I'm a responsible human being, so I naturally chose to binge all of Marvel's highly anticipated Netflix crossover series The Defenders, which brings Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist together in a pulse-pounding action-packed team-up. I enjoyed it for the most part, largely due to my love for the characters, and one of my favorite aspects of the series was it's usage of color to represent it's characters. Each of the four members of the team has a color that represents both them as people and their role on the team, and it's leaned on heavily in both the show's advertisements (each character had promo images with their color) and in the show (characters wear their colors as clothing or their scenes are sometimes shot with a slight tint of their color).
Matt Murdock aka Daredevil wears red, a color largely associated with suffering and pain, and he's the character that has arguably suffered the most. He was blinded horribly in an accident, then orphaned at a young age, and his sense of right and wrong combined with a refusal to back down has more or less cost him everything and everyone he has held dear. By the time we see him, he's working as a pro bono lawyer who lives alone, having driven away his friends and lost the love of his life. Throughout the series, the realization strikes the viewer that being Daredevil is an addiction to Matt, and he frequently wears a red tie and shades even when he's not being the costumed hero (who, obviously, wears red.), showcasing that Daredevil is always a part of him He also takes the most physical punishment, as he's beaten, stabbed, thrown through walls, and at one point hit so hard he has to stop and spit blood before fighting on.
Jessica Jones's color is purple, a color associated with, in her case, powerlessness, negativity, and apathy. The victim of a sexual predator known as the Purple Man, Jessica's struggles with PTSD leave her largely bitter and apathetic to the greater superhero world around her, choosing to use her powers of strength as a PI rather than a costumed hero. Jessica outright leaves the group in episode 4, only returning when her clients are threatened by the mysterious force that has united the group. Unlike the rest of the group, Jess never wears purple, as it represents trauma in her life, but it often surrounds her without her realizing. Some of her scenes have a slight purple tint, and at one point she stands under a purple neon sign, ignoring it's light as it shines on her.
Luke Cage is never seen in the show without wearing yellow, be it a hoodie with yellow insides or his classic yellow t-shirt. Yellow is a bright color, which reflects on Luke's role as the group's optimist and his overall worldview. Luke frequently says, "Always forward, never back." as a way of reminding himself not to give up on moving ahead, resembling the classic "Light at the end of the tunnel." slogan that is often used a go-to for optimists. Unlike the rest of the group, Luke is entirely certain that his fight is the right thing to do, and he's seen as a positive influence throughout Harlem and on Jessica, his ex-girlfriend, and Iron Fist, who slowly grows into a good friend by the end.
Lastly, Danny Rand aka Iron Fist wears green, a color associated with both relaxation and inexperience. Danny, who spent most of his life training in a faraway monastery, is both zenlike and largely naive in the concrete jungle of New York, and he's frequently portrayed as something of an idiot over the course of the series. He's criticized by the group as a whole for being impulsive and not thinking about the greater good as opposed to his own struggle, and it isn't until he attempts to relax and bonds with Luke. that he realizes the proper way to be a hero. The relaxation comes in through his frequent, largely fruitless, attempts to meditate and calm his spirit, which are regularly interrupted, until the finale, by nightmares or other characters. Fittingly, his last scene is him meditating on a rooftop, having taken his friend's words to heart.
I thought the usage of color motifs was a smart thing for Marvel to do, as it enabled me to dissect and understand each character a little bit better than I would have had they all just been wearing black or gray like many superhero adaptions are wont to do. (Looking at you, X-Men) The idea of characters having recurring motifs is one of my favorite things in fiction, and I really liked it's usage here.
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