1) The Shows Know Their Own Limits
Ultimately, one of the biggest strengths that these series have demonstrated thus far is an impressive sense of awareness. Whether that be an awareness of how each new addition affects the larger story or simply an understanding of how to get the best out of a comparatively meagre budget, it’s great to see that these shows aren’t taking unnecessary risks in the hopes of achieving a big payout.
From the very beginning, series like Daredevil stood out in a time where things like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead kept striving to get bigger and compete with movie blockbusters. There’s no less sense of fantasy in the likes of The Defenders as there is in The Avengers, for example, but the fact that the shows don’t try to go pound-for-pound with their big screen brothers is commendable given current TV expectations.
As a result, these Marvel series are still able to wow us with a deep story or neat character interplay. Movies in the MCU, on the other hand, seem to be simply content to cram as many of their heroes onto the screen as possible in attempts to get bigger and bigger each time. Literal growth this may well be, but it’s not translating into anything as meaningful as that which the Netflix shows have managed.
If the same has been maintained for November’s new entry, The Punisher should be a more than worthy addition to the ongoing tale!