The MCU Is Officially Trying to Fix Its Most Disappointing Marvel Team-Up Event

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost some of its luster since Avengers: Endgame was released – no one is trying to argue that point anymore. However, while there’s been a lot of focus on the post-Endgame downturn, the MCU had its fair share of missteps before The Infinity Saga ever came to an end. In fact, the franchise is currently working out a multi-year plan that is geared to fixing one of its most disappointing team-up events – one that a lot of fans never thought would get another chance at redemption.

But will the second time be the charm, or will Marvel miss the mark with its second shot at turning a fan-favorite team into a major franchise success?

The Netflix Defenders Didn’t Get It Right

The Marvel-Netflix universe was a pioneering venture that Marvel Television attempted in the mid-2010s. It began with Daredevil breaking open the doors with its acclaimed first season, before Jessica Jones took the baton and ran, delivering its own classic first season (thanks to David Tennant’s Killgrave). After that, it seemed like the Marvel-Netflix franchise was as unstoppable as the Marvel Cinematic Universe films… until it wasn’t. After Jessica Jones Season 1, the franchise started to slide: Daredevil and Jessica Jones’ respective sophomore seasons didn’t hit the same, while both Luke Cage and Iron Fist had rocky and uneven first-season launches. By the time Cage and Danny Rand were getting second seasons, and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher was getting his own show (2017), Marvel-Netflix was largely running on fumes. The Defenders was supposed to be the event that rekindled fan interest in the franchise, but that didn’t happen.

“Disappointment” is the word to use when it comes to The Defenders. It wasn’t as bad as the worst seasons of Marvel-Netflix or the worst MCU releases, but it definitely didn’t live up to the hype that fans rightfully had for it, after investing in four different TV series, over multiple seasons, to get to know Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones; it should’ve been seamless to have those actors, so well established their respective characters – several of whom had met onscreen already – play together in an ensemble show.

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Instead, The Defenders treated its character interactions like Easter eggs, giving different combinations of characters single scenes or moments, instead of making the group dynamic the core focus of the series. Daredevil‘s lore about The Hand ninja clan, and Elektra’s destiny as the Black Sky, washed out the other characters and their lore; that story arc wasn’t the most beloved during Daredevil Season 2, and even with a legend like Sigourney Weaver playing Hand leader Alexandra Reid, the conflict in The Defenders was lackluster, to say the least.

The Defenders Are Coming (Back) to the MCU (How to do it Right)

It’s already been confirmed that the Defenders characters are reuniting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) already got his redemption shot with the new Daredevil: Born Again series on Disney+. Season 2 of the show is now streaming, and Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones is going to be a featured guest star in the coming weeks. Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is already filming, and it’s already been revealed that Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) are going to be returning, alongside Jessica Jones.

The Defenders are reuniting in the MCU, but how to do it right this time? Well, as stated, the first Defenders miniseries got lost in all the lore that Daredevil had built up, instead of focusing on the group and their dynamic. It also took a street-level team like The Defenders and thrust them into a supernatural mysticism story about ninjas. Daredevil: Born Again has made a point of depicting Daredevil in his street-level glory, so why not do the same for The Defenders? Seeing a street-level team handling street-level problems is what fans always wanted, and with Kingpin controlling NYC, there is plenty to handle.

More to the point: the Marvel-Netflix universe never got a proper resolution to any of the story arcs taking shape in its respective solo shows (except for Daredevil, obviously). Last we saw, Jessica Jones had to lock her superpowered best friend (Trish Walker) in The Raft; Luke Cage made himself the crime boss of Harlem, and Danny Rand went on a world tour to find his predecessor, Orson Randall, while leaving Colleen Wing to protect the NYC streets as the new Iron Fist. All of those plot points are still dangling after the Marvel-Netflix universe ended; Daredevil: Born Again has already introduced new complications, like the fact that Jessica Jones has a daughter now.

So, to make the MCU version of The Defenders work, Marvel Studios needs to just do two things: keep the team focused on street-level issues, and make sure to address those story points the Netflix shows never resolved. And for the love of god, let The Punisher in on the fun this time. It’ll only add to the team chemistry.

Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on Disney+, along with all of the Marvel-Netflix shows. Discuss the latest MCU news with us in the ComicBook Forum!