It’s been five years since The Punisher season 2 closed the door on Netflix’s Marvel universe, known as The Defenders Saga, and while fans have been campaigning for the future of these characters without much luck, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally been forced to acknowledge them, officially making them canon.
Whilst the likes of new series Echo have seen the return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin from the Netflix days, don’t expect it to be the Defenders reprieve you were maybe hoping for.
Defending The Defenders
Netflix’s street-level Marvel heroes had plenty of potential, boasting a line-up of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher. This was supposed to lead to an Avengers-esque ensemble of The Defenders, but while Phase 1 of the MCU built out each hero with snappy two-hour movies that showcased their different personalities, the Netflix shows were criticized for their pacing and drawn-out storylines.
With Cox’s Daredevil and D’Onofrio’s Kingpin being standouts, it makes sense that they’re the poster boys to ease the transition between Netflix and the ‘Sacred Timeline’ of the MCU. And considering the internet goes into a frenzy with even a whisper of Krysten Ritter or Jon Bernthal reprising their respective roles of Jessica Jones and the Punisher, they’re also likely candidates to make the leap. In fact, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Bernthal will indeed be suiting back up again as Frank Castle.
However, whilst the MCU has finally invited the Netflix characters to their party by adding their various shows to the official MCU timeline - not everyone might be welcome. In particular, the Finn Jones-led series Iron Fist is held as a low point of the Defenders Saga, limping through a two-season run. At least Jones will be pumped for a potential return, and with the star telling Geekscape he wants to “prove all those motherfuckers wrong, we’re willing to give him another chance.
Black sheep
Just like how the cancellation of the Netflix shows was announced without much fanfare, the seemingly massive reveal that these legacy characters could suit up alongside the Avengers has also flown under the radar. But the Netflix shows have always been treated strangely - remember, they were even banned from showing the Avengers Tower in the background…despite being set in New York.
At least the ostracization of them has been acknowledged by Marvel Studios producer Brad Winderbaum, who has said that the lack of attention came from them being busy trying to "stick the landing with Avengers". Winderbaum confessed it was “a lot to balance,” but with the MCU being even bigger nowadays thanks to the madness of the multiverse, we’re worried that the Defenders will once again be sidelined.
Confirming our fears, we aren’t exactly off to a flying start. Although Echo fits under the Marvel Spotlight banner of supposed standalones unconcerned with the wider MCU mythos, it would’ve been easy to give the nod to the Defenders. Echo was happy to name-drop Madripoor for the X-Men and include an obscure Roxxon Corporation Easter egg, but we would even have settled for a background news report about Frank Castle to cement the Defenders in this new MCU. It’s especially frustrating as Echo executive producer Richie Palmer told Polygon how the team wanted to “make subtle nods that these characters are in the MCU now".
On the flip side, Echo’s overreliance on Kingpin feels like Daredevil season 3.5 to cue the Man Without Fear’s full-time return. Even though Echo just about works as a Marvel Spotlight outing because of its recap-heavy first episode, it’ll be harder to do that with Daredevil’s complex backstory and the smorgasbord of other Netflix characters. Even though director duo The Russo Brothers admitted to Variety that there was the “briefest consideration” of including Daredevil and Mike Colter’s Luke Cage in Avengers: Infinity War, that was scrapped because it was “practically impossible” to reintroduce them.
Born again
Not only do they have to reintroduce The Defenders, the MCU has to make it feel fresh whilst learning from the mistakes of the Netflix era. For instance, Daredevil showrunner Erik Oleson says Marvel insists on calling upcoming show Born Again 'season 1' instead of 'season 4', and we know Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll won’t be back as Foggy Nelson and Karen Page.
The Marvel Spotlight branding could be a perfect dumping ground for The Defenders-verse, not impacting the MCU too much, but we need to trim the fat. The MCU is hard enough to follow without adding a deluge of past characters, and aside from the major players, there’s a sense of 'who asked for this?' Although Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple was the Nick Fury of the Netflix shows, the casual MCU fan will likely have no idea who she is.
It sometimes feels like it would’ve been easier to go full Multiverse of Madness, establishing that the Netflix shows exist in a separate reality. But at least here there's a chance to experiment - canned plans for a Daughters of the Dragon series starring Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing and Simone Missick's Misty Knight could rear its head. Or, imagine Mike Colter’s Luke Cage leading an all-star Heroes for Hire that follows the comics with MCU favorites like She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd).
With the MCU accused of growing stale and needing a change of direction, is pulling duds from the back catalogue really the right decision, or are we doomed for another short-lived run of Defenders projects? Daredevil might be canon in the MCU, and you’re right that we’ve won, but make sure you’re prepared for the baggage that comes with him.
To stay updated on all things the MCU, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows that will soon be coming your way.
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