25 greatest Marvel-Netflix characters of all-time
By Alex Hodgson
Who are the 25 greatest Marvel Netflix characters?
When we were first introduced to the darker corner of the MCU that the Marvel Netflix shows inhabit, none could have anticipated the impact that they’d have. While the actual connections to the MCU have become an afterthought over the years, that hasn’t stopped some great stories being told. From Daredevil’s battle with the Kingpin, Jessica Jones’s psychological struggle with Kilgrave to the team-up in The Defenders, we’ve seen the peak of comic-book storytelling unfold.
While the films concentrated on superpowers and huge action sequences, the Marvel Netflix shows tried to stay more grounded. The street-level heroes battled with villains who weren’t out to conquer the universe or destroy Earth, instead, they battled with crime lords or villains with a personal connection. Even though the characters have superpowers, they were secondary to the story. We were given an exploration into the mind, into the psychological aspects of the characters.
They were broken. None of them can be described as perfect but still, they had depth. Now, I’m going to list the 25 greatest Marvel Netflix characters across all of the shows. It certainly wasn’t easy and there may be some that you think are missing, but read on and you shall see
25. Madame Gao
We first meet Gao in Daredevil as one of the Hell’s Kitchen gang leaders, but she swiftly grows into something much more. Very quickly, we learn that the gang leaders are actually the founders of The Hand, a clandestine group of ninja who controlled New York’s criminal underground. Gao ran the heroin trade and used it to gain influence throughout the city.
The Hand seek to gain the power of immortality and it seems that Gao has gained this power. During her early life in K’un L’un, Gao teamed up with the other four leaders of the Hand to gain this power and succeeded. They discovered that the key to immortality was in the bones of dragons and used this to gain power across the world.
Eventually, Gao was banished from K’un L’un along with the other leaders and found her way to New York.
Not only does she play a part in the first two seasons of Daredevil, but she also features in Iron Fist and goes on to have an important role in The Defenders. It’s for this reason that Gao makes the list. After being a thorn in the side of all four of the Marvel Netflix series’ main characters, she eventually meets her end during the battle for Midland Circle.