The Marvel universe on Netflix has been getting bigger and bolder over the years since Daredevil premiered back in 2015. In addition to Daredevil, we have Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and soon, The Defenders, which will unite the heroes to fight a common enemy in New York City. The new series promises a team-up unlike anything we've seen so far, and actor Finn Jones has promised that the Netflix corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe won't be the same after all is said and done in The Defenders. Jones, who plays Danny Rand/Iron Fist, teased this about what's to come:
[The Defenders] feels like the end of Phase One [and] the beginning of another phase. Let's just say there are certain events that happen at the end of The Defenders which are going to rock everyone's world. So people aren't going to be the same after the end of The Defenders.
It sounds like the Marvel Netflix shows are following the model of the larger MCU, which has been releasing movies in phases since way back in 2008. Phase 1 of the movies consists of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avengers, and the team-up adventure that was The Avengers between 2008-2012. The timeframe from the Netflix series is significantly smaller, as Daredevil debuted in April 2015 and The Defenders is set to hit the web on August 2017. Finn Jones' comments to Digital Spy indicate that just as the Avengers were changed by the events of The Avengers, the Defenders will be changed by the events of The Defenders.
For the sake of our heroes, I hope Phase 2 of the Netflix shows doesn't follow the pattern of the MCU's Phase 2 exactly, given that Phase 2 started with a traumatized Tony Stark in Iron Man 3, revealed a S.H.I.E.L.D. that had been infiltrated by Hydra in Captain America: The Civil War, and unleashed Ultron on the world in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fortunately, we do have some details about Phase 2 on Netflix.
The next phase will kick off later this year with the first season of The Punisher, which will showcase Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in a solo series, after he made his unforgettable first appearance in Daredevil Season 2. Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist have all been renewed as well, so we'll see more of them after The Defenders. Claire Temple will probably find herself interacting with the heroes yet again in Phase 2 as well, because poor Claire just can't catch a break from all the super-weirdness New York City has to offer.
We'll have to wait and see if The Defenders is as much of a hit for the small screen as The Avengers was on the big screen. Luckily, we don't have too much longer to wait. The Defenders will become available for our streaming pleasure on Friday, August 18 at 12:01 a.m. PT on Netflix. If you need a crash course on what's to come, our breakdown of what we know so far about The Defenders can help you out. Check out our 2017 Netflix guide for what you can watch once you've made your way through Marvel's latest TV venture.
