Note: We're going to be signing up for Netflix tomorrow, so we will be able to watch Daredevil! My plan is to post 1 expectations article tomorrow for the entire season before I watch the show. Then I plan to post 1 review each week until I get through the season, but if you would like to see reviews more frequently, let me know (but no guarantees).
The final post in my
mini-series leading up to the release of Daredevil on Netflix tomorrow
will be a look ahead to the future of the Defenders/Marvel/Netflix
corner of the MCU. Considering that one
of the Defenders (Iron Fist) still hasn’t been cast, 3 of the shows still
haven’t entered production, 2 still lack showrunners, and none of them have
actually been released yet, it is very early to start talking about the future
of this corner of the MCU. Nevertheless,
since they are going to start laying some of the groundwork for their “Phase 2”
through these series—and I’m pretty sure this experiment will be successful
enough to warrant a “Phase 2”—I think it is still relevant to talk about the
ways in which this will grow and expand after The Defenders comes out in
2016, 2017, or 2018 (my best guess is 2017).
For the purpose of
this article, I will assume that Marvel and Netflix are going to structure
“Netflix Phase 2” with about the same number of series as “Phase 1,” but I will
add at least 1 (for a total of 5 character-centric seasons, all leading up to
an event-focused The Defenders Season 2). Presumably, it would be entirely possible for
them to produce and release all of these in about 3 years, following roughly
the same schedule as the movies are: 2
per year, gearing up toward 3 per year.
I project that all of the “Phase 1 Defenders” will appear in series
leading up to The Defenders Season 2, but not necessarily in their own
series. Instead, a few of the series
will be combined together, leaving room to explore other characters in their
own series in anticipation of the inevitable team-up.
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| Image Courtesy www.comicbook.com |
Daredevil,
Season Two
Daredevil began
the Marvel/Netflix experiment, so I expect to see Matt Murdock open “Netflix
Phase Two,” as well, just like Iron Man and Iron Man 3. I think Kingpin will be back as a villain,
though not necessarily as the main villain; instead he may take a backseat to
another villain such as Bullseye.
Additionally, I see Jessica Jones appearing in Daredevil season 2
as Matt Murdock’s bodyguard and private investigator, appearing about as often
here as Luke Cage is going to appear in A.K.A. Jessica Jones season 1 (8
or so out of 13 episodes). In other
words, she will play as big a role in Daredevil season 2 as Black Widow
did in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, if not bigger. There will also be several new heroes who
appear in Daredevil season 2 for the first time, leading up to their
integration into the larger MCU.
First, Jennifer
Walters is another lawyer from the comics who would be right at home in the
courtroom opposite Matt Murdock. Oh, and
she’s also Bruce Banner’s cousin who turns into She-Hulk when Bruce needs to
give her a blood transfusion to save her life.
She may appear in Daredevil as a non-super-powered lawyer,
setting up her transformation into She-Hulk in an upcoming movie—or even over
the course of Daredevil season 2.
Alternatively, she could already have become She-Hulk, in which case she
and Daredevil may begin on opposite sides in the courtroom but eventually form
a solid working relationship.
Elektra is another
hero/anti-hero who could appear in Daredevil season 2 (preferably not
the Jennifer Garner version!). She and
Daredevil have a very longstanding relationship, which makes Daredevil
(season 1 or 2) a likely place for her to be introduced into the MCU. However, Elektra already appeared opposite
Daredevil in one film (and its spinoff), so they may try to avoid using the
same plots as Ben Affleck’s Daredevil (which would include her). Additionally, introducing She-Hulk and giving
Jessica Jones a big part might make this season a little too cluttered to fit
Elektra in. Add a possible role for
Bullseye and Elektra might see herself getting pushed back to Daredevil
season 3.
A third possibility is
for Punisher to make his MCU debut in Daredevil season 2 as a client of
Matt Murdock. There were rumblings when Captain
America: The Winter Soldier came out that the guy in the Penske truck who
ran over Sitwell could turn out to be the Punisher, so he’s certainly on their
radar for eventual inclusion in the MCU.
Given all of Frank Castle’s run-ins with the law (thanks in no small
part to his penchant for breaking the law like it’s a fortune cookie!),
it’s practically inevitable that he would be arrested at some point and put on
trial. If he gets arrested he’ll be
looking for a lawyer to represent him, and who better than Matt Murdock (or
Jennifer Walters) to serve as his defense attorney?
The main plot of the
season could revolve around Jessica Jones investigating Castle’s claims of
innocence of a particularly gruesome gangland slaying. In the court, Matt (representing Castle)
squares off against Jennifer Walters (representing the People). Once Jessica Jones discovers the people
really responsible for the murders, she and Daredevil go to confront them at
night in uniform and gather evidence Matt can use in court. However, Assistant District Attorney Walters
is the target of an assassination attempt by Bullseye (who was hired by Kingpin
to take her out because she’s getting too close to uncovering his involvement
in the murders). Her cousin Bruce Banner
(hello, Mark Ruffalo!) witnesses the assassination attempt and thwarts it. However, in the process Jennifer is
grievously wounded and at the point of death, forcing Bruce to give her a blood
transfusion to save her life—and the She-Hulk is born. The series ends with a huge confrontation
between Kingpin’s forces (including Bullseye) and Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and
She-Hulk. Daredevil and She-Hulk come to
an agreement after the battle to drop the charges against Castle. When he learns of the agreement, Castle
cryptically offers them his “assistance” if they should ever need it.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
The Heroes for
Hire, Season One
This series would
combine the Luke Cage and Iron Fist series into one, with the two
of them co-starring and Jessica Jones appearing in around half the episodes
(probably just as Cage’s super-powerful girlfriend who offers them backup when
necessary). This series would involve
the formation of the Heroes for Hire (if that doesn’t happen in Luke Cage,
Iron Fist, or The Defenders—one of the problems with writing this
article 2 years early!), and see them hire a couple of additional heroes to
their group in the first episode: Misty
Knight and Colleen Wing (again assuming they don’t debut in Iron Fist). The series would then see the Heroes for Hire
taking cases to provide muscle for other heroes and anti-heroes such as the
Punisher (I know, he usually works alone).
It might also see them encountering other vigilantes and adding them to
their stable of team members.
One of their clients
could be the Black Knight (Dane Whitman), who is trying to infiltrate the
Hell’s Kitchen underworld to root out a super villain. Perhaps he needs the Heroes for Hire to act
as backup who come in to clean things up once he’s gotten the information he
needs. When Cage and Rand see how well
the Knight handles himself, they offer him a position at the Heroes for Hire.
Over the course of the
series, they might also encounter Black Cat as a cat burglar attempting to
steal something valuable from one of their clients. Though they thwart her robbery, she escapes and
tries again later. Eventually they
convince her that she doesn’t need to steal for money by offering her a
position with the Heroes for Hire—allowing them to keep a closer eye on her.
Given that the Heroes
for Hire comic book has such a long production history and a flexible roster,
this series has the possibility to introduce a new hero in each episode. I doubt they would do that, but they may
introduce 3 or 4 new “Heroes for Hire” in the first few episodes and then see
those new team members cycle in and out over the course of a few different
cases.
Other Possible
Series
Rather than project
the other two or three series that would be part of Marvel’s “Netflix Phase
Two” right off the bat, here are a few possibilities for characters that could
be given their own series to fill the final slots leading up to The
Defenders season two. They may not make
the cut for “Netflix Phase Two,” but some of these might even come after The
Defenders season two.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Son of Satan-
We’re going to meet Patsy Walker in A.K.A. Jessica Jones, but we may not
see her suited up as Hellcat in that series.
However, this series—a spinoff of A.K.A. Jessica Jones—would
focus on Patsy and her future husband, Daimon Hellstrom (the eponymous “Son of
Satan”). Over the course of the season
Daimon learns that his father is a demon, and that dark magic is part of his
heritage. Rather than embrace his demonic
heritage, however, Daimon struggles to resist it and cling to his humanity,
aided by his relationship with Patsy.
They need to work together (perhaps with help from Jessica Jones) to
stop Daimon’s father’s plan to enslave the world. As part of this plot, they may even encounter
Gargoyle, a servant of Lucifer who turns against his master and joins Daimon,
Patsy, and Jessica to battle his former master.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Valkyrie-
In my projection, the only female-led Marvel/Netflix series gets folded into
two (or three) others in which she is either a co-star or recurring
character. However, to make up for that,
they could introduce another female hero with her own series: Brunnhilde, aka Valkyrie, the leader of the
team of Asgardian warriors known as the Valkyrior. After the events of Thor: Ragnarok, we
could see all the Asgardians “killed” and their spirits placed within the
bodies of Midgardians (humans)—which is what happened in the comics. Following Ragnarok, one of the Asgardians,
Brunnhilde, would be placed inside a Hell’s Kitchen woman named Samantha
Parrington (one of Valkyrie’s human “hosts” in the comics). Though she doesn’t know this at first, over
the course of the series she triggers her Asgardian spirit and fights the
criminals in Hell’s Kitchen using her Asgardian abilities (and a huge magical
sword). She might also meet the Black
Knight and through him come into contact with the Heroes for Hire and the rest
of the Defenders. This would be a very
easy way to tie The Defenders in with Thor: Ragnarok.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Spider-Woman-
So Spider-Man is getting his own movie, but thus far nothing’s been done with
Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman. I’m
pretty sure Marvel has always owned her rights, but one of the fan theories is
that they were unwilling to use her character because it might be confusing to
have an unrelated Spider-Man and Spider-Woman running around different movie
universes. Now that it’s no longer a
problem, why can’t she appear in the Marvel/Netflix collaboration? She could be a private investigator along the
lines of Jessica Jones, but without the PTSD.
Instead, she might be a brainwashed Hydra agent seeking to undo her
programming and atone for the crimes she committed under Hydra’s influence (a
little like Black Widow, but not quite).
Even if she doesn’t get her own series, she could debut in a supporting
role in another series, especially Daredevil or Heroes for Hire.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Moon Knight-
Marc Spector is one of the various Marvel Comics versions of Batman. He’s an eccentric millionaire, expert in
multiple forms of martial arts, and fights crime in an armored suit. However, unlike Batman, Moon Knight gains
superpowers from the Egyptian moon god Khonshu—enhanced abilities which shift
based on the phase of the moon. He also
has multiple personality disorder, which would make him a very interesting
character to explore over the course of a TV series. His power set, and especially the source of his powers, is something we have not really seen in the MCU; they fall more into the realm of Doctor Strange than being the form of magic we associate with Thor and Asgard.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Darkhawk-
This character would be something of a poor man’s Iron Man with a bit of a Guardians
of the Galaxy twist. A teenager,
Christopher Powell, discovers an alien amulet which acts like a transporter,
taking his body to a cloaked alien ship in orbit around the earth and replacing
it with an android which he controls.
Over the course of the series, Powell learns more about the origins of
his amulet and android and needs to use its power to prevent an alien invasion
(or something like that; they could make it more “grounded” and street-level
for Netflix).
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Nova- I
already suggested one series that would follow up on a 2017 movie; here’s the
second. While Marvel may choose to save
Nova Officer Richard Rider for a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, before
he left earth to travel to Xandar and fought with the Guardians of the Galaxy,
Richard Rider was a teenager given extraordinary abilities in a chance meeting
with a dying Nova Officer (Rhomann Dey, played by John C. Reilly in Guardians
of the Galaxy). He began his career
on earth learning to use his abilities and teaming up with other heroes. If they choose to introduce him on Netflix,
they could focus on his exploration of his powers with the help of other heroes
(Darkhawk and Spider-Man, perhaps? Throw
in another teenaged hero or two and you’ve got a Marvel answer to the
live-action Teen Titans series currently in development). Of course, for this to work they would need
to set it up in either Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or The Avengers:
Infinity War (either part): Nova
Corps would need to unlock a source of superpowers, maybe through
experimentation on the Orb; Nova Corps would then need to be annihilated,
leaving one survivor—why not Rhomann Dey; Dey needs to end up in a ship headed
away from Xandar on a collision course with New York City.
Other possible
characters include Blade, Ghost Rider, and Punisher, all
of whom have been in movies produced by other studios, and whose rights have since
returned to Marvel. Netflix might
provide a useful medium to introduce these characters into the MCU without
causing confusion due to the previous movies.
After all, that’s what they’re doing with Daredevil!
So now for my
projection of “Netflix Phase Two.” If I
were in Jeph Loeb’s (Marvel’s Head of TV) shoes, I would start releasing 3
series per year for “Netflix Phase Two” and make The Defenders Season
Two align with The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2. To fill in the series leading up to it, I would
go with the following:
[April 2017 The Defenders Season One—the end of
“Netflix Phase One”]
June 2017 Daredevil Season Two—possible
crossovers/cameos with [The Spectacular] Spider-Man, releasing in July
2017
Sept. 2017 Son of Satan—spinoff from A.K.A.
Jessica Jones
April 2018 Valkyrie—spinoff from Thor:
Ragnarok the previous November
June 2018 The Heroes for Hire—merging of
the Luke Cage and Iron Fist series
Sept. 2018 Moon Knight
April 2019 The Defenders Season Two—setup for/crossover
with The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 in May 2017
[June 2019 Nova and Darkwing—spinoff/follow-up
from The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2, in which the still-depleted Nova
Corps is annihilated in battle against Thanos over Earth after having unlocked
enhanced abilities through experimentation on the Orb (referenced in Guardians
of the Galaxy 2) (this is the first series in “Netflix Phase Three”)]
By the time the
Defenders show up to fight Thanos in The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2
(after taking on one of his lieutenants in The Defenders Season Two),
their team may have ballooned to up to 20 members, all of whom could
appear in Infinity War Part 2.
Some of those characters might not survive the movie, while others
(specifically Valkyrie) might leave the Defenders universe to join the
movies in some capacity, leaving openings to explore other heroes on Netflix.
Of course, things
could change over the next three years:
Some of these characters could be introduced to the MCU in “Netflix
Phase One” or one of the movies, some of the possible crossovers might not be
set up, or Marvel could even decide to just give a second season to each of the
4 “Netflix Phase One” series and not add any series focused on new characters. But if they did choose to change things up a
bit, I think any of the characters/series I suggested would be interesting and
fun to watch.
How do you think
Marvel is going to proceed with their Defenders universe? Are they going to start making bigger
connections to the larger MCU in Phase 2 or keep things smaller and more
“street level”? Who do you want to see
show up on Netflix with The Defenders?
Let me know in the comments!
If you have any ideas for future articles about The Defenders on Netflix, put them in the comments and I will see what I can do.
If you have any ideas for future articles about The Defenders on Netflix, put them in the comments and I will see what I can do.
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