is holding the upper hand in the fight, constantly advancing on the younger less experienced hero and making him retreat.
  • Then, after Jessica steps in calms Matt down, Danny, not ready to call this off, launches forward and catches Matt off guard with a kick. This prompts Jessica to slam down hard, drawing blood. Then Danny summons the Iron Fist. When he turns to attack Jessica and Matt, Luke grabs him and in response, Danny unleashes the iron fist on him. This creates a shockwave which sends everybody flying, including Stick who was standing away from them. As Danny gets up to leave, Matt pulls him down and Jessica finally knocks him out.
• After several episodes of both sides arguing about her loyalty, Elektra carries out a tour de force in establishing her position during this episode; she kills Stick, takes down the remaining Defenders before escaping with Danny, delivers him to Alexandra and the other members of the Hand... And then proceeds to kill Alexandra after the latter attempts a Badass Boast to reaffirm her position as leader of the Hand.
  Elektra Natchios: His name is Matthew.
  [Elektra pulls her sai out of Alexandra, letting her dead body fall to the floor]
  Elektra Natchios: And my name...is Elektra Natchios. You all work for me now.
  [As if on second thought, she then uses her katana to quickly decapitate Alexandra's body. Sighing in arousal, she turns to the remaining Fingers with a crazed look on her face]
  Elektra Natchios: Any questions?
  • This gets better with the audio description, as it's been referring to Elektra only as "the Black Sky" so far, but immediately after this starts calling her by name.

Fish in the Jailhouse

• Matt, after two seasons and six episodes of the miniseries of doubting himself and getting told off by his friends, finally silences Karen and reaffirms his conviction to being a superhero with a simple "this is my life."
  • In the same episode, Foggy finally gets the memo and brings Matt his Daredevil suit.
• Matt, Jessica and Luke against Madame Gao, Bakuto and Muramaki. It's a moment of awesome for both the heroes and the villains as both sides give their absolute best and work surprisingly well together. Special credit goes to Madame Gao; while the other two are occupied by Daredevil, who's merely a Badass Normal with weapons, Gao takes on the two superpowered teammates by herself. (Though, to be fair, Matt has extensive martial arts training whereas Jessica and Luke just throw punches and swing stuff only they can swing.) Points for Muramaki, who usually only serve to get punched around, covering their escape with Bakuto by starting a fire.
• John Raymond gets a posthumous one for figuring out the Hand's plan and planning on taking them down himself. He might've been killed before he could go through with it, but it's his explosives that give the Defenders the final ammunition they need to take down the Hand.

The Defenders

• Colleen's rematch against Bakuto, with Misty and Claire as backup.
• Danny Rand vs. Madame Gao, the power of the Iron Fist vs. the chi of one of the fingers of the Hand. In the previous episode Gao was too much for Jessica and Luke, but here, it's no contest: the Iron Fist sends Gao, Elektra, Murakami and the Hand mooks behind her flying. Do not desecrate the bones of Shou-Lao the Undying.
  • Kicked off with Luke by telling Danny five words:
    Luke Cage: Danny, light it up. Now. ^note  Very similar to what Cap told Thor in The Avengers.
  • "Wu-Tang Clan coming at you, protect your neck kid, so set it off the Inspector Deck."
• In the final fight against Elektra who has handed everyone their asses once at some point other, Matt and Jessica finally overwhelm her. Matt delivers a kick to her gut, followed by Jessica throwing Elektra into a rock wall, knocking her out.
• Jessica holding up the elevator and her two teammates long enough for them to get to safety after Elektra cuts it loose. Doubles as a funny moment as they're so in awe she has to remind them to get going.
• Matt staying behind to fight Elektra, both to keep her from following the rest of the team and to try and bring her back. And on top of that, knowing he was about to die in the process.

Trailers

• The Midland Circle teaser is one for the simple fact that we see the heroes together onscreen for the first time
• The first official trailer [1]
• Stick giving a rallying cry as only he can:
  Stick: You four, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, the smartass detective, the righteous ex-con, and the kid with a glowing fist. The war for New York is here. So get your shit together.
• Just the fact that Sigourney Weaver plays the antagonist. It really takes an actress of her caliber and badass cred to look at these four very powerful people arrayed against her, and have zero fucks to give.
• The brilliant ways in which the trailer introduces few important points about the characters to the viewers, even those who have yet to see the other series or know much about comics in general
  • Jessica is shown to be a Failure Hero, having got someone killed while trying to help them. Misty's and Stick's comments, along with her breaking into a sealed off room nail her as an antihero detective with unorthodox methods. Her breaking into a room along with the hallway fight show her to have Super-Strength, while her first scene shows her to be bloodied, showing that she is not invulnerable. Adding to her Anti-Hero image is her snarking the most, and being excessively abrasive to a thug she manhandles. She is also shown to be a decent Action Girl but without the combat finesse of her companions. Her first few scenes also establish her as a Broken Bird who drinks a lot.
  • Danny is shown to be immature when he immediately attacks a guy who just happened be near a crime scene, and nearly socks him in the face before the guy, whose clearly scared shitless, could open his mouth and explain. He is also pretty giddy about them becoming a team. His social awkwardness is shown in him being Innocently Insensitive while remarking about blindness. His martial art skills are shown by him fighting an unknown opponent, as well as his agility is shown with him backflipping an opponent, his title and his ability of the Enhanced Punch are shown in his interactions with Luke.
  • Luke is clearly shown to be the toughest and strongest of the group, being shown to be beyond the ability of normal humans to hurt, bulletproof, Super-Strength enough to casually snap handcuff chains, effortlessly knock down Danny with a light slap, charge through a wall and punch harder than Jessica in the hallway fight. His heroic nature is also shown in his scene with Claire, as well as being a Mr. Fanservice, a Harlem resident and being in a relationship with her. He is also shown and stated to be an ex-convict.
  • Matt is shown to be a witty lawyer who takes up seemingly hopeless cases, a Handicapped Badass who is referred to as a blind ninja, also showcasing his fighting skills against an unknown opponent, and without his suit, showing that its not essential for him. His status as a costumed crimefighter and the only one among them with a secret identity is shown (and a costume, which is shown as well), with him having to improvise a mask with Jessica's scarf, and his nickname and being stationed in Hell's Kitchen is said out as well.
  • Elektra is shown to be in a coffin, signifying that she was resurrected. Plus she is shown to kick ass while being normal to show that she is an Action Girl martial artist, which also allows the viewer to understand the change in her demeanor afterwards.
• The second trailer, increases the hype. It shows Danny being rescued by the other three, the return of Bakuto, Elektra going up against Danny, and then Matt, respectively, and so much more.
• The final trailer, though brief compared to the others give us some highlights.
  • Luke taking on Jessica.
  • Danny obliterating Elektra's blade to save Matt.
  • Luke protecting Danny from gun fire.
  • Four words from Luke:
    Luke Cage: Danny. Light it up.
  • The final scene at the end, showing Matt slinging his billy club around a Hand member's neck. Danny and Luke are impressed.
    Danny Rand: So cool.
    Luke Cage: I mean, it's... it's kind of cool.