The Defenders How accurate are the character portrayals compared to their comic book counterparts?

[KevTravels]

Is it pretty straight forward considering they adapted a comic book into a series with a very serious/gritty tone?

What about small things like is Luke as strong like in the comics or is MM's lack of red hair annoying?

For sure, Iron Fist is nothing like in the comics from what I keep hearing.

so what say you?

 

[KevTravels]

*bump*

 

[McSir]

Looks wise, Krysten Ritter is the only one that doesn't look like her comic counter part, but since she has such a distinctive look I wouldn't be surprised if artists start drawing Jessica to look more like the actress. Iron Fist doesn't typically have a beard and Matt's hair is a little more red, but other than that the guys are pretty close to how they look in the comics.

In terms of character, Daredevil and Luke are pretty spot on. Danny is a lot more charming and carefree in the books, I've rarely seen him brood like Finn Jones does. Jessica I can't really speak to, there's not really enough content in comparison.

They're all much more powerful in the books, but that's because you can get away with more on the page than you can with low-budget TV. Luke can easily lift several tons and Jessica can fly, not just super-jump.

 

[righthooksrus86]

Looks wise, Krysten Ritter is the only one that doesn't look like her comic counter part, but since she has such a distinctive look I wouldn't be surprised if artists start drawing Jessica to look more like the actress. Iron Fist doesn't typically have a beard and Matt's hair is a little more red, but other than that the guys are pretty close to how they look in the comics.

In terms of character, Daredevil and Luke are pretty spot on. Danny is a lot more charming and carefree in the books, I've rarely seen him brood like Finn Jones does. Jessica I can't really speak to, there's not really enough content in comparison.

They're all much more powerful in the books, but that's because you can get away with more on the page than you can with low-budget TV. Luke can easily lift several tons and Jessica can fly, not just super-jump.

I never read the jessica jones comics, but her personality on the show is just so awesome lol...That scene at Midland when she see's elektra and says we gotta get outta here and then turns around and sees more Hand goons, she said something like "uh ohhhh" lol It was cute and bada** at the same time. Almost reminded me of the ninja turles lol.

 

[SwiftFox]

Jessica can only super jump in the comics currently as well. She forgot how to fly and can't do it it anymore.

 

[metaphysician]

Danny, in the comics, isn't an incredibly dumb child. In that, the show is far from accurate. *cough*

 

[KevTravels]

Danny, in the comics, isn't an incredibly dumb child. In that, the show is far from accurate. *cough*

can you elaborate? Cause the show made him go from brooding to moron on a constant basis. Hard to believe anyone could watch his show and root for him.

 

[Verick808]

IF broods all the time. Especially in his earlier days when he first returned from Kun'lun. He was smarter and better trained through. At the same time Harold Meachum was like a one issue villain from when IF just returned to NY so its hard to compare a new fledged IF with the one from the comics. The character was improved in Defenders and can easily be written more mature by the time his own season comes around.
The biggest changes to IF's character is his background. His father fell to his death amd hia mother was eaten by wolves after Meachum betrayed them. Danny witnessed the betrayal and swore revenge. He uswd his own anger to push himself above all the other practitioners. Also, when he did become the IF there was no duty to protect citus gates. He was allowed to leave. He then returned to NY to kill Meachum but found him as an old pathetic man. Ultimately he let Meachum live just like in the show and ultimately someone else ended up killing him. Also like the show, but not Ward because he doesn't exist in the comics. Just Joy. Who ends up taking over as CEO. A forgivable change since Ward was a great character.

Daredevil is mostly in character minus the red hair. Maybe a little broodier but like all comicbook characters the tone has varied over the years.
Luke seems pretty accurate for the most part. Its weird for him to be coupled with someone other than JJ but it is hard seeing these versions together after what they pulled the first season of JJ.

 

[LaughterLives]

I think Luke Cage is the only one who is the least accurate. Luke on the show is just corny A.F.! And he has zero swagger. They just chose the wrong actor to play him judging on what I've seen.

I'd say Iron Fist isn't that accurate either but his character on the show is also still growing so it's going in the right direction from what I know. I actually enjoy his character the most on the show but I wish he was more quick witted.

 

[TheVileOne]

I'd say Matt and Jessica seem to be the most accurate to their comic counterparts.

Luke Cage's backstory was completely changed. In the show they had him come from a well-to-do family. He wasn't fatherless or a small-time hoodlum or gangster. Well educated and probably went to college. Served in the military AND he was a police officer as well.

With Danny, I feel like they failed in focusing his rage and need for revenge. That was his main motivation for leaving K'un L'un and going back to New York.

 

[KevTravels]

the writers seemed to go out of their way to make Luke as upstanding as possible. Which ruined any conflict with Diamondback. Luke was cookie-cutter good guy. At least say he was a hoodlum who found peace when he served in the armed forces or something.

 

[2kt09]

the writers seemed to go out of their way to make Luke as upstanding as possible. Which ruined any conflict with Diamondback. Luke was cookie-cutter good guy. At least say he was a hoodlum who found peace when he served in the armed forces or something.

He found peace in jail. That counselor pushed him toward that cookie-cutter good guy persona.

 

[javonstokess]

the writers seemed to go out of their way to make Luke as upstanding as possible. Which ruined any conflict with Diamondback. Luke was cookie-cutter good guy. At least say he was a hoodlum who found peace when he served in the armed forces or something.

Not sure I would use the term "cookie-cutter". The original version of Luke Cage from the comics is pretty dated and frankly a bit racist. I'm glad they updated him.

 

[WolfCypher]

Agreed. I've only recently started to like Luke, because for too long, he was just a modern-day blaxploitation sterotype. This Luke I can get behind as a character (wasn't a fan of his show).

 

[javonstokess]

Another thing is, until VERY recently, Iron Fist was pretty much a cypher. There was never anything really unique about his personality. He was just "average white guy" who knew martial arts. Though I wasn't a fan of his portrayal in the show, there wasn't much to go off of in the comics. He was a blank slate

 

[BarryAllen]

Another thing is, until VERY recently, Iron Fist was pretty much a cypher. There was never anything really unique about his personality. He was just "average white guy" who knew martial arts. Though I wasn't a fan of his portrayal in the show, there wasn't much to go off of in the comics. He was a blank slate

Danny certianly had more pre-existing character than someone like Jessica Jones in terms of source material.

Not sure I would use the term "cookie-cutter". The original version of Luke Cage from the comics is pretty dated and frankly a bit racist. I'm glad they updated him.

Modern versions of Cage written by Bendis still had some of the edge of classic Cage while remaining a non-dated/non-racist portrayal of the character. What we got in the Netflix shows is the exact opposite of what makes Cage who he is. Even if you want to remove some of the blaxploitation stuff, that doesn't mean making Luke a preachy, stiff person who isn't even from the streets of Harlem. I mean, if Wolverine can be well liked for who he is, and Daredevil can keep his tough upbringing, why can't Cage?

 

[TheVileOne]

Luke Cage's entire backstory was basically changed. In the TV show he comes from a well-to-do family. Son of a Georgian preacher. Seemed to have a relatively comfortable upper-class upbringing. His dad made sure he got a slap on the wrist for a juvenile crime.

Then he served in the Marine Corps and was a police officer before he was framed and thrown into Seagate.

As far as I recall, in the comics Luke Cage was born and raised in Harlem, was a small-time gangster or hoodlum and didn't have the military or police officer background.

 

[Mike Murdock]

Yeah, Luke Cage's origin story is pretty accurate from being imprisoned onward with the exception of the Reva stuff (which was changed to tie him closer to Jessica Jones). But the backstory before that is pretty different and he fell from a place of greater privilege (which I think thematically works better because race ends up being the ultimate privilege).

I think they've accurately translated a part of Daredevil, but they remain focused on the obsessed part of the character. I think they nailed the idea of Daredevil being the part of Matt's personality he can't let loose because of his promise to his father, but there's a free-wheeling part of that Daredevil persona that's been lost. Most of his backstory is accurate. The biggest thing is Matt's age at the time of his father's death has occasionally been inconsistently portrayed. The show made him younger, which required inventing a time in an orphanage.

People seem to think Danny Rand's personality is wrong on the show. I'm not sure I see it. If you read the original Iron Fist stories, you see a character who is overly obsessed and goal-minded to the exclusion of everything else or a complete fish out of water with a weird understanding of how to do things. Only later did he become this goofball character instead. I think the biggest changes to the backstory are his parents' death (which was more interesting than a simple plane crash) and they made K'un Lun are far less interesting place.

Jessica Jones is mostly fine. Her backstory was intentionally generic in the comics because the important thing was just that she had this past, not what it was (it's why the Purple Man stuff appears so late). I think the show took the framework and expanded on it in a way that's technically inconsistent but almost in a "what you believed to be true wasn't entirely accurate" kind of way. The biggest changes are her adopted family in the comics was the Joneses who were perfectly fine people, although Jessica usually doesn't like her mother. It's a far cry from Patsy Walker's mother who is about as evil in the comics as she is in the show except with literal Satan involved.