Now that the first season of Marvel’s Iron Fist is in the can, we’re closer than ever to the big Netflix/Marvel team-up that we’ve been waiting for. With both Jessica Jones and Daredevil included in our loot this month, we’re dedicating this Friday Five to comic book moments featuring The Defenders that we’d love to see paid homage to in the show!
Of course, there are enough changes to the storylines and origins of the these characters in the Netflix canon that we’re not expecting strict adaptations; in fact, there’s an argument to be made for surprise being valuable for those who know the comics inside and out. We’ve seen a few distinct homages on screen already though – the Daredevil/Punisher rooftop stand-off in Daredevil S2E3 is a great example, nodding at Garth Ennis’ Punisher run. So that said, we’d sure love to see…
More Teamwork! This is pretty much a given, as it’s the entire premise of The Defenders to have the four Netflix heroes join forces to save New York. How their individual talents will play off of one another will be fun to discover, though. (We’re hoping for stuff like this, where Matt Murdock’s unique hearing skills puts his friends at an advantage when digging up the dirt they need to enforce justice):
(Marvel Comics)
Jessica Jones & Matt Murdock: Good Clients, Better Friends: Over the course of their comics history starting with Brian Michael Bendis’ Alias, Jessica and Matt have gradually overcome any natural animosity (being, as they are, two of the most stubborn characters in the Marvel universe) to become not only good friends, but crucial allies: Matt as Jessica’s attorney on numerous occasions, and Jessica as Matt’s bodyguard when his secret identity as Daredevil is exposed. (Now that is a Defenders plotline waiting to happen. But not right away. Season 2, maybe?) Down for moments like these…
(Marvel Comics)
Power Man & Iron Fist, Heroes For Hire: It’s no secret that fans have been anticipating the meeting of Luke Cage and Danny Rand, whose partnership is one of the great duos of Marvel comics canon. Though their origins in Netflix’s universe are quite different, there’s a lot of potential here, particularly for the older world-weary Cage to teach the, so far, fairly naïve neophyte Danny a thing or two about how things go down in New York. (If it includes some similar top-notch sass to the Brubaker/Fraction run of Immortal Iron Fist, that would be a nice bonus)…
(Marvel Comics)
(Marvel Comics)
Luke & Jessica, sittin’ in a tree…: Yes, we know: Previously in Netflix canon, Luke Cage had a thing goin’ on with Claire Temple. To be honest, we’d still like to see the awesome Claire get her own show. (We could call it Claire Temple Has a Normal, Uneventuful Day That Isn’t Disrupted By Superheroes. Edgy!) It remains to be seen how that romantic side-plot will go in The Defenders, but for longtime fans of the comics, we could certainly be forgiven for hoping that Luke might somehow find his way back into the arms of Jessica Jones. They’re one of Marvel’s great power couples (pun absolutely intended), with a spiky chemistry that Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter totally nailed in season one of Marvel’s Jessica Jones. (And when they’re cute they’re the cutest, such as Luke’s face when he finally proposed to Jessica and she said yes….)
(Marvel Comics)
(Marvel Comics)
Enter the Daughters of the Dragon: They’re not technically members of the team of Defenders, but Misty Knight and Colleen Wing have proven to be significantly popular additions to Marvel’s Luke Cage and Marvel’s Iron Fist, respectively. Simone Missick and Jessica Henwick both return in the upcoming miniseries, and as such many fans are amped for the possibility that these two kick-ass ladies may team up as their comics counterparts have, dubbed The Daughters of the Dragon. They even had their own title for while in the mid-2000’s. (Sure, there was a hat-tip to the title in Colleen’s cagefighting nickname in Iron Fist, but come on… don’t leave it there, guys.)
(Marvel Comics)
BONUS!: This moment, right here. Because it’s just the best.
Even vigilantes gotta stop and eat. Plus, Charlie Cox is a fan. 🙂
(Marvel Comics)
