How Marvel Could Bring Netflix Heroes Into MCU Phase 4
Exploring how to fully integrate Netflix's Marvel heroes into the MCU.
Firstly, a heads-up that there are spoilers in here for both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Disney+'s Hawkeye show.
Marvel fans have been well fed in 2021 when it comes to new movies and TV series based on their favourite superheroes.
2022 looks set to be even more explosive with live-action debuts for popular characters like She-Hulk and Moon Knight. But before Disney+ became a household essential across the globe, Netflix was the home of Marvel TV content with a string of TV shows based on Marvel’s lesser known heroes of New York City.
While The Avengers were busy battling the likes of Loki and Ultron, The Defenders – Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist – were taking on more street-level foes. Now that Daredevil and Kingpin have joined the MCU in Spiderman: No Way Home and Hawkeye, respectively, it seems possible that their fellow Netflix heroes could make an appearance too.
Reportedly Marvel had to wait two years since their contract with Netflix ended in 2019 before using any of the featured characters in MCU projects, and it seems like they’ve not wasted any time. While the jury is still out on whether the Netflix shows will become canon, here is how we want to see The Defenders stars make their MCU arrival.
10. The Defenders
When Netflix brought together all their Marvel heroes for one huge team-up series, The Defenders, a lot of fans were left underwhelmed by the drawn-out pacing of the show, with the heroes not meeting each other until halfway through the run.
If The Defenders made it to a Disney+ series, it would be fun to see a parallel timeline to the bigger events in the MCU and see how the street-level heroes were impacted.
While recent comic book events like King in Black see the A-list heroes battling big baddie Knull, the series also spends a lot of time showing characters like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and the Thunderbolts deal with smaller threats.
Ideally we would see Daredevil, Elektra, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist reacting to events like Thanos’ snap in Infinity War and the havoc wrecked in their native New York during Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The Defenders comic series has seen a wealth of Marvel heroes join the line-up, from founders Doctor Strange, Hulk and Namor, to later recruits like Silver Surfer, She-Hulk, Valkyrie and Spider-Woman. So, if a series ever makes it to Disney+, hopefully they add to the roster and keep fans surprised with which heroes and villains show up.