It's a big weekend for comic book fans, as Netflix has released another season of its hit shows within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After over two years of waiting, Jessica Jones has finally returned for Season 2, once again transporting us to the title character's noir inspired world of private investigating and vigilantism. While fans have been waiting for quite some time to finally get treated to Jessica Jones' sophomore season, the character was also one of the leads of The Defenders. I recently had the chance to speak with JJ showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, where I asked if she had any trepidation about handing over the character of Jessica to another series. She told me,
I was never worried because Krysten Ritter so completely embodies Jessica Jones that I don't think she could or would do anything that was outside of the realm of her character. She's very protective of it and very passionate about it. So she and I really are partners in that regard, so it was really her being the caretaker on that one.
It looks like Melissa Rosenberg and Krysten Ritter have a special type of collaborative relationship. It's so strong that Rosenberg felt comfortable enough for new showrunners to play with the character of Jessica for a few episodes, without worrying about uncharacteristic changes being made.
Melissa Rosenberg does have a point, considering Krysten Ritter's close relationship with her role. The Breaking Bad alum shot The Defenders and Jessica Jones Season 2 back to back, meaning that she lived and worked everyday as Jessica for 12 months. No one knows the superpowered private eye better than Ritter, who would no doubt have spoken up if The Defenders took Jessica to an unnatural place.
In the end, Jessica Jones' Melissa Rosenberg really had nothing to really worry about. While Jessica was a star of The Defenders and got to team up with the other three heroes of Netflix's Marvel shows, it wasn't a miniseries that was truly about her character's development. The story was very much about each independent hero opening themselves up to more relationships and team work, with Jessica also able to reconnect with Mike Colter's Luke Cage for the first time since Jessica Jones Season 1.
Throughout The Defenders, Jessica insisted how much she didn't want to be involved in the conflict with The Hand, so it makes sense that she wouldn't be showing new colors to both audiences and characters. Since the character is so good at compartmentalizing her traumatic events, Melissa Rosenberg was also able to focus on the storyline of Jessica Jones Season 2, knowing the the protagonist wouldn't be making random off the cuff references and potential crossovers.
Jessica Jones is currently streaming both seasons on Netflix. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus, check out our Amazon premiere list and superhero premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode.
