Markdown provides shorthand for the most common features of HTML. One of its best features is that you can always fallback to the full syntax for HTML. This includes doing things that aren't included in markdown. Personally, I like that markdown is concise and includes very little fluff. It makes it easier to learn the whole set of shorthand. This is particularly important if you expect someone else to read your code later.
One of its best features is that you can always [fall back[ to the full syntax for HTML.
See rebuttal below.