Everything has built up to this: “The Defenders,” the team up of all of the Marvel Netflix series, finally arrived on Friday, Aug. 18.

The show features almost every character in the Marvel Netflix Universe, though it mainly focuses on Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Danny Rand (Finn Jones), Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), Colleen Wing (Jessica Chenwick) and Misty Knight (Simone Missick), who face off against the Hand, led by Marvel newcomer Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver).

With only eight episodes about one hour long each, “The Defenders” is far easier to binge watch compared to many other Netflix shows. This shorter season made some necessary plot points seem rushed, such as catching up with all of the characters since their respective series. However, longtime fans of the shows will likely not be affected by this as much as new viewers.

The mini-series faced the task of combining the more bright and saturated color scheme of “Luke Cage” with the more dark color schemes of “Jessica Jones,” “Daredevil” and “Iron Fist,” and did so exceptionally well. Transitions were smooth and quite pleasing to the eyes.

Also featured is the return of fan favorite character Elektra (Èlodie Yung), who has been revived after the events of “Daredevil” season two. She wears one of the most comic accurate outfits on all of the Netflix series, next to the original “Daredevil” costume. Due to her rebirth, she is unable to speak more than a few words for the first half of the show. And Yung did so with mastery.

Few flaws exist in “The Defenders,” most notably the peculiar choice of music for one of the bigger fight sequences. Danny Rand also makes an incredibly stupid choice in the final episodes.

The show redeems Rand’s character as he’s seen further utilizing his iron fist and supernatural chi with more mastery than in his own show, and toward the end he truly becomes a superhero. Actor Finn Jones said it best with “The first season of ‘Iron Fist,’ he doesn’t even really know what a superhero is, let alone identify himself as one. It’s not until ‘Defenders’ and when he meets the three superheroes, that he kind of goes, ‘Oh, you can actually do something with these abilities. You can find a purpose.’”

After Iron Fist’s lackluster first season, many fans were worried about “The Defenders.” However, the show was a masterpiece. From bringing back characters fans loved and even improving upon not so loved characters, the show hit all the marks. Longtime fans of Marvel will notice everything from a Stan Lee cameo to the obligatory Turk cameo (Marvel Netflix tradition) to the lack of the Avengers tower on the New York skyline. With an ending to blow fans’ minds and a massive plot point about Daredevil season three, “The Defenders” is sure to be loved by all, fans of Marvel or not.