Superhero work is a dangerous business, and if you’re not coming back with injuries after fighting crime, you’re either extremely good at your job or you’re not doing it right. Fortunately for Daredevil’s titular hero Matt Murdock, he was able to turn to nurse Claire Temple to get stitched up several times, and with each visit they grew closer. Although she didn’t star in as many episodes as some of the other main characters, she was nonetheless an important member of the cast, which is why many fans will be pleased to hear we’ll be seeing more of her next year.
Marvel revealed today that Rosario Dawson will be reprising her role as Claire in Daredevil's second season. However, the announcement also stated that her return is part of a “larger exclusive TV deal” that will let her appear in any of Marvel’s other Netflix programming. This is another example of how these Marvel shows will be crossing over with one another in the coming years. Other examples includes the Defenders miniseries, which will see all of Marvel’s Netflix heroes teaming up together, and Luke Cage debuting on A.K.A. Jessica Jones. As for Dawson’s Claire, it sounds like she will serve as the connective thread between many these shows, similar to Nick Fury’s role during Marvel’s Phase One slate of movies.
Besides Daredevil and Defenders, the other Netflix shows coming up are A.K.A. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. A.K.A. Jessica Jones is currently filming, but since most, if not all, of the scripts have been written, it’s hard to imagine Claire being included in that show outside of a cameo/minor appearance in one of the final episodes (unless Dawson's known about the gig for a while and we're just hearing about it). That leaves Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Defenders for her to appear in. It’s worth noting that the MCU version of Claire Temple is an amalgamation of both the comic book Claire and the superheroine Night Nurse, who helps out injured superheroes. As mentioned earlier, we saw Claire treat Matt’s injuries on Daredevil, so perhaps she’ll be serving in the same capacity for the other Netflix heroes.
It’s also possible that comic book Claire’s connection to Luke Cage might be explored in the MCU. In the comics, Claire and Luke were involved romantically, but eventually separated after she was tired of him constantly putting himself in harm’s way. We still don’t know what to expect from Luke’s solo series, but be prepared for the possibility that Dawson could also score a leading role on that show, as well. After all, things didn’t work out so well with Matt, but that doesn’t mean she can’t date other superheroes.
You can see Claire again when Daredevil returns for its second season in 2016 on Netflix.
