Everything We Know About 'Marvel's The Defenders'

'Marvel's The Defenders' will be released on Netflix on August 18. Here's everything we know about it as of right now.

Simone Missick and Krysten Ritter as Misty Knight and Jessica Jones in 'Marvel's The Defenders'
Netflix

Image via Netflix/Sarah Shatz

Simone Missick and Krysten Ritter as Misty Knight and Jessica Jones in 'Marvel's The Defenders'

On Wednesday morning, Netflix brightened my world by releasing the official trailer for Marvel's The Defenders, which hits the streaming service on August 18. For anyone who follows Marvel's Cinematic Universe, The Defenders has been one of 2017's most anticipated, primarily because it's Marvel's Avengers for the Netflix series. With the New York they've been crafting in DaredevilLuke CageJessica Jones, and Iron Fist, The Defenders is the culmination of those series, which should give Marvel stanboys all of the goosebumps.

The only problem? We don't have a firm grasp on what the series is going to be just yet. Sure, there are some common threads/enemies throughout the series, and the cast will be fleshed out by a number of familiar faces, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the series will be about. And not for nothing, but after Iron Fist, I feel like The Defenders needs to be a home run.

Let's walk through what we know about Marvel's next series so far.

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When (Superhero) Worlds Collide

It's been no secret that Marvel's plans have lead to The Defenders; this was established back in 2013. Surprisingly, the only main superheroes who have met up are Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, with the Luke Cage series getting pushed ahead of schedule due to Luke's popularity in Jessica Jones. Where this trailer won is highlighting the meet cutes between Matt Murdock and Jessica or Luke and Iron Fist testing their might while chasing the same bad guy.

The secondary characters are where it will really get interesting. Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) has been seen in every Marvel series on Netflix so far, interacting with characters in a number of ways. She's one of the most interconnected individuals in the Marvel world on Netflix and will be key to saying, "Hey, you guys really aren't alone out here." It's also dope to know that Carrie-Ann Moss' lawyer Jeri Hogarth (who was in Daredevil and Iron Fist) will play a part, as will Simone Missick's Misty Knight.

The dream match-ups are awesome. In the Marvel Comics world, Misty and Colleen Wing (who we met in Iron Fist) worked together as a crime-fighting duo. Maybe The Defenders will sow the early seeds of the Daughters of the Dragon truly becoming a thing? What'll happen when someone like Stick, who mentored Matt Murdock, interacts with someone like Luke Cage? Did Jessica's assistant Malcolm kick his drug habit? Will be become a liability to the squad? So many questions will be answered.

A Common Enemy

This is an area where confusion abounds. With Élodie Yung officially reprising her Daredevil season 2 role as Elektra, the situation changes. She's the Black Sky, a.k.a. a weapon of The Hand, who was ever present in the Daredevil and Iron Fist series. This would mean that there'd be something to do with The Hand in The Defenders, right? What exactly will be big enough to bring these four superpowered beings into one squad?

We have a feeling that Sigourney Weaver's character Alexandra will play a part in this. While some have speculated that Weaver would be playing a gender-swapped Alexander Bont (who was the first Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen), Marvel has been relatively tight-lipped about who Alexandra really is. Defenders showrunner Marco Ramirez described her as "sophisticated, intellectual, dangerous," and you get that immediately by the way Weaver moves and speaks in the trailer. She's about that business.

The Unknown

Aside from whatever Alexandra is, one of the more obvious questions is how do Jessica Jones and Luke Cage fit into this? We see Matt Murdock specifically stepping up for Jessica; what can she do for him? And where does Luke fit in?

Speaking of Jessica and Luke, there's a huge question about how their previous relationship fits into the dynamic. We definitely get to see that Claire and Luke are a thing, but will Jessica trip? It felt like there was some chemistry between the two of them in Jessica Jones. Will they be cool, or can we see them slowly getting back together?

Finally, how does the group function in terms of a leader? It's easy to say that Daredevil might be the #1 in this union, especially since he's seen as the flagship Marvel series on Netflix, but does that automatically put him in that power position?

We've got loads of questions and only a few months to gain answers. I'd suggest keeping it locked, as information on Marvel's The Defenders will start pouring out in the coming weeks. One thing is clear, though: This show has us hype.

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