With Daredevil: Born Again bringing back Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, Marvel Studios is now considering the return of more Defenders characters. According to Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, the studio is actively “exploring” ways to bring back Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, and Finn Jones’ Iron Fist.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Winderbaum emphasized the complexity of reviving these characters within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
“I can’t say much, but I’ll tell you that it’s so exciting to be able to play in that sandbox,” Winderbaum said. “Obviously, we don’t have unlimited storytelling resources like a comic book. If you can draw it, you can do it. But it’s dealing with actors and time and the massive scale of production in order to build a cinematic universe, especially on television. But I can just say that all those variables taken into account, it is certainly something that is creatively extremely exciting and that we are very much exploring.”
Marvel’s Defenders characters originally appeared on Netflix between 2015 and 2019. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist each had their own series before converging in the 2017 miniseries The Defenders. While these shows developed a dedicated fanbase, Marvel Studios shifted its focus to Disney+ originals like Loki, WandaVision, and Hawkeye, leaving the Netflix heroes in limbo.
Recent years have seen a growing interest in reviving these characters, especially after Cox’s Daredevil cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home and a larger role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Ritter, who portrayed Jessica Jones, has also expressed enthusiasm about a possible return.
When asked about Winderbaum’s comments, Ritter told ComicBook in 2024:
“Brad Winderbaum said that? That’s really exciting to hear. Isn’t that the guy who makes the call? Come on, Brad! Let’s get it going. Let’s do it. I’ll be ready.”
This openness from both Marvel Studios and key cast members suggests that a return for the Defenders is more of a “when” than an “if.” Whether they’ll reunite as a team or appear separately in upcoming MCU projects remains to be seen.
For now, fans will have to wait and see how Daredevil: Born Again performs when it premieres. Its success could determine whether Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist finally step back into the spotlight.
Sources: Deadline, Entertainment Weekly, ComicBook
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