Posted in: Movies, Netflix, TV | Tagged: entertainment, HRL, MacGuffin, marvel, netflix, television, the defenders

Marvel's The Defenders And The Use Of A MacGuffin

Alfred Hitchcock coined the term "MacGuffin" years ago. It's a plot device that is often a goal or a desire object that motivates the protagonist(s) and gets little to no narrative explanation. Many thrillers use a MacGuffin to get the action started or create conflict. Pulp Fiction used one, the briefcase, and we never find out what was in it. The new Marvel's The Defenders used a MacGuffin. Someone told me they thought the Iron Fist was the MacGuffin… but it wasn't. It was something much deeper.

Spoilers going forward — if you haven't seen all of Marvel's The Defenders, turn back now.

I'm going to seriously spoils some stuff here.

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Okay, you've been warned.

The MacGuffin is Midland Circle. And it wasn't just the MacGuffin for the Defenders, but for all of Marvel's Daredevil. There's a reason they used Marco Ramirez as the showrunner — the same guy that co-showran season two of Daredevil and worked on season one — because The Defenders is basically Daredevil 2.5. And in season one of Daredevil, there was an important piece of property that Nobu wanted. It was all that he cared about. Season two was the whole in the ground… at what would become Midland Circle, and of course each of the heroes come together at Midland Circle in the Defenders.

But one of the best things about a Macguffin is that it can remain unknown… and most of the time should. In Pulp Fiction, we never learn what was in the suit case, I've heard rumors it was supposed to be Ving Rhames soul, but you never find out so each viewers can make their own answer that pleases them. I think The Defenders would've been better had they did that here, as well.

Midland Circle drew them all together and the Hand needed Iron Fist to open it… without him ever opening it. You could still have the showdown, still have the big battle between Elektra and Daredevil, etc… without revealing what was under the building. Sometimes not solving the mystery leaves the viewers to make up their own answer or just go without knowing. I think that would've been better in this case. The idea that the Hand was going after the bones of a long-dead dragon seem a bit anticlimactic.

The Defenders finished up the Elektra/Stick storyline from Daredevil along with setting up season three. It also wrapped up the Hand/K'un L'un story from Iron Fist, but leaves enough for season two there as well. It re-established Luke Cage in Harlem for season two of his series and gets Jessica Jones back in business for her series. Plus we're a step closer to the Daughters of the Dragon. From that perspective, the show was a great success… but I think it would've been just a little bit better if we never knew what was under Midland Circle — never reveal the MacGuffin.

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