Over the past couple of days, EW has been peeling back the curtain on Netflix’s upcoming Marvel ensemble The Defenders, releasing the first official images from the team-up [see here], some behind-the-scenes photos of the cast [see here], and some brief details on Sigourney Weaver’s villain [see here]. And now we have some comments from cast members Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter about their characters Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and where we’ll find their characters as we head into the series.
“Well, it’s been a few months since the end of season 2,” states Cox. “I think it’s been quite a challenging few months for him. He took the death of Elektra very badly —I think he feels responsible for that. One of Matt’s big things is trying to protect the people he loves, which is why he keeps his identity hidden, and he’s failed. He’s left holding the dead body of a loved one, and so I think he’s tried to turn a corner. It’s almost like quitting an addiction in the hope that it will get easier. He’s perhaps a little bit lost, and the best he can do for now is to not engage in his vigilante activities. When we meet him at the beginning of The Defenders, I’m not sure he’s completely found peace with that idea. I think he’s doing the best with what he can at the time. He finds himself between a rock and a hard place, which is the crux of his issue really from the beginning of season 1. ‘Should I or shouldn’t I? What is more beneficial to society?'”
“[Jessica] is still dealing with the aftermath of Kilgrave, and now she’s dealing with ‘success’ — and not well,” adds Ritter. “People want her to work for them, she’s getting a lot of business, and she’s not ready for any of that. She hasn’t changed, but her environment has, and there’s no handbook for how to exist in a world where you are now popular.”
Ritter also went on to discuss her excitement about seeing characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist sharing the screen in the event series: “When I read the first two scripts, I was like, ‘Wow, this is going to be big,’ because it’s so fun seeing these huge characters, and not just the four of us, but all of us in one show. This just has a big scope. It’s a much bigger world, because all of our characters have a very specific way in, a specific beat.”
“Marvel’s The Defenders follows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.”
The Defenders will hit Netflix in 2017, with Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Finn Jones (Iron Fist), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Simone Missick (Misty Knight), Scott Glenn (Stick), Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple), Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker), Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing) and Elodie Yung (Elektra) appearing alongside Sigourney Weaver as the villain, Alexandra.
Originally published January 14, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
