The Defenders Showrunner on How Iron Fist Backlash Affected The Series

08/19/2017 11:40 am EDT

You might have noticed that the Defenders had a habit of picking on Iron Fist, but it wasn't for the reason you might think.

As has been well-documented, Iron Fist was not well received by fans or critics. Many saw his reception amongst the other Defenders as Marvel giving a wink and a nod to the fans about his unsuccessful solo foray, but as executive producer Marco Ramirez tells EW, that wasn't really the case.

"We were shooting the finale of The Defenders when Iron Fist season 1 was premiering, so by the nature of it, we couldn't have reacted to it. Any interaction they have to Danny is all based on just the dynamics we wanted to build. It felt like, if somebody came in and said, "My fist glows with chi and I punched a dragon and turned into this," there's no way around the fact that Jessica Jones is going to say, "Bullsh–, you sound like a crazy person." Even if the dragon were in the room with them, Jessica is going to be like, "I don't believe that, what the f— are we talking about?"

In this case, it seems the jabbing was already built-in thanks to the more grounded characters of Luke, Matt, and Jessica.

"So that's the natural dynamic of what we wanted to build, because Matt and Luke and Jessica had already been introduced, and for comic-book shows, they're all so grounded and so gritty, but like if a guy walks in to these rooms with a glowing fist saying, "My chi is expanding," all of them will say "I don't buy it." That's the natural thing for them to do."

Intended or not, it seems it worked out for the best, and honestly probably provided Netflix fans some impromptu therapy.

Haven't started Defenders yet? Get caught up before you dive in with The Defenders CRAM here. You can find the official description below.

Marvel's The Defenders follows Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). 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.

Marvel's The Defenders is now streaming on Netflix.

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