I am a devout Marvel comic fan. I read comics, have seen all the recent Marvel Comics Universe (MCU) movies and have watched the three Marvel Netflix Original shows- Daredevil, Jessica Jones and the newest- Luke Cage. These are the first three in a series of four planned Netflix shows building up to Marvel’s Defenders which will feature the four heroes from their individual shows. Characters cross over between the three shows released so far, and continued overlap is planned to build toward the joint series.
I liked Daredevil, but I truly fell in love with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. These shows are groundbreaking and represent a huge step in the right direction for Marvel comics. See the Marvel universe has a problem- it predominantly focuses on white, male superheroes. In recent years Marvel has featured increasing diversity in its comics and movies, but there is a long way to go. There are still few solo series featuring women or characters of color. The MCU has not yet made a female led movie and the upcoming Black Panther will be the first movie focused on a character of color.
In this lens, it becomes clear exactly how groundbreaking Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are. The titular characters are, respectively, a woman and a black man, a feat that has not occurred in the MCU yet and hasn’t happened nearly enough in the comics. These two shows offers strong socio-political commentary on the realities of women and people of color in the United States. They offer the characters the chance to step out of stock roles and represent real people.
The cast of Jessica Jones is predominantly female which allows them to span a full spectrum of characters. The characters mirror reality- there are straight women, lesbian women, women with trauma backgrounds and morally questionable women. Jessica herself is an alcoholic with PTSD and difficulty forming relationships. She doesn’t wear a costume. She feels real. This is truly a show about women - and kick ass women at that. It explores the realities of mental illness, addiction, female friendships, romantic relationships and abusive relationships. The show uses strong symbolism to project a message- Jessica has super strength, making her a literal and figurative strong woman, and the villain Kilgrave's superpowers are a metaphor for abusive relationships. Having a full cast of women allows the show to depict stereotype-defying characters that represent the many realities women face.
Luke Cage appears for the first time in Jessica Jones as her sort-of boyfriend. He is a bulletproof black man who favors hoodies and lives in Harlem. His own show came out at the end of September, and represents another step in the right direction for Marvel. The cast is almost entirely black and the show offers strong sociopolitical commentary on black life in Harlem. Characters fight gentrification and gang violence without sugarcoating reality. For the first time, Marvel has put a full spectrum of black characters on screen. They are no longer sidekicks- they are heroes, villains, politicians and lovers. Two of the main characters are black women- the first portrayed onscreen in the Marvel universe. As with Jessica Jones' portrayal of women, the number of black characters on Luke Cage allows them to transcend stereotypes and just be real people.
These two shows are truly groundbreaking, and if you haven’t watched them, they are the perfect binge watch for your next procrastination session.
