The Defenders MCU And Original Marvel Comics Looks Compared

Even though mainstream viewers may be just now getting to know the various member of Marvel’s Defenders, most of the characters in the show are actually considered to be vintage residents of the Marvel Universe.

Indeed, Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist all hail from the ’60s-70s era of Marvel Comics, so their looks have certainly changed with the times, over the years.

Below you’ll find some side-by-side comparisons of how the live-action Defenders team members (and their supporting players) look, compared to their original comic book counterparts.

Daredevil

As you can see, Daredevil has been through quite a drastic costume transition since first appearing in comics in 1964. After the yellow-and-red costume, we got the iconic red spandex costume, and in the ’90s, there was a grey and red costume, with armor plating. 

The red and armored costumes both seem to influence the look of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in the MCU. 

Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones is one of the more recent superhero creations in Marvel Comics, hailing from the early 2000s era. Since her story involves becoming a private investigator after a failed stint as a superhero, she never really had an flamboyant costume. 

Jessica Jones in the MCU has a similarly plain clothes approach, but actressKrysten Ritter has definitely put her stylistic stamp on the role, with a modern noir detective look, complete with leather jacket and scarf.

Luke Cage

The Luke Cage Netflix series has already made light of the fact that the character originally wore a pretty flamboyant costume in the comics. Indeed, Cage’s entire “Power Man” persona was a lot more colorful than who he became later, in modern Marvel Comics.

To honor that colorful past, the MCU Luke Cage wears plain clothes attire that pays homage to his original look. Thankfully, homage is as far as it goes. 

Iron Fist

Like Luke Cage, Iron Fist is a product of ’70s-era Marvel Comics, and a character who started with a much more flamboyant look. 

The difference between Cage and Fist, however, is that fans have actually been upset over the fact that Iron Fist hasn’t worn his comic book costume in the MCU. Granted, the Iron Fist showrunners will have to figure out how to turn that flamboyant costume into something acceptable onscreen – but it’s a challenge they’ll definitely need to rise to soon, if fan demands are to be met. 

Elektra

Like so many female superhero characters, Elektra’s costume isn’t what you would call… practical. Naturally, trying to get that costume translated into live-action required some alterations. 

For the MCU, Elektra has the type of outfit you would expect from a ninja, with a color scheme honoring her comic book origins – aside from the trademark head scarf. The bands wrapped around the arms and legs would be nice, though. 

Claire Temple

The “night nurse” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gotten a bigger profile than she’s ever had, thanks to her prevalence in these Marvel Netflix series, as well as her awesome portrayal by actress Rosario Dawson. 

Comparing Dawson to the comic book version of Claire is kind of moot, since few fans would say they had all that much attachment to the character. But since she’s become such a great part of the MCU, it’s nice to see her origins.

See more of these Marvel Netflix / Marvel Comics comparisons HERE. 

The Defenders is currently available on Netflix, with new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist are in the works. The Punisher Netflix series is also on the way.