Since its introduction in 2014, Netflix's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been one of the crossover-friendly spots on TV. But at the moment, it sounds like its initial show-connecting character may be out of the franchise, with actress Rosario Dawson completely unsure whether or not her character Claire Temple will be back on any of the franchises. And that uncertainty actually helped Dawson assist in crafting one of Luke Cage's most memorable Season 2 moments. Here's how she explained it.
I felt really grateful, because Cheo Hodari Coker was the showrunner, and it was kind of looking like, at least for that season, who knows if I'll come back again? This was looking like it was going to be a big final scene for Claire, and it was really as a culmination of three years and being on five different shows.
The bit she's referring to happened in Episode 3, "Wig Out," which sees Luke and Claire's relationship coming to a close in an emotional sequence where they both unburden themselves of social and personal injustices they've suffered. It was so good, in fact, that many fans were confused and/or upset whenever the remainder of Season 2 went by without Claire returning in any capacity. Not that she would have been able to take down Bushmaster single-handedly, but it was still unfortunate to have such a big character gone so early in the season.
As the age-defying Rosario Dawson put it to IndieWire, the vibe she felt while filming Luke Cage _had "final scene" reverberations, which obviously means the actress hasn't been contacted by anyone at Marvel concerning her character's future. That's kind of surprising to me, all things considered. As the narrative glue pulling these characters together ahead of the _Defenders miniseries, Claire was important, though almost necessarily underwritten. She was always the person witnessing and observing and helping, but didn't get nearly enough story time devoted to her own life. Not very dab-worthy, Marvel.
In that respect, I think many out there would love to see Marvel give Claire Temple her own spinoff series, or at least a one-off special in the style of the cinematic One-Shots. Since she's not one of the superpowered NYC residents, it's understandable (I guess) why Marvel wouldn't actively be launching Claire up to be as popular as Iron Man, who also doesn't have any powers, as it were. But Dawson's work in the MCU will feel all the more slighted if her story truly did already come to an end in the form of her break-up with Luke.
Hell, it sounds like Rosario Dawson might even be able to craft Claire's standalone story herself. Here's her explanation for how she helped make Claire's final scene as memorable as it was.
When the scene was first written, to be honest, it was a little bit more written on his side and his storyline and that kind of stuff. And I approached Cheo and had the audacity of adding some lines and rewriting some stuff and asked him if that could work. . . . He gave me a really amazing compliment --- he said, 'You want to join the writers' room? Because this is great.'
What say you all? More Claire or no Claire in Marvel's future? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for Daredevil Season 3, which will hit Netflix on Friday, October 19, at 12:01 a.m. PT. Then head to our 2018 Netflix schedule and our fall TV premiere schedule to keep up with all the new and returning shows that are on the way.
