Spoiler Warning:
Daredevil and Jessica Jones will be discussed in depth. If you have not seen
all of the episodes, you might not want to proceed. If you have or simply don't
give a damn, by all means, continue on friend.
Marvel has been blowing it out of the water
lately, especially where Netflix is concerned. I'm completely pumped for the
release of Civil War, but until then I will content myself with the amazing
superhero stories provided for streaming. Daredevil made some serious waves,
particularly for its violence. Then Jessica Jones hit the air and I was amazed
at its ability to accurately portray the emotions that can follow rape. While
some characters in Jessica Jones were directly raped, there is also the rape of
their mind in the complete lack of control when being taken over by mind
control.
In any case, both shows are kick-ass (ha,
another superhero) and I couldn't wait to do another comparison post. I have
with me today my awesome ex-coworker Randy who is big comic book fan and
Preston, another ex-coworker, to be our tie breaker. And now, let's smackdown!
Ass Kicking Superhero
Matt Murdock aka
Daredevil vs. Jessica Jones
Randy: Matt Murdock lost his father to crime, was trained as a warrior,
spends his days taking on criminals in the light as a lawyer, and spends his
night brutally beating criminals in the dark as Daredevil. Matt’s entire
motivation is that he sees crime as a plague that he needs to eradicate. But he
struggles with how far must he go to achieve that goal.
Jessica Jones is a hard drinking, hard
hitting, private investigator who takes nobody’s crap. She’s so tough she’d
make John Wayne bake her a cake out of fear. Jessica’s complexity comes from
the fact that all of that hard edged persona is an armor that hides a person
who needs to be redeemed, but on her own terms. She was a victim to a powerful
sadist who made her do terrible things that victimized other people. Jessica
will do whatever it takes to save people from that fate and in doing so, can
move past the things she was made to do before.
If the idea was “who is the stronger
character” I’d have to side with Jessica because she has a truckload more
trauma than Matt and faces a more powerful enemy. But Matt represents more of
what I envision as a superhero. He’s selfless, he fights overwhelming odds as
one man with no powers or special equipment, he turned his weakness into his
greatest strength, and he ends up with a pretty awesome costume and a secret
identity. But the strongest contrast is that Matt constantly wrestles with the
question “Does the ends justify the means?” He knows that murdering criminals
would mean “no more criminals;” but he knows that would make him what he hates
and strives to do the right thing even when it is the hard thing. Jessica
wrestles with the “Should I kill him?” question as well; but not as hard or as
often as Matt and ultimately, she does justify those means.
Verdict: Matt Murdock
Alex: Matt Murdock as Daredevil did hit the scene
first, and he hit it hard. Hardcore. I mean, the guy is blind and he can
eliminate people no problem. That is pretty superhero worthy. He had an
unfortunate accident while young, but he trained like a boss to be able to
fight. And he's got a great heart to boot. Now Jessica Jones is all sorts of
something else. She also had an accident while younger, but she doesn't train
for ass kicking. She's just a brawler. A super strong brawler, but still a
brawler. I admire her tenacity and strength to not only be mentally controlled
by a man but to also be raped, and come out of it and decimate him.
Verdict: I got to give the edge to Matt
Murdock. While I freaking love Jessica Jones and would go to war with
her, she didn't train and dedicate herself to honing her skills the way
Daredevil did. But I do like her costume better...bourbon soaked tees
with jeans and a leather jacket? Yes, please.
WINNER: MATT MURDOCK
Best Friend aka
Wannabe Sidekick
Foggy Nelson vs.
Trish Walker
Randy: Foggy is
Matt’s college roommate, law partner, and best friend. They are like peas in a
pod… or avocados of law… I forget which. The point is that Foggy is a good
friend and on his own merit is a good man. Most of what we see from Foggy in
the series is related to Karen, but he still has his vital part to play with
Matt.
Trish is Jessica’s once
reluctant foster sister and later becomes Jessica’s greatest friend. Trish and
Jessica watch out for each other but they are also 100% real with each other.
Not afraid to call out each other’s bad decisions or backhanded comments; which
there are an abundance of both between them. But when push comes to shove, they
got each other’s backs.
Foggy and Trish are both
great best friends to have, but I have to give the win to Trish. Jessica and
Trish are open with each other about everything, especially Jessica’s powers
and her time with Kilgrave. Foggy had to learn about Matt’s vigilantism the
hard way and though he keeps it secret, he is not happy about it and trailers
from Season 2 show that trend continuing. Trish argues with Jessica to allow
her to help, trains in hand-to-hand combat to defend herself, and ultimately
takes experimental drugs to give herself temporary super strength to protect
Jessica when she was wounded. Also, in the comics she becomes the hero Hellcat
and no avocado can compete with that.
Verdict:
Trish Walker
Alex: Foggy is adorable, I mean c'mon...his name is
Foggy. And he is a good friend and good person, but he gets kind of beefy with
Matty boy. I mean, Matt is going on and trying to do good and Foggy is kind of
an ass about it. He does attempt to keep Matt from getting in over his head, it
just doesn't work.
Trish Walker does not immediately get along with Jessica,
but once Jessica proves her might against Trish's abusive mother the two are
thick as thieves. Until Kilgrave that is. But Trish does everything to bridge
the gap, and by connecting dots one can assume she might become a superhero in
her own right. By the name of Hellcat. Now if that isn't a bad bitch, I don't
know who is?
Verdict: Trish Walker. She isn't just there
for Jessica through it all, but she actually can completely become a legit
sidekick.
WINNER: TRISH WALKER
Secretary of the Year
Karen Page vs.
Malcolm Ducasse
Randy: Karen starts as a client to Matt
and Foggy then becomes a literal secretary. She buys office equipment, albeit
crappy obsolete office equipment. But she also is integral to the case against
Fisk. She chases leads, questions people for information, and does what is
necessary to put Fisk away.
Malcolm is a bit more
complicated. He seems like Jessica’s drug addled neighbor, but is revealed to
be spying on her for Kilgrave. Kilgrave mind controlled Malcolm and got him
addicted to drugs to keep him chained to his services. Malcolm was able to
break free from that because of Jessica and then he tries to help her. Malcolm
starts a support group for Kilgrave victims, helps get rid of a body planted by
Kilgrave in Jessica’s apartment, and supports Jessica to keep fighting.
Karen and Malcolm both have
debts to repay and also are victims who don’t want others to be put in their
situations. The key difference between them is that Malcolm honestly tries to
do the right thing, but it often ends up backfiring on him and making things
harder for Jess. Such as getting the annoying neighbor Robyn involved, which
leads to Kilgrave gaining a bunch of victims to give him an edge over Jessica.
Karen… she straight up shot Wesley to death to avoid those type of problems.
You go, Karen! I sincerely hope you don’t sell out Matt to the Kingpin for
drugs like you did in the comics.
Verdict:
Karen Page
Alex: Karen Page is another innocent caught
up the in the shitty situation of Hell's Kitchen and Fisk's enterprises.
When she's found by Matt and Foggy, she's given a chance and is actually
a very successful secretary. But her presence is most likely going to
cause some heartbreak and tension between the two best friends.
Malcolm isn't actually a secretary. He
gets addicted to drugs by Kilgrave's influence in order to get dirt on Jessica.
But, he does exhibit some tremendous courage in that regard. He is
mind controlled by Kilgrave to get addicted to drugs, but once the mind control
is up he chooses to kick the habit. He has a brief moment of doubt about trying
to help Jessica, purely because he doesn't have super strength and it doesn't
appear that she wants him. But he does stick around and is seen answering
her phone at the end of the episodes as people want super help. Jessica may not
want him, but she needs him.
I'm picking Malcolm, because I'm all for
survivor stories and beating the odds.
Verdict: Malcolm Ducasse
Tie-Breaker: Okay. Karen Page is the better secretary for the
following reasons. First off, she proved herself competent enough to warrant
attempts on her life. She demonstrated not only an intellectual threat to
Fisk-n-friends but a physical one as well, seeing as she was the one who
murdered Fisk’s right-hand/best-friend.
Malcolm is inferior in
this regard not only because he’s a junkie and recipient of mind-control but
because he poses no actual threat to anyone. In fact, the only reason he’s
targeted at all is because Kilgrave wants to hurt Jessica Jones anyway he can.
WINNER: KAREN PAGE
Love Interest
Extraordinaire
Claire Temple vs.
Luke Cage
Randy: Claire patches Matt up, keeps his secrets
even in the face of torture and death, and sometimes finds herself sharing a
kiss or two with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Claire is strong and unwavering,
but still fragile. She openly feels fear for the repercussions that Matt may
face for his actions and she doesn’t hide that it is difficult for her to be
with him romantically while he runs on rooftops and dodges bullets. But she
still makes herself available to Matt when he needs medical assistance… which
is quite often.
Luke Cage is a complex love interest. He
seems cool and collected, eventually reveals that he has super strength and
impenetrable skin. He goes so far to tell Jessica that she can’t hurt him
because he is “unbreakable.” But the more we learn about Luke the more we see
that he is vulnerable. Sure bullets and broken bottles can’t hurt him but loss
and betrayal cuts to the heart. He feels both of those things because of
Jessica. Kilgrave made her kill Luke’s wife and she begins a relationship with
him without telling him the truth. Luke’s arc doesn’t fully get resolved in
Jessica Jones, but we know that Luke’s own series begins this fall. The only
thing we have until then is Jessica cuddling up to an injured and unconscious
Cage saying that he is the only person she can see herself with.
Because the arc between Luke isn’t over I
have to give the edge to him. Claire and Matt’s relationship seems to only be
one of a platonic nature going forward, even if it is also wrought with regret
and sexual tension. Plus Matt’s old flame Elektra is a part of Season 2 and I
feel that is going to be the more prevailing relationship on that show. Claire
deserves to be with someone who is going to take her feeling into account. Cage
and Jones have more to tell and more to grow on. Plus in the comics, Jones and
Cage eventually get married and have an adorable daughter. Who doesn’t want to
see that?!
Verdict: Luke Cage
Alex: Claire Temple is played by Rosario
Dawson. I would switch teams in a heart beat if she asked me to come join
her in bed. She's gorgeous. As Claire, she's a nurturing nurse who
sticks around to help patch up Matt. Which proves she's also a fighter.
But as a normal woman, it is hard to run with the fighters. She has
the attitude, no doubt about it. But with the soon to be around addition
of Elektra, I sense Claire might be pushed aside.
Luke Cage...oh, the things I would do with
him if I had the chance. The man is indestructible. Well nearly.
During sex, he and Jessica break a bed. They break...a bed... If
that isn't the hottest thing ever, I don't know what is. I have to give
an edge to Luke because I know his story with Jessica isn't over yet.
Unless the show decides to completely ignore the source material, Jessica
and Luke will definitely be seeing more of each other and I desperately hope
that means more of Luke without a shirt on...Mhmmm...
Verdict: Luke Cage
WINNER: LUKE CAGE
Evilest Villain
Around
Wilson Fisk vs.
Kilgrave
Randy: I have to preface
this by saying that this is the hardest decision to make for me. Both villains
are extremely evil and not in a mindless, “want to see the world burn” kind of
way. But in a way that is thoughtful and is the direct byproduct of childhood
trauma and the need to no longer feel helpless. But I think they are both very
different villains and for that I have to decide which type of villain is more
evil than the other.
Fisk is a man with almost unlimited power. He
has money and influence, he has numerous partnerships and allies, but most of
all he has charisma. He can empower and inspire some and make others tremble
with fear. He can make you feel that you are a valued asset mere seconds before
he counts you as a loss and disposes of you. But more so than any of that, is
that he feels that he is not a villain. He is simply doing what is necessary in
his viewpoint to make Hell’s Kitchen better. Sometimes the worst villain is the
one that thinks themselves the hero.
Kilgrave’s power is more limited in the
strength of its reach but more potent in the power of it’s influence. Kilgrave
can make anyone, do anything… and he does, often. Kilgrave’s motivations are
not grandiose in scope or nature. He is actually rather small time in
comparison. He simply wants what he wants and he takes it. No bargaining, no
intimidation, no shady dealings… just takes it. I think the most villainous thing
about Kilgrave is that he has no regard for anyone or anything other than
himself; but even further, he doesn’t understand why Jessica or anyone else
thinks that is wrong. He, like Fisk, doesn’t think himself the villain; but he,
unlike Fisk, doesn’t have a seemingly noble goal and doesn’t even think that
the individual things he does is wrong on any level.
So what is worse? The guy who is a monster
for no purpose and doesn’t know it; or the guy who is a monster and knows it,
but tries to justify it? Personally, I think the latter. Fisk knows that he
does bad things. He knows he kills people and that he perpetuates violence but
sees it as a necessary evil to reach his goal. He actively and knowingly
participates in evil and finds it justified. Kilgrave does worse things in
comparison and is overall scarier in scope; but the lack of a moral compass makes
him more broken than evil.
Verdict: Wilson Fisk
Alex: So here in this
category, we are comparing two father killers.
Quite literally. Both are
responsible for the deaths of their fathers.
In pretty ugly and vicious ways too.
Both are pretty terrifying to me, but for very different reasons.
Fisk is terrifying to me because he believes
that everything he is doing is for the greater good. He believes he is the change Hell’s Kitchen
needs to become great. So viciously
threatening or killing people is just part of the process to him. And he’s really good at being vicious.
On the other hand, Kilgrave is scarier to me. Truly and completely terrifying because of
what his powers are. I’m a survivor of
sexual assault and part being raped or assaulted is having your control
completely taken away. That is what
Kilgrave does when he mind controls someone.
Not only that, while women are under his mind control, he forces himself
upon them. So he mentally and
psychically rapes them. And he sees
nothing wrong with this. He genuinely
believes Jessica wanted to have sex with him while and after being under his
mind control. He doesn’t believe she
might have felt coerced into participating for her own safety. And that is why he is scarier to me. Because he rapes and feels no remorse over
it.
Verdict: Kilgrave
Tie-Breaker: Kilgrave’s parents indicated that he was born
sociopathic—which is to say that he is merely a product of nature and can’t
fully control his power and inner darkness.
Fisk on the other hand was
created as a product of society (nurture) and chooses to make his own decisions
since he’s not influenced by supernatural factors. He did chop a man’s head off
with a car door just because his dinner was interrupted.
As a side note an
interesting comparison between these two villains is that they both murdered
their fathers. However, in terms of who is more evil I have to give this one to
Fisk for the sole reason of choice.
Certain concessions I will
make for the reverse is that while he majority of Fisk’s crimes are somehow
related to his vision of a better society, Kilgrave’s crimes are because he
likes to hurt people. However, Kilgrave did once (if only once) use his powers
for good. I can’t remember if the same can ever be said for Fisk.
WINNER: WILSON FISK
Evil on the Fringe
James Wesley vs. Jeri
Hogarth
Randy: James Wesley is
Fisk’s right hand man and closest friend. He speaks on Fisk’s behalf to other
criminal heads, he threatens informants and lackeys when they become a
liability, and he is the only person who reciprocates the importance of the
love that Fisk has for Vanessa. Wesley is actually a pretty great friend, even
if he and his friend are awful people. Wesley is even willing to get his hands
dirty himself just to spare Fisk the trouble of doing so, even if that might not
have been his smartest move…
Jeri Hogarth (who is actually a man in the
comics, btw) is interesting. She is cold and calculated. Her number one
priority is her career and wealth. When we see that she is willing to do
anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to keep from going through a divorce that will
bankrupt her; we realize that Jeri is ruthless and unwilling to count her
loses. She allows a psychopath like Kilgrave to be free just so she can gain
something, which ultimately ended up costing her much more.
I have to give this one to Jeri. Wesley may
be an awful person who is willing to kill, threaten, and bribe anyone he needs
to. But he ultimately does so for Fisk. His boss and his friend. His evil comes
from a devotion to another person. Jeri, however, is a cheater, a liar, and
willing to employ evil and dangerous people just to get what she wants. Her
greatest remorse from the whole ordeal is that Pam will have nothing to do with
her afterwards. Not the people who Kilgrave killed after she set him loose and
not the death of her wife at the hands of Pam, who was trying to protect Jeri;
but the fact that she lost that which she wanted.
Verdict: Jeri Hogarth
Alex: Boy, these shows are
fraught with some sketchy people. Though
not the villains, James Wesley and Jeri Hogarth are pretty bad in their own
ways. Everything Wesley does, he does in
honor of Fisk. Whether it is threatening
partners to keep them in line or killing lesser issues, he does it all for his
best bud Fisk. It ultimately bites him
in the ass cause you know, he gets all deaded.
Jeri is actually male in the comic books,
which makes me wonder if the show would have taken the same route if they had
kept the gender the same. She’s a
lawyer, which means by nature, she needs to be pretty ruthless. But this bitch takes it to a whole other
level. She cheats on her wife with her
secretary, asks for a divorce, takes her girlfriend to the restaurant where she
proposed to her wife, asks her girlfriend to marry her before the divorce is
even finalized, and then threatens her wife because she’s taking too long
signing the papers. She promises to help
Kilgrave, which she does and which also bites her in the ass because he mind
controls Wendy the wife into slicing the shit out of her. The girlfriend comes to the rescue and kills
wifey, because there was no other way to stop her. So Jeri doesn’t get any of the blame.
Wesley does what he does for his boss and
friend. Jeri don’t give no shits for
anyone but herself.
Verdict: Jeri Hogarth
WINNER: JERI HOGARTH
Good Guy Caught in the Crossfire
Ben Urich vs. Officer
Clemons
Randy: Ben Urich is a great
character. The guy selflessly throws himself into dangerous situations all for
the truth behind the story. He helps Karen even when she has little to go on.
He gives info to the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen even when he is reportedly a
dangerous criminal. He even lies to Fisk’s face about Karen’s involvement just
to save her from his wrath, paying the ultimate price himself. That death cut
me pretty deep, because even in the comics Urich is a prominent figure for both
Daredevil and Spider-Man; now he is gone...
Officer Clemons was a surprising twist. The
guy is a good cop and all he wanted to do was help catch a dangerous criminal.
We unfortunately didn’t know a whole lot about him, just that he was someone
that Jessica actually respected; which is amazing since she doesn’t really
respect anyone. His death at the hands of Officer Simpson (known in the comics
as the supervillain, Nuke) was incredibly shocking and sudden.
As much as I love Ben Urich, I have to give
the nod to Officer Clemons. Not only for the level of shock around his death,
but also the fact that unlike Clemons, Urich knew exactly what he was getting
into. He knew Fisk would be after him because he spent his life pissing off
criminals with his editorials. Urich’s death was tragic, but it was not
unexpected. Clemons’s death was totally unexpected and came at the hands of
someone you thought to be an ally, even if he seemed to be an unstable one.
Verdict: Officer Clemons
Alex: You can never have
enough good guys, except maybe in a comic book show where they become fodder
for the story. In Ben’s case, he is already
putting pieces together and gets dragged into the drama. Ben is trying to make the most for his wife,
which is such a devastating story. But
once he realizes the magnitude of the situation, he continues. So he isn’t really caught in the crossfire so
much. He willingly puts himself in the
way of Fisk and his desire to murder people to get his way.
Officer Clemons on the other hand, gets truly
caught in the crossfire. Jessica is
determined to get him to understand that Hope is innocent. He doesn’t want anything to do with the
situation for the longest time.
Eventually he comes around to it and his reward? Getting his face melted off. But that douche bag Will. All Clemons wanted was justice. I hope he comes back and haunts Will.
I’m picking Officer Clemons, because he
really didn’t understand the magnitude of what he was getting into when he
decided to listen to what Jessica had to say.
And he got set on fire as a result.
Verdict: Officer Clemons
WINNER: OFFICER CLEMONS
Hottie Love Interest of Someone Else
Vanessa Marianna vs.
Pam
Randy: Vanessa Marianna is
charming, eloquent, and seductive. It takes little effort to see why a man like
Fisk would become infatuated with her. The moments where she talks about art,
especially with Matt Murdock where she describes a painting to a blind man, is
indicative of her poise. But behind that poise is someone who has no trouble
with the fact that her man is a murdering psychopath with overwhelming rage
issues. Bet you won’t find that in her Match.com profile.
Pam, who apparently is not fit to have a last
name, is Jeri’s secretary and mistress. She is outspoken, stands up for
herself, and genuinely seems to love Jeri. She, however, is totally cool with
breaking up someone’s marriage and puts some pressure on Jeri to get that done.
Too bad for Jeri that when Pam goes to jail for bashing her wife’s head between
a flower vase and a glass table there isn’t much spark left in the
relationship.
If this was solely a “who do I think is
hotter?” question, the answer is Pam. All day. Everyday. Pam… Pam. BUT, I don’t
think Pam is a good love interest. She places pressure on her lover to break up
her marriage and then becomes shocked and appalled at the lengths she was
willing to go to do that. Yes, that whole situation was Jeri’s fault, but Pam
definitely made that situation tougher than needed. Vanessa loves Fisk after he
blows up buildings, smashes brains in with a car door, and throws people down
elevator shafts. Ah, murder is so romantic.
Verdict: Vanessa Marianna
Alex: On the one hand, we
have Vanessa. She is cultured, smart, and
sophisticated. As well as being
gorgeous. She knows there is more to
Fisk than meets the eye. But she does
deal with and tolerate his murdering habits, which isn’t necessarily a good
perspective to have. But whatever works
for her, I suppose. She’s certainly
smart enough to be able to engage her own psyche in some kind of detachment
from his decisions. Love is complicated,
y’all.
On the other hand, we have Pam. She’s not just gorgeous. She’s fucking hot. I don’t know who her stylist is on the show,
but I want every single dress she wears.
Because if they can accent her cleavage that nicely, it should work well
for my own girls. But she’s not really a
good person. She is the mistress and
pushes Jeri to file for divorce. I just
don’t understand people who cheat. If
you are unhappy, end your relationship. Talk to your partner. Why the need to fuck someone else on the sly? If you free yourself from your unhappy
relationship, you can fuck them not on the sly.
Or maybe at people’s cores, they enjoy lying to people. I don’t
know. Her redeeming moment is saving
Jeri and taking the fall for the situation.
But it just isn’t enough.
Verdict: Vanessa Marianna
WINNER: VANESSA MARIANNA
Innocent Caught in the Crossfire
Elena Cardenas vs.
Hope Schlottman
Randy: Elena Cardenas was a
sweet old woman who just wanted to stay in her home. She had to deal with
brutes defacing her home, slum lords threatening to sue her, and then bombs
going off nearby. That poor woman went through Hell just keep her home and just
when you think she would get what she fought for and justice would prevail, she
gets killed. Awesome...
Hope Schlottman was an innocent college
student from a small town who came to New York full of dreams and hope for the
future. Then she met Kilgrave and he took that all away. He forced her into all
of the terrible situations that he forced Jessica into, then made her kill her
parents. Hope was arrested and charged for that murder. Though it took most of
the season, Jessica was able to eventually get Hope out of jail and on the road
to rebuilding her life. Then Kilgrave got his hands on her again and she killed
herself in an attempt to motivate Jessica to do what was necessary to end
Kilgrave once and for all.
This is depressing and almost a little
reminiscent of Sophie’s Choice. Both options are terrible and depressing with
no way to feel good about the results. But I have to go with Hope Schlottman,
just because of the sheer volume of things that she had to go through was
unbearable, but then she had no hope felt after it was all done. She didn’t
even want to be released from prison, she felt her life was over. The fact that
she was beaten down that much by Kilgrave just makes her "win" by
default. Even though I was more upset about Elena because I enjoyed her more as
a character,; Elena was not mentally suggested into doing terrible things, become
impregnated by the evil guy who did bad things to you, and then ultimately
decide that life was not worth living anymore. Sorry, Elena… you got it pretty
easy by comparison.
Verdict: Hope Schlottman
Alex: This category has no
winners. Seriously. It’s picking between a shitty situation and
an even shittier situation. First, we
have Elena Cardenas. She’s just a poor,
old woman trying to fix and keep her home.
She helps lay the groundwork for Foggy and Karen. Which then gets totally blown up. By a literal bomb. Then when you think Elena will get her
justice…she gets deaded instead.
Second, we have Hope Schlottman. A college student who came to New York trying
to follow her dreams gets all sorts of fucked up. She gets mind controlled and raped. Then she gets rescued, but then gets mind
controlled into killing her parents and arrested for the crime. The rape results in a pregnancy, and painful
abortion. She’s able to get out, but it’s
not like Kilgrave will leave her alone.
What kind of happy life can Hope have going forward? She sees none in sight and kills herself to
give Jessica motivation to end Kilgrave for good.
Hope has no hope. She’s my pick because what should have been a
chance at opportunity and dreams instead resulted in her rape, the murder of
her parents, jail time, unplanned pregnancy, and suicide. Just UGH all over the
place.
Verdict: Hope Schlottman
WINNER: HOPE SCHLOTTMAN
Upcoming Character
Frank Castle aka the
Punisher vs. the Elusive IGH Corporation
Randy: Frank Castle is one of the
most interesting characters in the Marvel universe. He lives in a world with
gods, mutants, super soldiers, and aliens. Most would feel powerless in that
kind of world but Frank Castle has something that many of them don't have;
conviction and a helluva lot of bullets. Castle runs around New York brutally
murdering criminals without a second thought with a skull painted on his body
armor, calling himself the Punisher. The trailers for Season 2 show a man who is
willing to do what Daredevil won't in stopping bad guys; he's willing to put
them in the ground.
IGH is an enigma and we got merely enough of
a taste in Season 1 of Jessica Jones to be intrigued. They have ties to
Simpson/Nuke and the drugs that turn him into a super strong maniac and they
also seem to have ties with the accident that gave Jessica her super strength.
I am hoping that Season 2 will explore that relationship further and perhaps
with Kilgrave's remains and the research that extended his powers, we will see
something truly nefarious from them next season.
As much as the possibilities for IGH can make
me feel excited, I can also see the possibility of being let down since we know
nothing in regards to Jessica Jones season 2. But with all the things we see
from Season 2 of Daredevil and even the glimpses of Jon Bernthal's portrayal of
Punisher from the trailers has me beyond pumped for his character.
Verdict: Frank Castle
Alex: Everyone loves a
good story about vengeance. Enter Frank
Castle. This guy goes full force to
bring a sense of justice to the victims and little guys. I mean, on the one
hand, we have due process for a reason.
But on the other hand, fuck those guys.
I’m all for having a day in court, but I’m also all for serving actual justice. Something the courts often get wrong. He’s complex and bad-ass. He’s Batman without a mask or morals.
IGH has been on the fringes throughout the
first season, and we were left with just a tease of what could be to come. The thing with corporations being involved in
superhero business is that you can’t always know the extent of what they are
involved in. Much like HYDRA,
corporations have many arms and can reach about doing all sorts of nefarious
shit.
But my pick is Frank. I can’t wait to see Daredevil deal with a guy
who gives no fucks about serving his form of justice. Jon Bernthal is going to be boss as hell.
Verdict: Frank Castle
WINNER: FRANK CASTLE
DAREDEVIL: 5
JESSICA JONES: 5
I think the fact that the shows remain tied
is all the proof we need to show how amazing and epic these shows are. I know Randy likes Daredevil better, and I
like Jessica Jones better. But we both
enjoy both. Marvel is on point with
their Netflix shows, and I know I can speak for myself and possibly Randy and
Preston, that I cannot wait to see what they put out next. I can see some great crossover with Jessica
Jones and Luke Cage. I’m torn on the
Iron Fist casting, but we’ll see how it goes.
I’ve always been a Marvel over DC fan, and it continues to be true.
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