How The Defenders Opens The Door For A Major Avengers Connection

November 9, 2017, 5:18pm

In its eighth and final episode of its first season on Netflix, The Defenders opened the door to have a major connection to a specific member of the Avengers and the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Major spoilers for The Defenders follow.

While The Defenders steers clear of namedropping or even referencing the Avengers in its eight-episode run, the series did make a major connection between its street-level New York based characters and the Marvel heroes who take the big screen when Misty Knight’s arm was cut off by Iron Fist character Bakuto.

The moment not only provides Misty with the opportunity to fulfill her super hero destiny as seen on the pages of Marvel Comics but also the bionic arm she dons in them. If you weren’t aware, Misty Knight’s bionic arm was designed by Tony Stark at Stark International in the comics.

With the character currently desperate for a new arm, it may be possible for the character played by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to provide such an arm to the small-screen Misty Knight played by Simone Missick.

During Avengers: Infinity War, however, Tony Stark will likely be a little too busy saving the universe from the Mad Titan Thanos for the majority of its run time. That’s not to say the film can’t start with him creating a bionic arm for both Bucky Barnes (Tony’s friend who also literally needs a hand) and Misty Knight before he heads out to save the world.

Crossover Comments

While the Avengers exist in the same cinematic space as the Defenders, they have managed to steer completely clear of being in the same place at the same time while their stories are told on screens big and small. With Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon, many fans hope to see the Netflix heroes head to theaters, if only for a cameo, as the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is realized.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige commented on the crossover possibilities recently, however, and offered a pessimistic outlook for those hoping to see the crossover happen any time soon.

“Maybe someday. No plans right now,” Feige said. “Maybe someday, but we have a lot of characters in the MCU, and one of the things that is so special about those characters on the Netflix shows is their dynamic together. They are all combining to become The Defenders later this year and are doing their own thing.”