Marvel Entertainment has been swinging for the fences over the last few years on the big screen, pumping out at least a movie a year on average since 2008, but their first forays into the world of the small screen have been less successful. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. lost viewership over its first season in 2013, but received mostly positive reviews, with Agent Carter following a similar trend in 2015. Broadcast television is not what it used to be, however, which is why Marvel has recently turned to the entertainment industry’s young gun, Netflix, for its next venture, The Defenders. Similarly to how Marvel built The Avengers up over time and introduced the members individually at first, each of the Defenders will appear on their own 13-episode series before finally being brought together for an eight-episode team up series. I personally like this approach as it will allow the audience to really know the characters by the time that they are brought together. As of now, Daredevil is set to premiere in April, A.K.A. Jessica Jones in the fall, Luke Cage in early 2016, Iron Fist in late 2016 and The Defenders six months later. Who are these “heroes” you ask?
Daredevil is a dark and brutal vigilante, a blind acrobatic martial arts master whose lack of sight is compensated through incredible other senses. By day he is Matt Murdock, attorney at law, but by night, he is the self proclaimed protector of Hell’s Kitchen, a neighbourhood on the West side of Manhattan. He is portrayed by Charlie Cox (Stardust).
Jessica Jones is an ex-superhero, whose career as a hero was tragically cut short. In an attempt to re-build her life she establishes a private detective service in Manhattan, dealing mostly with cases of people with amazing abilities. Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) has been cast in her role.
Details on the latter two shows are few and far between. Luke Cage was sent to prison for a crime that he did not commit, and by the time he got out he had gained amazing powers. Unbreakable skin and super strength turned Cage into a tank of a hero who rarely backs down from anything. After leaving prison he worked as a hero for hire, serving the highest bidder before choosing to help those who really need him. Mike Colter (Million Dollar Baby) is set to play him.
The last Defender, Iron Fist, will likely be played by an unknown. He is a martial arts master named Daniel Rand born in New York City, who has learned the ability to master and control his chi, typically transforming it into an “Iron Fist”, hence his name.
Don’t worry though; it’s not likely that after Daredevil we won’t see Matt Murdock until The Defenders. These four characters are so intertwined that crossovers are inevitable. In fact Luke Cage is set to make his on screen debut in A.K.A. Jessica Jones. Luke Cage and Iron Fist are also pretty good friends, teaming up periodically since their inception. Another hero who might get fleshed out a bit through these series before his big screen headlining role is Spiderman. Peter Parker is a person living in New York with amazing abilities. Sounds like a pretty typical case for Jessica Jones to me. Just something to think about.
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