Binge watching the streams and eye-balling the books falling off the shelf. What a life.
Finally caught up to the Punisher on Disney Plus. I’d say the title should be more like the Punishment. He does get beat up. A lot. Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle presents the perfect picture of a human punching bag that punches back. Castle returns in a one-off special for Disney Plus, to be co-written with Bernthal, to air in 2026. The two seasons, so far, are intense, with Castle hunting down the people involved in his family’s murder. A twist pops up in season two when one of those people survives a horrific beating with some screws shaken loose and little past memory of how evil he was. He struggles between guilt and embracing that evil as it returns in flashes of violence. Castle just struggles with everything, but especially some internally driven guilt, leaving him open to bleeding. A lot. The Punisher ties neatly into the Jessica Jones and Daredevil universe, so essential viewing if you like that dark underbelly of crime noir dripping off of wet urban sidewalks feeling.
Speaking of which, Daredevil Born Again is off to a promising start, with both the Kingpin and Matt Murdoch (the spot on Charlie Cox) squaring off for a battle royale. It doesn’t take long for Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio is perfect in the role) to once again don the white suit and impeccable villainy, locking up people in cages, including Castle, like a living gallery of people he holds grudges against. Hmm…now that sounds familiar. I see I have to watch the Disney Plus series, Echo, which is somewhat of a prequel to Fisk’s mayoral ploy in this run. The first two episodes of Echo left me without motivation to continue that series, but with Marvel intertwining their stories across series, I guess it can’t be avoided.
That’s what kind of tanked the Captain America: Brave New World movie. If you didn’t see the Eternals, well, that gigantic dead Celestial Tiamut popping up in the ocean sort of comes out of left field; and a lot of people didn’t see Eternals (me included). That movie was so stuffed into a convoluted story when it should have been a streaming series to give it full justice. That’s another one I tried watching but couldn’t get past the first half-hour. Would have been better if Sam would just take the damn serum and be done with it, then CABNW could have focused less on feelings and more on plot-driven action. If I recall correctly, there’s one vial of it left at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (another series I finally got caught up on!). Then again, that other Captain America’s partner who isn’t superpowered gets killed, so that’s another worry Sam Wilson has to deal with, as his partner is also less than super. The social implications are worth exploring in the series, a black man asked to be the beacon of a white America, but what works in a series of episodes can be an anchor in a single comic book movie, weighing down the overall momentum and plotline. Time will tell. I originally thought Anthony Mackie was not the right fit for the role, but he fits it like a glove now. I just wish he’s given the opportunity to really strut his stuff in a more stand-alone adventure not tied to other streams.
To make the franchise-intertwining complete, you need to catch Luke Cage. And excellent drama centered around one brick wall of a superhero, the Harlem he loves and protects, and the people wheeling and dealing through the streets and local politics, leaving a social mess where they go. While not noir in styling, it hooks a little closer to a 1970s New York criminality vibe, with its fictional nightclub, Harlem’s Paradise, riffing off the real Lenox Lounge and Smalls Paradise. Then the musical interludes, capturing a 1990’s hip-hop vibe (courtesy of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad_, are intense, breaking up the drama and action with lulls that embellish the storyline with their moody spots that really lend a richness to the atmosphere of the club and the story itself. Nerdist put together a play list of artists who appear in the nightclub music scenes for your edification pleasure.
Last but not least, I finally caught up on Iron Fist. I still stick to what I wrote previously, but watching the full run, both seasons, the plot elements finally tied up neatly. But all through each episode I kept wondering when he’d actually use both fists instead of that limp one-wrist approach when fighting. And speaking of fighting, the action scenes were better in the second season, but Danny still seemed less than Bruce Lee when his character really needed Lee’s dynamism in his legs and moving style. We do, finally get to the double-fisted action, but that happens as an endcap to the series, leaving us wondering how he got to that point. All in all, not the strongest entry in the franchise-prone Marvel Universe, but not bad.
Next up: Agents of Shield and those wonderful one-offs.
(ZC Note: I did watch Echo. It’s okay, but it didn’t reverberate with me all that much. The storyline with Kingpin is so him that it really opens up that character to see how evil he can be. So if you want a fully fleshed out understanding of the big bad, this series really hits it on the nail. Vincent D’Onofrio is really terrific and terrifying in the role, bouncing between childlike and devilish with such smoothness it’s scary to watch.