Ranking the Marvel Netflix Series
10. The Punisher Season 2
Frank Castle is back and bloodier than ever in the second season of The Punisher. For the most part, the second season of the Netflix Marvel series seem to struggle a little bit, but sequels usually do. This time around Frank finds himself fighting a war on two fronts as he squares off against a zealot mercenary (Josh Stewart) that’s after a girl (Giorgia Whigham) who has some compromising photos. On the other front, Billy Russo has returned and vowed to kill Castle for the events of the first season. So, what do you call it when two villains go after the Punisher? Well, I’d call that about even. The second season is filled with some of the most brutal action sequences I’ve seen on TV and id definitely not for the squeamish. However, it finds itself spread thin overall with Frank dealing with two big threats. The plus side? Not a lot of Karen Page this season.
9. Daredevil Season 2
Speaking of Marvel trying to force pieces together, the second season of Daredevil suffered from too many storylines being condensed into a single season. In its rush to introduce The Punisher and Elektra, as well as The Hand, there was never going to be enough room to give them all the attention they deserved in 13 episodes. Not only that, but I felt like it was painfully lacking in the Vincent D’Onofrio department. Now, there were definitely some good things that came from the second season, most notably the pretty awesome new suit Charlie Cox got and, the casting of both Frank Castle and Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung). Plus it set a lot of wheels in motion for the future of Marvel Netflix series. So, I have to cut it a bit of slack.
8. Jessica Jones Season 3
Season 3 of Jessica Jones is the swan song of Marvel’s Netflix series. It picks up after a semi-rocky season 2 in which Trish underwent a desperate procedure to give her powers, which it turns out was successful. Unfortunately, this sets the two on a path to an inevitable confrontation now that Trish has a taste of what it’s like to no longer be powerless. The season relies heavily on voice-overs to give it a heavy-handed noir feel when is more awkward than anything else given that Krysten Ritter’s deadpan approach to the role usually works because she’s rolling her eyes. I will say that I adored the addition of Benjamin Walker who plays a cynical con man with all the confidence and charm to make him a series favorite. I hope that when Marvel makes a Gambit movie they take a note from his performance. This season struggles though because once again it doesn’t find a villain nearly as good as it did in the first season.