Marvel Studios might finally be gearing up to reintroduce this missing superhero team to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a shocking eight-year absence. In the absence of the Avengers since Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has teased several different superhero teams joining the MCU. The Thunderbolts have transformed into the New Avengers, Sam Wilson’s Captain America is building his own Avengers team, and members of the Young Avengers, Midnight Sons, West Coast Avengers, and more have all debuted. There’s still one team we’re unfortunately missing, however.
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In a recent interview with Brandon Davis on the Phase Hero podcast, Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum revealed that Jessica Jones may be returning to the MCU after Daredevil: Born Again season 2 “sooner than you think.” Krysten Ritter was announced to be reprising her Defenders Saga role of Jessica Jones in May 2025, and she’ll be appearing in Born Again season 2, seven years after her last appearance in Netflix’s Jessica Jones. Jessica teaming up with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil after so long creates the perfect opportunity for the Defenders to join forces again.
MCU’s New Defenders Team Might Go Through Some Major Changes
Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter might be back in action in the MCU, but the other two members of the Defenders haven’t yet been confirmed to be returning. Both Mike Colter and Finn Jones have teased their return to the MCU several times since we last saw them on Netflix. While many would love to see Mike Colter return as Luke Cage, Jones’ Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist, wasn’t so popular. Marvel has introduced a number of alternate Iron Fists to the MCU in recent years, including Kwai Jun-Fan and Jorani, so Rand could possibly be replaced.
If Danny Rand’s Iron Fist isn’t included in the next roster of Defenders in the MCU, the team could undergo even more changes. The Defenders team in Marvel Comics is wildly different – more focused on the mystical and supernatural, rather than the grounded, street-level adventures of the MCU’s version. Even so, recruits from Marvel Comics including Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, Angela del Toro’s White Tiger, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, Rhodey’s War Machine, and more would make sense in the live-action team, so the group could get some huge power upgrades in the future.
Marvel Studios integrated the Defenders Saga into the MCU’s official timeline in early 2024, canonizing the Netflix shows and pulling the franchise’s characters into the MCU properly. After this, however, we want to see the Defenders and the events of their early adventures cemented as a firm part of the MCU. Bringing them back in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, or even in Spider-Man: Brand New Day or Jessica Jones’ future stories, could make the Defenders one of the MCU’s most exciting and powerful teams again.
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