Marvel Head Of TV On How Defenders Will Connect To Marvel Movies

Marvel’s television universe seems to be expanding even more quickly than their film universe, and that shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

With that expansions comes the need to keep everything organized and feeding into one another without stepping on each other’s toes. Head of TV at Marvel Jeph Loeb spoke to EW about how they are approaching that process with The Defenders, and what separates them from the competition.

When asked about the possibility of superhero fatigue, Loeb said “I don’t know that you’d be asking this question if we were a medical show or a law show or a cop show. I think the other part that separates us from, let’s just say, our distinguished competition is that we take place in a very real, grounded world. We’ve always said that there is a fifth Defender, and that is New York.”

While there will be connective tissue between the Netflix universe and the other Marvel properties, Loeb isn’t painting himself into another corner, saying “You’re trying to trap me into saying, ‘Hashtag, it’s all connected,’” Loeb says, chuckling. “If the story warrants it, we will obviously do our best to have folks cross into each other’s story lines.”

As for the films, Loeb said “We certainly communicate with each other in terms of what we’re doing and what we have planned and the characters that we’re using and where it’s all going,” Loeb says of working with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who oversees the films. That helps limit the fatigue, but also poses a personal problem for Loeb: “Unfortunately for me as a fan,” he says, “I tend to know more about what’s happening in the movies than I want to know.”

The Defenders will bring phase one of the Netflix Marvel universe to a close, and will likely set up the next big phase of the universe. In addition to the core four shows (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist), the universe will also be adding a Punisher series to its schedule, and the rumor is that it will also introduce three other characters, those being Blade, Ghost Rider, and Moon Knight. Nothing is confirmed of course, but it is interesting to ponder how they’ll fit in with the other shows.

Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, and Luke Cage season 1 are all available on Netflix. Iron Fist will premiere on March 17, 2017. The Defenders expected later in the year. The Punisher does not have a release date yet.

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