Years ago, it was decided that Marvel would expand its Cinematic Universe even more as it would feature four new shows based on their comic-book intellectual property. Netflix has already had one with Daredevil Season 1, and will have another this week with Jessica Jones. After Luke Cage and Iron Fist, it will be time to group them together with The Defenders, and here is what is known so far as far as release dates and other news is concerned.
The biggest thing that will shake up this new Netflix/Marvel universe is the screen introduction of Jessica Jones, who will be available to Netflix subscribers on November 20, 2015. With the great reception of Daredevil Season 1, this Jessica Jones series, set in the same universe and neighborhood (Hell's Kitchen) as the Man Without Fear, will hopefully be more of a deal-maker for the Defenders than a deal-breaker.
Jessica Jones is about a woman who has been a superhero, and even still possesses augmented strength. However, she has given up on the traditional costume and chosen to work as a private investigator, which should be interesting as she lives in a world populated by superheroes like the Avengers (yes, it does take place within the context of both The Avengers and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
Unlike Daredevil, where the main character Matt Murdock had to deal with human villains, Jones will have to deal with super-villains. The main villain is Kilgrave, a man who has the power to take over minds, and he ruthlessly stalks Jessica Jones. This show looks even darker than Daredevil Season 1, and the preview has a lot of speculative elements, such as a scene where Kilgrave presumably takes over a police station and makes all the cops point guns at each other.
Jessica Jones will introduce the screen version of Luke Cage, who also has augmented strength. He will also have his own show sometime later in 2016, but first, Daredevil will have his Season 2 in the Spring of 2016 (possibly the end of April). There is a preview out for this season, and there are some large plot elements that are already known , like how he will have to take on The Punisher, an anti-hero who is known for killing criminals. Also in the mix is Elektra, a veiled vigilante who was a love interest for Daredevil until she faced a tragic death in the comics. She was brought back to life again, but it is not known if she will find her fate in Season 2 of Daredevil the series.
Some of the more unknowns in the Defenders equation is Iron Fist, a show that is still in the planning process of Marvel/Netflix. In the comics, Iron Fist often partnered with Luke Cage, who was often called Power Man.
Also unknown is the villain when these heroes all get together on The Defenders. With the Kingpin and now Purple Man revealed so far, it doesn't appear that the Netflix Marvel team will be facing some Loki archetypical foe with the goal of world domination. Instead, it looks like the will be fighting someone who wants to take over Hell's Kitchen for the profit, and yet it could just as easily be more epic. It's all going to be about the writing, and we'll see where Marvel and Netflix take these comic-book inspirations.
