In 2013, Marvel and Netflix announced an ambitious deal to bring Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist to live-action with four original series that would lead into an eight episode team up miniseries, The Defenders. This Friday, The Defenders will finally debut, and the question on everyone’s mind is “what’s next?”
While speaking with Digital Spy, Iron Fist star Finn Jones suggested that The Defenders “feels like the end of Phase One” and “the beginning of another phase.” He added that “there are certain events that happen at the end of The Defenders which are going to rock everyone’s world…So people aren’t going to be the same after the end.”
We actually know some of what’s coming next. The Punisher season 1 is slated to debut later this year, to be followed by new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. That lineup could easily take us into 2019, but beyond that, the signs are murky.
Also: Marvel’s ‘The Defenders’ Assemble in New Trailer
It’s obvious that Marvel’s TV division is looking to its big screen counterpart, Marvel Studios, for inspiration. If Marvel TV takes that a step further, then Phase 2 of the Netflix series should potentially introduce some new heroes or thrust some other heroes into the spotlight. Elektra seems like a prime candidate to get her own show, while Misty Knight and Colleen Wing could potentially join forces for a Daughters of the Dragon series. Until ABC dragged Ghost Rider into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a Ghost Rider series seemed to be within the realm of possibility. That’s probably not in the cards for now, but Marvel has left Blade on the shelf for over a decade. Considering that the Blade movies helped pave the way for the MCU, it seems like the vampire hybrid monster hunter is overdue for a comeback. However, the supernatural overtones of that property may not mesh well with the other Netflix dramas.
Another issue is that Marvel has already moved forward with some potential companion series on other networks and streaming series. Freeform has Cloak and Dagger as well as New Warriors, while Hulu has Runaways. A Moon Knight series could still work on Netflix, even if it is considered Batman-lite by some fans. Marvel does have a deep bench of characters, but the best street level heroes may have already been spoken for by Netflix itself. That said, word on what’s coming next may come later this month after Netflix decides whether to order another season of The Defenders. If we had to bet on it, that’s the one we’re doubling down on.
Which Marvel heroes would you like to see on Netflix? Let us know in the comment section below!
