Marvel’s The Defenders: 9 New Details Netflix Just Revealed
Four heroes. Eight episodes. It's the Netflix event of the year, and here's what we know so far.
Daredevil. Jessica Jones. Luke Cage. Iron Fist.
Just one of those is exciting enough, but it's all been building to something bigger.
Once Iron Fist is out the way (not something to be lightly dismissed either), there'll have been five seasons across four solo series, all leading in to this one big team-up event.
The Defenders has been the plan all along, since before Daredevil was having his first epic one-take hallway fight scene. The success of the shows means they'll each have multiple seasons, but Defenders is still the biggie - the Avengers of the small screen and street level.
We've known a few details for a while now - eight episodes, Sigourney Weaver as the villain, the Hand turning up again, and almost every supporting character as well.
Now, thanks to EW's cover story, we have a load more details about The Defenders - and hell ('s kitchen), they're pretty damn exciting. It's already shaping up to be one of the biggest (and hopefully best) series of the year, and here's all the key new details you need to know.
9. It's As Much Crime Drama As Superhero Show
While the titular characters are superheroes, each Marvel/Netflix series manages to be much more than a superhero show. There are the influences of other genres in each, from the legal drama element of Daredevil to the noir of Jones, and the 70s-blaxpoitation-meets-90s-hip-hop of Luke Cage to the martial arts of Iron Fist.
It's no real surprise, then, that The Defenders is aiming to be more than a superhero show as well, with showrunner Marco Ramirez saying it owes a lot to the great crime dramas of yesteryear:
"We’re not entering the world of capes and superheroes. We’re taking our cues from shows like The Wire and The Shield. This is about what happens in the back alleys of New York City, and how people have to rise to the occasion. It’s for a fan of good crime TV as much as it is for a fan of superhero TV shows."
That's much in keeping with the rest of the series, then. Of course, a number of shows say they're inspired by The Wire without coming close to matching its greatness (and to be fair, that's no easy feat). But it's good to see they're keeping things grounded, when things could've gotten a little more out-there in the name of bringing the heroes together.