Amazing Spiderman (1977 Pilot)

Spiderman made his first ever live action televised appearance  as shorts  between 1974 -1975 on the children series Electric Company with the moniker  ' Spidey Super Stories'.  The character took a more adult and family friendly position debuting in a primetime slot on CBS.  The Amazing Spiderman began airing in September 1977 and shared superhero billing along with the Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno's Incredible Hulk also on CBS.

Stan Lee who was the publisher for Marvel sold the rights to CBS and was acting producer, but felt the character was portrayed too juvenile on the series and was not as happy with the final product.  Juxtaposition to the backdoor pilot movie for Doctor Strange  which Lee was a strong supporter of. Strange did not get picked up as series and Spiderman gained decent ratings  but slowly declined as air dates was sparse out,  the series aired 2 episodes in its second season as it got cancelled notably by creative differences in direction, and production costs.

The pilot and the series was based in New York as far as story, but was filmed mainly in Los Angeles, this was painfully obvious with the repeat stock footage of the Rosslyn Hotel, where Spiderman would repeatedly swing from; production did not hide the large landmark marquee.  Running in syndication at the time was the morning 60's cartoon which help gain the younger demographic audience, CBS did not get the 18-49 yrs of age demographic as it was hoping. Though the ratings made the series the 19th highest series in all of primetime that season. 

J. Jonah (David White)

The pilot touched on quickly of Spiderman's origins as he slowly comes to grip with his new abilities, and struggles to find a job within the Daily Bugle.  Featuring veteran actor David White as J Jonah Jameson who would only appear in the pilot before being replaced.  The first episode has Spiderman trying to foil a man with a device to control the minds of people, the villain has ransomed the city of New York in exchange to save 10 random upstanding citizens from suddenly taking their own lives. Peter  Parker the alter ego is a university science student who comes across displaying naïve looking mannerisms but is  very self aware and intelligent. Parker coincidently shows up taking photos at crime scenes bringing attention to him as the only common element to a string of mind controlled heists.  For its time; the television production was considered high budget and perceived high quality in effects and stunts, utilizing various camera cranes and helicopter shots as the series would progress with a couple of elaborate aerial shots (not used in the pilot).

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

At its roots' Civil War is the difference of opinion, the accountability for your actions and being the right hero equipped to handle the job.  Stemming originally from the comics as reflection of a post 9/11 era.  The marvel cinematic universe employs the same principle from three tragedies', to initiate the fracture of points of view.

Civil War began in the Summer of 2006, crossing over every major marvel comic title beginning  in July and concluding in January 2007.  The US government  passes a superhero registration act, to regulate super powered beings under its scope of law.  As such it became mandatory under federal law; that heroes be viewed as human weapons of mass destruction and as such should be undergo proper training, with an option to working with S.H.I.E.L.D. to earn a salary with benefits.   However the powered being would have to reveal their true identity to authorities upon registration. This aggressive mode of action was birthed when  a teenage/young adult superhero team 'The New Warriors' were filming a reality television series and were pursing a villainous group. A villain named nitro exploded near a fuel line killing 600 people including a  school filled with children; with all but one surviving member of the new warriors; branded as baby killers, the sway of public opinion began drafting of the act.

The MCU's alien invasion  referred to as the battle in New York, the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters by Hydra's infiltration, and the fall of Sokovia. Tabbing a restoration bill of well over 1 Trillion dollars to taxpayers and countless deaths has triggered the United Nations (signing of 117 countries) to draft of what will be known as the Sokovia Accords to hold heroes accountable, and instill a governmental oversight. In both comic and live adaptation, Captain America and Iron Man held opposing sides to this regulations as Steve Rogers has phrased it, giving up the right to choose. A recent covert Avengers mission in Largos, Nigeria  botched with collateral damage and a large loss of life in an uninformed foreign country initiated the accords to be enacted. Followed by the death of a  diplomat/King of a nation and bombing of the UN, by the Winter Soldier as confirmed by electronic surveillance image has Captain America racing to help clear his friend Bucky and leaves Iron Man feeling political pressure to bring the fugitive to justice as this creates a schism in loyalties.       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

WHIH SEASON Two

The official news station on the front lines covering  the stories in and around the MCU; in either theatrical release, streaming service, and traditional television series.  Currently anchored by Christine Everhart the journalist from the original Iron Man (2008) who was the journalist that led Tony Stark to reveal to the world at the press conference that he was Iron Man. Everhart who was there in Monte Carlo front and center  live on the ground to report the first appearance of Whiplash, who showed us a god can bleed, and with blood in the water the sharks will come; as thousands of spectators watched Tony battle Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2  (2010). Since then Christine has climbed up the network to head the news channel's anchor's desk.

With political correspondent Will Adams as a guest presenter,  begin to spar off,  presenting two view points over the management of metahumans  like the Avengers in crisis situations.  The situations in questions are the alien invasion in New York City, Hydra infiltration on shield and destruction of Shield Headquarters in D.C.,  and finally  the devastation in the wake of the Battle in Sokovia.   The season is presented over 5 segments,  the first was to present the argument of a need for oversight,  should the citizens pay more taxes  for a Trillion dollar repair bill,  it followed up with 50/50 response to people on the street, then to an interview with the US President Ellis - Iron Man 3 (2013) whose position to keep silent in lieu of increased tragedies has made him address matters.  The final segments transpire  8 hours after tragedy in Largos, Nigeria, as an Avengers operation had catastrophic civilian casualties.  

The purpose of season 2 is to set up  coming events within Captain America Civil War,   explaining the sudden appearance of retired general Thaddeus Ross now Secretary of State    To route out a general explanation of why the drafting of the Sokovia Accords, and its prompt enactment, so quickly after the Largos incident; and to importantly show a difference of opinion still lingers,  as that difference would be reflected upon in the movie amongst its heroes.

Dare-Devil SEASON Three

 Arguably this is the pinnacle season, with the conclusion of the Defenders all the principle characters have continued a three season arc that have left them  no where even remotely to the resembled characters they once where in the first season. All are much more self aware of who they are , the environment in which they live and the conflict they find growing from within and around them.  Most importantly its the show's star Charlie Cox who shines the brightest here having to portray and deliver scenes with sometimes no dialogue or just an off-sided glare to convey the most subtle current of emotion or a tide of the story. The bases of Daredevil has been about justice, a lawyer by day, vigilante by night, all to protect the people's of hells kitchen, in a bid to do god's work. The rule is simple thou shall not murder,  while preventing others to covet illegal criminal actions.

Daredevil himself as said by Wilson Fisk in Season One, over a walkie talkie conversation, and echoed more profoundly by Punisher over the rooftops in Season Two. Daredevil is seen has a half measure, his crusade lacks the conviction to do what is really necessary to affect real and lasting change.  Matt himself  battles with his faith over what can be done; the straight line is not always the easiest path, to paraphrase a statement Matt gave in an opening arguments is an earlier season court case. The events of Defenders has left Matt Murdock the loss of hearing in one ear and a tremendous build up of blood and sot in his sinuses, to render all his unique sensory gifts null and void.  Matt no longer serves God, unlike  the biblical character of Job, who as a loyal follower went above and beyond in his devotion and love for god, and in return god tested his faithful servant to unspeakable depths.  Matt a soldier of god feels abandoned, and now who only serves Daredevil as he removes all contact and association to those he has loved, and plans to die as the Devil of Hell's kitchen than live another day in the life of Matthew Murdock.

Season three introduces us to Sister Maggie and re-establishes Matt's ties to Father Lantom; we see Matt's return to his black  outfit.  Conversely we met a new Daredevil of hell's kitchen in the red suit, but this devil is devoid of Catholicism, the rule of law, and remorse. We see how daredevil would be if he was released by the very things that kept him in check.  Matt who is back in black, which is also a state of mind, fights that duality both metaphorically and physically. His sanity comes into question as the devil on his shoulder comes in the form of Wilson Fisk dressed in white to remind him of his failures. Karen faces the sins of her family's past, and Foggy goes back home to save the family business and carve out his future as dignified lawyer. 

The spectre of Ben Urich still exists at the New York Bulletin surrounding Ellison and Karen as the power of will to seek the truth and tell the story. Karen and Foggy now know the truth about Daredevil going into the start of the third season, and how they've continued down the righteous path though beset on all side by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.  A good man like Agent Nadeem can be corrupted, a troubled man like Agent Pointdexter can be coerced into a dark reality, an upstanding citizen like Vanessa Marianna can be seduced by the Power of Fisk, A lawyer like Benjamin Donovan can protect the morally reprehensible at the right price, a simple man like Melvin Potter will destroy his own life from betrayal, and a lawyer Marci Stahl will walk away from hers at a crisis of faith.

Its a strong recommend to read Frank Miller's " Man without Fear" followed by "Born Again",  after watching all three seasons of Daredevil to fill in some blanks not necessarily realized  in the telling of these stories and providing more insight into characters like Sister Maggie who offer a pivotal revelation in Matt's life.

Iron Fist SEASON Two

A good compelling hero will need an equally compelling villain, a classic example would be Batman vs Joker.  Danny Rand has the Hand a sworn enemy of the Iron Fist. The second season wisely left the hand behind and focused on the conflict more closely related to Danny Rand.

What did we learn about these villains known as the Hand,  They are 5 clans of Ninjas all original descendants of K'un-Lun, Obsessed with maintaining there secrets of immortality through a blood ritual.  Immortality is in fact finite without the bones of a dragon, the same dragon  that gave Danny his Chi power.  Their  blades and arrow tips are laced with poison and yet it is not consistent on all their weapons.  Their leader was dying and the last elixir was given to Elektra over herself, because her body was ravaged with ailments that no blood ritual could  save after all these centuries ? ?

Season 2 went back to the conflict of Davos and Danny, Similarly to a Jedi who are not allowed to have emotional interests, Davos and Danny are mentally unstable because of their training to remove emotions, Anakin massacred an entire race in his confession to Padme as his bottled emotions got the best of him, Davos exhibits bizarre tantrums, he demands what is owed to him, an earned privileged through his faith and dedications.  Joy Meachum was lied too by every person she thought was family both living and dead.

So the plot of season 2 is steal the  power of the Iron fist and syphon the wealth from  both Danny Rand and Ward Meachum.

There is no Joker here, but we have Mary Walker, a woman with 2 separate personalities one is more aware over the other and brings an arsenal of pain and problems for Danny and his friends.  The character is Typhoid Mary in the comic books; a very well documented character within the Daredevil comics, and  recently a loyal servant to kingpin in the king in black crossover event within the comic books.

Mary played by British actress Alice Eve brings a welcome change to the current cast, and with a level of uncertainty as the character is unpredictable, as she is caught between being either victim or perpetrator.  The character's exit from the season is unfulfilling and has no lasting marks on the story, but her presence gives us the viewer an added investment, from the trivial bickering between siblings and an out of place monk.  As the show concludes with  Danny now wielding two Chi revolvers that fire Chi bullets, both he and Ward Meachum walk the earth - away from their life in New York  in search of an Indiana Jones adventure.

Luke Cage SEASON Two

 If Jessica Jones season 2 is about fighting the monsters within, then the second season of Luke Cage is about the monsters that live in your neighborhood. Luke once again needs to contend with gang factions looming around Harlem, while putting out the many fires that come this season.  Including coming to grip with the union of Mariah Dillard & Shades,  his personal  life, and the threat of Bushmaster.

After the events of the first Season, Mariah Dillard and Shades have remained at Harlem's Paradise thriving in Luke's absence in prison and abroad with the Defenders.  Mariah is seen as a public servant and looks to solidify her name with a foundation in her family's name with her estrange daughter to run it.  Shades and his right hand Comanche have been rebuilding in the absence of Cottonmouth with Mariah as their new queen. The attempts made by Luke with or without the law to remove Mariah has proven to be radically difficult, with gangs and mob organizations looking to increase crime and corruption at any sign of a power vacuum.

After defeating his half brother Willis Stryker aka Diamondback; reconciling with his father in light of his infidelity, and absences in Carl Lucas's life seems to be a bitter pill for Luke Cage.  His current girlfriend Claire Temple, going behind his back to connect with his father, and pushing on to him the moniker of Hero of Harlem, and finding his purpose puts an unnecessary strain in their relationship. DW an entrepreneur who created an App, and financially making gains on Luke's heroics is also profiting from  Luke's fall from grace as he is defeated by bushmaster on their first encounter which has gone viral.

Bushmaster who harbors a deep history with Mariah and her family's lineage, and who only want to see her burn, along with her family home.  Has put Luke torn between protecting the enemy he absolutely despise from a more powerful and dangerous threat in  Bushmaster who has acquired and heads rival gangs to move onto Mariah and Shades' territory.

To save Harlem, Luke most assume the role of sheriff to keep all the gang factions at bay and in check, but to paraphrase a Christopher Nolan movie. Luke Cage now runs the risk of living long enough as the Hero of Harlem only to see himself to become it's villain.

Jessica Jones SEASON Two

 Jessica Jones Season 2 is a metaphoric example of going two steps forward and one step back.  After taking control of her life and  facing her fear by defeating Kilgrave. Jessica Jones, became an unwilling member of the Defenders, and is now seeing dividends on the positive press.  The season centers around the origin of her powers, uncovering her biological family, and shaping the projected destiny of her closest friends.

With Kilgrave gone and the Defenders defeating 'The Hand', Alias Investigations has been seeing a slight increase of phone calls looking for Jones' services.  Right out of the gate, the season opens up with her adopted sister, child star Trish Walker, uncovering some medical documents leading to the mysterious day of Jessica's Family Car accident.  Trish's aggressive nature to uncover the truth risks reconnecting with Dorothy her toxic showbiz mom to learn the name of the corporation behind Jessica's powers.  The mysterious IGH, a company that also has ties with the origin of Luke Cage's powers.

The show answers the question of how; her miraculous recovery from the car accident unharmed happened, who were the Physician and nurses behind Jessica's recovery. Then the shocking reveal that she was not the only one who survived the accident and the terrible toll it has taken.  While this serves as the primary storyline,  Jones' co-stars get very meaty storyline journeys, Jeri Hogarth, one of the founding partners of a large legal firm, and Jessica's main client for a revenue stream. Has been diagnosed with ALS, The diagnosis slowly creeps into Jeri's sense of control and dealings as she tries move forward without change.  Malcolm Ducasse,  Jessica's only employee  gets enticed to join a rival detective agency and begins to straddle the line between ethics for himself on both personal and professional level.

Trish Walker's ex-boyfriend former NYPD officer Will Simpson has been shadowing  Trish, and inadvertently re-exposed Trish to an experimental performance drug.  Trish who was a recovering  addict,  comes to a crossroads, to work in the framework of how she sees Jessica Jones, being a person destined to become a hero; who wants to make a difference while subconsciously seeking recognition. Or continue down a dark path that sees her righteous convictions upending her established life, and causing physical harm to those around her.

The second season does not introduced  a new super villain, but  explores the trauma of what created Jessica Jones, by both personally shaping the woman she unknowingly becomes, and providing a truth of her physically powered gifts. We take a step back and learn how it all began, and then head towards a darker journey with no certain guarantee of a real happy ending.