Marvel did something incredibly special and unprecedented in its creation of a shared cinematic universe of superheroes. Having said this, there's still work to be done. The studio has established a truly compelling universe within its universe in the form of its gritty, hard-hitting Netflix series. Fans have wondered if characters such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage would ever cross over into the greater Marvel movies, and it turns out that there's a very simple reason why they haven't yet. At TCA this week, executive producer Jeph Loeb explained why people like Luke Cage's Mike Colter have not popped up in the movies. Here's what he had to say
The movies are planned out years in advance. Television moves at an incredible speed. How am I going to get Mike to be in a movie? I need Mike to be in a television show.
Loeb's comments, per Variety, make it seem like the lack of crossovers has more to do with the logistical differences between film and television, rather than Marvel's lack of interest in making such a thing happen. Jeph Loeb has a point; the Marvel Cinematic Universe film slate is locked in and set years prior to a given film's release, while the TV universe moves much quicker, and is far more prone to changes at any given moment.
For example, the Phase 3 movie schedule has more or less remained the same over the course of the last year. On the other hand, Marvel has been incredibly flexible over at Netflix with regards to shuffling around the release of different TV series premieres, and even adding a Punisher series to the slate following the positive reaction to Jon Bernthal's take on the character. TV production simply moves far faster than movies, and as such the pace can become incredibly difficult to sync up properly.
It's undoubtedly disappointing news to many, but Jeph Loeb tempers the revelation with a slight degree of hope that such a crossover event could still take place somewhere down the line. He earnestly and excitedly expresses that he very much wants to see a hero like Mike Colter's Luke Cage make his way into the Marvel movies at some point, and we're inclined to agree with him.
While the Marvel movies and Netflix series will more or less remain distinct from one another for now, we continue to hold out hope that these things could change down the line. Who knows, perhaps we will even find ourselves lucky enough to get a glimpse of The Defenders in Avengers: Infinity War when that major motion picture event finally hits theaters.
We will bring you all of the latest and greatest details related to all of Marvel's Defenders series as more information becomes available to us. The gritty, New York based superhero drama will continue when Luke Cage debuts on September 30. Make sure to check out our fall TV premiere schedule and mark your calendars appropriately.
