Summary
- Despite the end of The Defenders era, a spinoff Daughters of the Dragon show featuring Colleen Wing and Misty Knight was considered.
- The return of Daredevil and Punisher in the MCU opens the door for other Netflix characters to make appearances and potentially re-introduce them to audiences.
- Marvel Studios should bring back The Defenders characters on a more regular basis, as they were popular on Netflix and their presence would add more street-level heroes to the MCU.
While The Defenders series on Netflix came to an end years ago, a Marvel spinoff show was actually being considered, according to Luke Cage director Mark Jobst. Even though Disney+ is the main home for MCU shows these days, the original Marvel TV era with original series on Netflix, ABC, Freeform, and Hulu. On Netflix, Marvel TV ran several shows as part of their The Defenders franchise, including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, which brought to life multiple characters from the comics.
Despite the fact that The Defenders era ended sooner than expected, it turns out there was another spinoff show in the makings. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Marc Jobst, who directed several episodes of Luke Cage, Daredevil, and The Punisher, was asked directly about the characters of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, as well as whether or not there were plans for a Daughters of the Dragon offshoot with the two female heroes, which was something fans were vocal about wanting to see. Jobst confirmed that this almost become a reality, and that the show was intentionally leading up to a Daughters of the Dragon show, as he shared the following:
Yes, absolutely. There was some relationship building in the episode, starting with the boxing ring training. That culminated in Colleen deliberately leading Misty into a fight to get over her self-pity, knowing that Misty would rise to it, which she did. The two of them going off into the smoke and bokeh as a definite twosome was a nod to the potential of Daughters of the Dragon.
How The MCU Could Feature More Netflix Characters
Even though fans can always relive all of The Defenders shows on Disney+, it may not necessarily be the only way for MCU viewers to see the Netflix characters. Since Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, the MCU has started bringing back some of the popular heroes, with both Daredevil and Kingpin being active players again in the franchise. They will both show up on Echo before Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio will be headlining Daredevil: Born Again, which will also include Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, who lost his show after two seasons on Netflix.
Since Marvel Studios is keeping the door open for The Defenders characters, it makes it entirely possible for figures like Luke Cage and Iron Fist – as well as Misty and Colleen – to show up throughout the MCU. The best option would be to have them show up in other MCU movies or TV shows before Marvel Studios start considering projects with any of them as the leads. This would be a good way for Marvel Studios to re-test the water with audiences for those characters and even re-introduce them, as it has been several years since their last Netflix appearances.
Given how popular The Defenders shows and characters were on Netflix, it would be a shame if Marvel Studios never brought back the others, especially now that Daredevil and Punisher are back and the subject of some not inconsiderable audience excitement. Having them back on a more regular basis would also allow the MCU to have more street-heroes present. Time will tell if the MCU ever brings back the rest of The Defenders characters, but hopefully, Marvel Studios will find room for them sooner rather than later.
Source: THR