New Images From Marvel’s ‘The Defenders’ Give Few Hints About The Plot

For years now, the big screen has had Marvel’s Avengers as the glue holding together their cinematic universe. This year, the small screen finally gets their own Marvel superhero team with Netflix’s The Defenders. While fans of the superhero genre still have to get through Danny Rand’s (Finn Jones) origin story in Iron Fist, expectations are high for the street-level team-up coming to the streaming service later this summer. To help whet fans’ appetite, Netflix recently released a small trove of official images revealing faces both old and new…though Charlie Cox’s Daredevil is conspicuously absent.

Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) features front and center of Netflix’s promotional push for The Defenders. In one image, Misty Knight (Simone Missick) grills an apparently arrested Jones about something while three thick files with Jones’ priors sit on the table. Whatever they’re discussing, it will most likely further entwine the two sides of Luke Cage’s life. In the other, Jones (wearing the same shirt and gloves) grabs coffee with her longtime friend Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor). I’m not above asking someone to please ID Trish’s bag because it’s super cute. Also, it seems large enough to house a costume should Netflix decide it’s time for Hellcat to suit up. Hint, hint.

Luke Cage (Mike Colter) is still behind bars at the beginning of The Defenders, as evidenced by the promotional still of him in prison orange flanked by two officers. But the look on Cage’s face almost appears to be one of triumph and Colter has already confirmed his character won’t be spending the series in a jail cell. Perhaps this is the moment before Cage tastes freedom once more

Danny Rand might be the last member of The Defenders to be introduced to viewers, but Netflix is putting the spotlight on him hard in the promotional photos. In the first image, Rand and what appears to be Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) stare in shock or concern at something offscreen. The background is blurry, but that definitely looks like a helicopter blade above them. Wing will first be seen in the upcoming Iron Fist though and Easter Egg alludes to her existence in Luke Cage. Meanwhile, the second image of Iron Fist has him roughing up someone in a biohazard suit. Both photos have Danny Rand in street clothes, which leaves his official Netflix superhero costume still safely under wraps.

You know a show is bringing the big guns when they cast Sigourney Weaver as the villain. Playing Alexandra — single name, like Madonna or Cher — literally nothing is known about her character. No motivation, no background, nothing. All we know is she has impeccable style.

Over the next few months, I’m sure Marvel will begin to open up about the plot of The Defenders, but for now, this quick glimpse of overlapping worlds Netflix has set in motion is engaging enough. Now if we could only see Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville) commiserate about their super-powered friends.

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