As the Marvel Universe tends to tell lighthearted, fun stories featuring key Avengers, it might be a good time to spotlight street level heroes again, like the Marvel Knights. The darker imprint often showcased the gritty side of Marvel Comics, with titles including Daredevil, Punisher, Elektra, and several others.
There have only been a handful of canonical titles dealing with street crime and grittier storylines since the debut of Marvel Knights. Whether it’s Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye or Mark Waid’s Daredevil, there have not been any series that have attempted the dark tone of the imprint. Sometimes set in the main continuity of Earth-616, Marvel Knights titles tended to not affect outside series, providing opportunity for ambitious storytelling that wouldn’t dictated by bigger events. Since the majority of current Marvel titles either focus on the cosmic side of the universe, the supernatural side, or New York’s star heroes, it’s time for Marvel Knights to fill the void of the vigilantes’ war on crime.
Many fans are aware of the Defenders, but the Marvel Knights are a lesser known team of vigilantes who deserve to return to comics. Comprised of Daredevil, the Punisher, Elektra, Black Panther, Dagger, Moon Knight, Luke Cage, Shang-Chi, and Black Widow, the expansive group of crimefighters went on a series of missions together. Initially coming together to take down Frank Castle AKA the Punisher, they evolved and welcomed him on the team. Now that each hero has gone onto comics with more lighthearted adventures, it would be refreshing for them to reunite and make a comeback. Largely pertaining to characters without major powers aside from a few exceptions, the Marvel Knights operated in the shadows of New York City, unlike the Avengers or the X-Men.
Contrasting mainstream lineups in the Marvel Universe, Daredevil’s team of vigilantes didn’t have to appeal to a public image like the Fantastic Four. Instead, they were free to put their missions first, as they were already burdened by personal matters. With an emphasis on the individual lives of heroes like Matt Murdock, stories weren’t relegated to alter egos and villains. Instead, characters were developed in a style that felt cinematic, standing out from other titles.
Coinciding with the Ultimates line, Marvel Knights offered distinctly mature stories with a greater sense of depth. Additionally, as the Disney+ side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe currently seems to be gearing up for darker stories, with Moon Knight and a rumored Daredevil revival, a new iteration of Marvel Knights would make sense to tie into live action content. It’s a matter of time until the Marvel Knights reunite to take on the criminals who tend to be overlooked in light of bigger scale storylines.