8) The Casting Is (Mostly) Much Stronger
There’s no denying that the caveat is essential here. Admittedly, not every casting call has been on the money for Marvel’s Netflix shows so far. Reviews for Iron Fist proved that casting issues weren’t limited to a white-washing controversy and that certain performances weren’t entirely well received. But hey, nothing’s ever perfect!
And, save for the aforementioned example, the track record for great casting in Marvel’s Netflix shows has been stellar. Heroic roles featuring Charlie Cox, Jon Bernthal and Krysten Ritter truly brought the titular comic book characters to life. But, a great actor surrounded by mediocrity can very rarely save a series all by themselves.
Fortunately, no such issue is apparent here. Star villain turns by Vincent D’Onofrio and Mahershala Ali frequently stole their respective shows (and we’ll have more on that later) and the likes of Tom Pelphrey, Deborah Ann Woll and Rosario Dawson (to name just a few) turned supporting roles into stars. It takes a lot to upstage a hero in a superhero series, but so many great actors have managed to do just that with Marvel’s small screen offerings.
With the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch hamming it up with his best Robert Downey Jr. impression in Doctor Strange or the recasting of Bruce Banner after The Incredible Hulk as just two glaring examples of bad casting, the MCU films cannot boast the same success.
