The Defenders by Marvel is supposedly a culmination of Marvel’s Netflix TV series, bringing together Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Iron Fist and Luke Cage in a brutal battle against The Hand. However, tables turned around when Defenders became Marvel’s least viewed project, which has now left the future of the series in jeopardy.
Even Daredevil star Charlie Cox admitted this in a recent interview that The Defenders nothing like it could’ve been. Here’s what the actor said:
“I think what we discovered with The Defenders is that it was a lot to try and handle within eight episodes. To have these four people meet in an organic way and then set up a story, and then resolve it, and introduce a new villain all in eight episodes, became a lot. In a weird way, the first part of the season felt too slow because they wanted these people to meet organically and not just chuck them in a room in the first episode. But then, by the time that happened, we only had three episodes left.”
There will be fans who will disagree with Cox or get triggered by this statement, as most fans have come up with the same criticisms about the series since its premiere in summer, last year. While the series did take a long time to get to its main showdown, where all heroes meet, Cox told a few positive takeaways to Metro UK:
“I had a great time filming it. I really loved working with those other Defenders and I really enjoyed the dynamic. In the process of doing Daredevil, I’ve kind of become a fan of that genre in a way I wasn’t before — so I do get a little kick out of these little easter egg moments of when they may meet, how they interact and what that’s like.”
Cox even acknowledged that the challenge of doing the Defenders was a tough challenge. Comparing it with MCU actors, he says that all major superheroes only get a total of 2.5 hours a piece each before Avengers (2012), while every hero in Defenders had 13 hours of backstory each. He added that the showrunners at Marvel did their best.
“It was a real challenge, and Marco Ramirez did an amazing job because he’s having to take characters who were created and written by, not just different writers, but also shows that are tonally completely different. Just trying to bring The Defenders into one tone was a mammoth undertaking. I think he did fantastically in that area.”
It was teased by Marvel TV Head Joseph Loeb recently, the sequel series to Defenders is still a possibility. When Cox was asked about the same, he enthusiastically agreed for it.
“I would like to see it go again if that’s something they wanted to do. I’d be well up for that. I think that’d be really fun. I would like to see a story that is more in keeping with the show’s that we make, which is a little bit more grounded, a little more boots on the ground. I don’t want to see us try and compete with the Avengers in terms of the scope. I’d like to see The Defenders in more of a crime drama that happens in Hell’s Kitchen underground. That’d be fun.”
It’s true that Marvel has many storylines to fit with Cox’s proposed story angel for Defenders season 2. For instance, Shadowland, that saw Daredevil invade Hell’s Kitchen while being possessed by a demonic entity. It involves Iron Fist who uses his chi-technique to free Daredevil from the curse.
Daredevil Season 3 will premiere on October 19.
