With only two days until its premiere, Daredevil will not only see the debut of the new live-action iteration of Matt Murdock, but also kick off Marvel’s Netflix programming line, which includes A.K.A. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Since A.K.A. Jessica Jones is next on the Marvel Netflix slate, some have wondered whether Daredevil might include a brief appearance from Jessica to set up her series, similar to how Marvel uses post-credits scenes to set up future movies. Unfortunately for fans, when you’re binge-watching Daredevil this weekend, showrunner Steven DeKnight has revealed that the Netflix superheroine won't show up in Season 1. Here's what DeKnight had to say:
I would have loved to have Jessica Jones pop up, even for a scene or two, but I was shooting the last two days of the finale when they cast Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, so we couldn’t do that on our side. Hopefully down the line, on the other shows, they can take advantage of that a little more.
The Daredevil showrunner told Wired that when he joined Daredevil he was “up to my eyeballs just trying to get this show off the ground,” so teaming the Man Without Fear with another superhero wasn’t a priority for him at first. As the quote notes, we also need to consider the fact that A.K.A. Jessica Jones was still in the early planning stages when Daredevil was being filmed.
So, if you’re looking for interconnectivity between all of the Marvel Netflix series, Daredevil won’t have any, yet, although there will be references to the MCU as a whole as evidenced by its recent previews. Fortunately, there will be plenty of opportunities for the other three shows to take advantage of the shared universe. Shortly after Krysten Ritter scored the Jessica Jones role, Mike Colter was cast as Luke Cage. Luke will be introduced on A.K.A. Jessica Jones as an enigmatic man who will change Jessica’s life, and soon after star in his own series. Considering the relationship these two have in the comics, it wouldn’t be surprising if Jessica popped up on Luke’s show as a guest star or recurring character, as well.
Then there’s Iron Fist, the fourth Netflix series. In the comics, he and Luke Cage are good friends that formed the Heroes for Hire business, where they would receive payment for super heroic acts. Eventually they dropped the business and became normal superheroes, but to this day they still frequently partner together to combat threats. Details on Iron Fist are scarce at this point (he’s the only hero that hasn’t been cast yet), but it would be cool to see him and Luke Cage team up like the old days, whether it’s standard superhero fare or for a profit.
Regardless of what happens on the individual shows, they’ll all culminate in the Defenders miniseries, which will see Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist joining forces, so fans can look forward to an Avenger-style team-up in the coming years.
