Daredevil Season 2 premiers on Netflix on March 18, and I have a lot of looming questions regarding The Defenders’ corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What will the lineup of The Defenders look like once they unite? What will cause them to realize they need to work together? Will Trish teach Jessica how to fight?
Season 1 of Jessica Jones showed us more of the connective tissue between the Netflix Universe and the rest of the MCU with references to the greater universe. One of the coolest scenes, in my opinion, was the episode in which Jessica gets tricked into helping the couple that wants to get back at powered people for their involvement in the Battle of New York – as if Jessica herself had anything to do with Loki’s invasion or the Avengers’ antics that day.
Jessica Jones’ first season also gave us more Claire Temple – the Netflix equivalent of Agent Phil Coulson before his “death” in The Avengers. Claire was a major player in Daredevil Season 1, serving as a confidant and a nurse for Matt Murdock. Claire was a welcome addition to Jessica Jones, my only complaint being that she wasn’t in the series longer than her short time with Luke and Jessica. Jessica Jones also introduced us to Jessica’s best friend/adopted sister Trish Walker – who, at least at this point, is a much better fighter than Jessica even without powers, enhancements, or abilities.
Daredevil’s second season premiers this month, and will introduce at least two new major players to the MCU – The Punisher and Elektra. Both of these characters are fan favorites and have a long and stories history with Marvel, but how will these two play into the MCU? What will the Defenders’ final lineup look like?
Right now, there’s at least one more season of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and maybe another season of Jessica Jones. (I know Jessica Jones has gotten the clear for Season 2, but who knows when will it premier?)
The Defenders Lineup
Matt Murdock/Daredevil
It’s pretty much one of the more assured things in the Netflix Universe, but really, there’s almost no doubt The Man Without Fear will appear in the series. Matt Murdock is the Tony Stark of the Netflix corner of the MCU in the sense that his character serves as the cornerstone of the universe. I’m excited to see where Season 2 takes Matt, as well as the competing philosophies with The Punisher.
Frank Castle/The Punisher
We pretty much know next to nothing of the MCU’s Punisher, but it makes sense to think that he has a similar background with his comic’s counterpart. From the trailers, it seems that Frank will be a major antagonist of the season. However, just because he’s the antagonist, doesn’t mean he’s a villain – technically Tony Stark is an antagonist in Civil War, but I wouldn’t classify him as a villain. So, what’s the likelihood we’ll see Frank as a member of the Defenders? Who knows? But hopefully we explore his philosophy as a vigilante and relationship with Matt on a deeper level.
Jessica Jones
Oh, Jessica. She’s a mess of a girl, but don’t we all love her? Like Daredevil, it’s pretty much a guarantee she’ll be in the series. I wonder, though, if she’ll join out of reluctance, but not because she’s super exited about the “team” concept. I can see it already – Trish convinces her to join the team, and she does, but more to protect Trish or Luke than anything else.
Luke Cage
You better believe he’ll be a Defender. Luke’s got skin of steel and a heart of gold. We’ll see even more about what his past looks like and where he is after the events of Jessica Jones when Luke Cage premiers later this year.
Elektra/Elektra Natchios
We saw a little more of Elektra in the latest Daredevil trailer, but how will this old flame of Matt’s fit into the world? They seem to be working together, but what’s her motive? She’s a complete mystery to me. I do hope, however, that Frank, Elektra, and Matt realize that they’re all awesome and should be working together to bring down a larger threat at the end of the season. Maybe then Elektra will make her way into the Defenders.
Trish Walker/Hellcat
Beloved Trish. Let’s be honest, I want more Trish in the MCU, and with her charisma and optimism, she would make a great addition to the Defenders team. She’s powerless – no super strength, no flight, no heightened senses, but maybe that pill she took had some side effects? Plus, she can fight, or at least defend herself for that matter.
Danny Rand/Iron Fist
Netflix and Marvel just announced the casting of Iron Fist with Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones. At this point, that’s pretty much all we know about Iron Fist in the MCU. I think we’ve already had some connections with him and Madame Gao in Daredevil, but we’ll have to wait a little longer to learn about Iron Fist.
Claire Temple
If Nick Fury referred to Agent Coulson as an Avenger, then I’ll refer to Claire Temple as a Defender. That’s it.
What will bring them together?
We have yet to receive a premier date for The Defenders, but if it premiers at the time of the Infinity War, how cool would it be to see the Defenders involved? Yes, I’d love to see them on the big screen with everyone else, but what if Thanos brings an army to New York again like Loki did? This time, though, the Avengers will be busy dealing with Thanos on a galactic level, but the Defenders can help deal with the drama at home.
Who do you want to see on the Defenders lineup? What do you think will unite them? Do you think they’ll be involved in the Infinity War? Should they appear in Avengers Infinity War films? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to catch all episodes of Daredevil Season 2 when it premiers on Netflix on March 18.