Kingpin as the Street Level Thanos, Netflix MCU, The Defenders
Julius Jean-Baptiste, CSPO?
Product Manager | Storyteller, Creative Producer | Founder, Major Films
Quick Thoughts...
First things first, don't mind Spider-Man being super minimized here. I did the best I could given the space. Okay, back to the recent news I've heard.
Kingpin being dubbed as the Street-Level Thanos is something that I love for the MCU. Kingpin is someone I view as a stronger version of Lex Luthor. A strong and durable criminal mastermind with a lot of power and influence, which can lead into his political endeavors as the mayor of New York City.
A darker Marvel product (Street-Level MCU) that centers around the criminal underworld of New York will bring together street-level heroes and villains. That is going to pull audiences in because he's such a beloved villain in the comic book lore.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman
Let's talk about Spider-Man real quick. After No Way Home, Peter Parker went back to being the street-level hero, being everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The two Spider-Men before him were strictly ground level, so I think taking him back to his roots was a good decision as he's starting a new chapter in his life. Now knowing the Netflix MCU is canon, this can open up a number of story possibilities, like Spider-Man and Daredevil teaming up.
In the Spider-Man Animated series, they've teamed up a few times to solve crimes; one popular episode was where they teamed up to take down Kingpin.
They could introduce more street-level villains like Green Goblin, Hobb goblin, Chameleon, and others that were introduced in the comics.
The Netflix MCU
The run Netflix had on the small screen was well-received as a whole. It introduced a number of street-level heroes and comic nerds' fan favorites. Netflix had also built a brand and identity around being a darker, more serious MCU.
I believe Netflix did well in this regard to differentiate themselves from Disney. They built a product that had a vision, strategy, and direction, and you can see it when you watch these shows. Netflix started building this universe in 2013 when they ordered a 5-season deal for four characters: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. In 2016, they announced that the Punisher would also be coming to the universe.
This laid the groundwork for a product that could run for the next few years. This was before the streaming boom, and Netflix was starting to produce original content for their users/customers.
The Defenders presented possibilities
The Defenders were supposed to be the street-level Avengers team that would take over TV. It was a crossover that brought many main comic book characters together, not just the title heroes. Although it was underwhelming, it presented opportunities for other stories to be told.
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It introduced possibilities of Heroes for Hire with Luke Cage and Iron Fist or Daughters of the Dragon with Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Patsy Walker trying to be a hero in her own right as Hellcat and Jessica Jones doing what she does best: investigate. It provided opportunities for these characters to work together on the ground level. They could've brought Blade into the fold as well on the small scale.
How will this fit in the Grand Scheme?
Kingpin is the big bad villain where you can build him up in the TV universe. Many of the street-level villains or businessmen being fought by the title heroes of the TV universe could be in affiliation with Kingpin, much like in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. This could lead into Kingpin's political endeavors when he's crowned Mayor of New York City and lead to a big crossover.
Kingpin is a "The Defenders" level villain, and Netflix should've gone this way. Having this villain hierarchy can introduce Kingpin as the big bad with a small screen crossover with a The Defenders type of series. Since the Netflix MCU is canon, this could've brought back the Defenders Team to take down Kingpin. That show could also feature Daughters of the Dragon and many other comic book Defenders members that could be a big help to the main plot of the show.
Recap
Netflix introduced a street-level brand of the MCU. It was successful for a while. I like Disney's idea here to somewhat continue that by dubbing Kingpin as a street-level Thanos and bringing back Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. There are reports talking about bringing back the Netflix MCU characters for their Disney+ shows under their Disney Spotlight Banner, which would have more darker shows on the levels of Rated R or TV-MA, in which their new Echo series is currently rated.
I'm curious to see where Disney goes with this because I feel their product has been in free fall for the last five years since Avengers: Endgame.
As a good product manager, if this was a tech product, I would sit back, look at this Kevin Feige-like product (Phase) roadmap, and look at each product (project) and ask myself:
Anytime a product isn't well received by the public, higher ups and executives are quick to point the finger at the people who made it.
However, they have to take the an equal share of the blame because they were the ones that gave it the green light.
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10 个月I thnk they need to find a balance between making these shows stand alone properties vs making them mandatory viewing to understand the films. Loki was important to understanding the multiverse thing but many movie goers don't watch the TV shows. So there's a disconnect there.