Why Netflix Is Actually Perfect For A Comic Book TV Show

Why Netflix Is Actually Perfect For A Comic Book TV Show

Netflix is the perfect medium for street level heroes because you don't have to worry about ratings, they can tell 1 16 hour story instead of 24 mini stories or 1 2 hour story, and their secret identities make them impossible to exist as Avengers.

Editorial Opinion
By Trickwil - Apr 16, 2014 12:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Other

Netflix is the perfect medium for Dardevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. The 3 major reasons are, on Netflix you don't have to worry about the FCC and ratings, you can tell a complete story in a 13-16 episode arc, and Street level heroes are too different from the Heroes in the Marvel Comic Universe films.

The biggest reason they still haven't made a Deadpool movie that is always given is "We can't get a PG-13 Rating" and superhero movies are traditionally viewed as family fair. This is in my opinion why the best comic book arcs for your street level heroes either didn't get into the movies or got in in a bad way. They had to clean up comic book characters that simply wouldn't work for a family audience. Look at some story arcs  from Daredevil, his first love is murdered gruesomely, his 2nd love becomes a heroin addict and a porn star and sells his secret for smack, and racism, gang violence, drug use, and other brutal crimes are day to day on the streets of new york including prostitution and pornography. You can't capture the essence of the dark and gritty world of Daredevil unless you're Christopher Nolan and you're worried about a PG-13 rating. On Netflix you don't have to worry about a rating or about appealing to a mass audience. The viewership doesn't have to be as high. 

In a film you're given 2 hours to tell a complete story, and if you get a trilogy maybe 6-8 hours to tell a complete story, knowing that you have to tell 3 complete stories in every film. In a traditional TV show you need to tell 24 complete hour long stories and within that tell 24 hours of story. On Netflix, knowing that you will watch every single episode likely in one or 2 sessions. You don't need as inclusive 1 hour stories, and you don't need the little stand alones. Think of this from the point of view of the Immortal Iron Fist, he has to fight in the Tournament of the 7 cities, you don't need every fight in every episode. You can advance the entire story in each episode but you can have a fight per episode. Or give a flashback from a previous Iron Fist in every episode, but stick to the overarching plot. Daredevil can have a different case in every episode, but the main story and how that case fits in can be continued without having to explain every episode. Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead would be better shows and are more fun to watch in one sitting.

In the Marvel Comic Universe now there is one universal threat "HYDRA" they are now the MCU's biggest bad guy and this villain will exist in every single film from now on. HYDRA could get your family or friends if you are a normal person. But in the MCU all of the Avengers are impervious to this and that's why none of them have secret identities. Secret identities can't exist in the larger scheme of the universe because they all worked for and were assembled by HYDRA agents and Shield. Is Peter Parker existed in the MCU he was outed at the end of CA-TWS and Aunt May just got shot and her head was plopped on the top of the Empire State Building and Mary Jane would be next. Also, HYDRA would have known all along. Tony Stark has no secret identity, neither does Rogers, or Thor. Falcon does but remember they made sure that he's not a shield agent so his secret is safe and so are his loved one. Now Daredevil has no family but he usually has friends, and a girl. Iron Fist has no family but he has students at his Dojo, Luke Cage in the comics is a family man with a superhero wife and kid. He's got people that love him. This is why they have to keep their secret a secret and also need to be a secret from Shield and Hydra so they can't appear in the movies or be Avengers.

Final thought for why they are perfect, they can all be shot in the same locations. You can have tie ins, Murdoch defends Luke Cage for being a mercenary, Misty Knight cameo's in both Daredevil and Iron Fist, Murdoch trains at Iron Fist's dojo. Rand Corp is seen in all 4 shows. Jessica Jones can be a villain in 1 episode of Daredevil and obviously is Luke Cages wife.

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Pasto
Pasto - 4/16/2014, 1:10 PM
It's perfect because now Marvel has no excuse when it comes to making their characters gritty. And I mean gritty gritty. Not dark. I mean 'showing a dude get shot in the skull and his brains slowly pour out of his head' gritty. Daredevil, Iron fist, Luke Cage, those are dark and gritty characters. We need to have TV-Mature action in these shows. So it's good that they are on Netflix. Marvel can now take the kid gloves off and get to work.

Captain America 2 was a step in the right direction. That showed us that Marvel CAN go to 'that place'. So I'm interested to see just how far they go with theses shows.
cipher
cipher - 4/16/2014, 1:31 PM
I've said it before, but I actually prefer this format for a lot of characters. It just allows for a lot more in terms of character development and plotting, there's more room to breathe.
cipher
cipher - 4/16/2014, 1:35 PM
Also, as far as DD is concerned- I've always felt that something like the "Out" storyline would be an interesting way to go.

I mean, if we're talkin' secret identities, that's as good a place to start as any.
ruadh
ruadh - 4/16/2014, 4:17 PM
I did an editorial that hit similar points, but yeah...I think it's a great way to do it. Better quality than ABC, and more screentime than even, say, FOUR films. Which these guys aren't likely to get anyway.
RextheKing
RextheKing - 4/16/2014, 4:45 PM
Agreed, but you don't have to be Nolan to make a film gritty, you just have to have the mindset going into production to make the film gritty.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/16/2014, 7:40 PM
Yup we know :p

So would HBO and SHOWTIME (Punisher?)

Its great to be a comic book fan these days and thank [frick] Disney got Marvel and kicked 'em up the butt, never was that interested in live-action TV like WB/DC is...

Sweet read, enjoyed it, thumbs up from me.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/16/2014, 7:41 PM
Moonknight needs to be done!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/16/2014, 7:43 PM
Agreed, but you don't have to be Nolan to make a film gritty, you just have to have the mindset going into production to make the film gritty. - EXACTLY!

Nolan only did whats already been done in comics in the first place, just read Frank Millers Batman etc and many more comic books.
Saintsinnister
Saintsinnister - 4/17/2014, 3:11 AM
^^^^^ Bahahahahahaha "worship the ass dude. the ass is here, the ass is there. the ass is here and there. whatever. ass is ass." Good stuff. Pure poetry. . . Anyway yes I love Netflix and the stuff they are doing these days. Bringing back shows that got canceled too early, making great new shows, and creating shows based on comic book characters is genius. I would love to see a Punisher show. I agree with Mr.Soto that comics are written for television, but like the article says some are just too expensive to do right in TV.
Trickwil
Trickwil - 4/17/2014, 8:02 AM
@Mrsotoman- Game of thrones is on pay for play TV, they have a lot more money than Netflix or Marvel budgeted for their shows. The reason they are doing the "street" level heroes on Netflix is that they can do them well with low budgets. Iron Fist the most expensive part will be creating the dragon and the 7 cities, Doing the Hand and some of the acrobatics would be sort of expensive in Daredevil as well. What I've read is that they will be dedicating the vast majority of the budget to talent, actors, writers, and directors.
Trickwil
Trickwil - 4/17/2014, 8:04 AM
@themexicansuperman- They do but you don't need a fraction of the viewership because it's pay for play. So if literally 1-1000th of the people that watched the first episode of Agents of Shield watches Daredevil it's a rousing success.
nibs
nibs - 4/17/2014, 8:25 AM
So psyched for these shows. I really hope this is the Marvel's version of the DC grounded approach. 60 hours is huge.
My only reservation is that Jeph Loeb's hand will be in these, and him and TV just don't seem to mesh.
Trickwil
Trickwil - 4/17/2014, 9:41 AM
@nibs-I know for Daredevil Drew Goddard is basically taking over and setting the tone. He's great with tongue in cheek humor mixed with gritty violence. His production in Cloverfield combined with the cinematography in Cabin in the woods gives me hope. You need different approaches to every show. The ideal showrunner would be complete different for Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil.
Trickwil
Trickwil - 4/18/2014, 9:06 PM
I'm not disagreeing that there is a possibility but I don't believe there will be. Huge budget
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