Not since the release of Joss Whedon’s first Avengers movie have Marvel fans been so excited for a squad of superheroes joining forces to combat a common enemy. We are, of course, referring to The Defenders, the Netflix ensemble series that’s officially locked in for a premiere on August 18th.
Comprised of eight episodes in total – down from the usual Marvel/Netflix template of 13 – we already know that The Defenders is set to rally together four reluctant heroes in Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones), and thanks to the launch of a new viral site, Marvel has offered up some context of their respective whereabouts going into the summer team-up series. There are some mild story spoilers to be found in the gallery below, so if you’ve yet to fully catch up on the four solo series currently lining the Netflix roster, avert thy eyes!
On a more broad note, the first image points to the dramatic rise of Midland Circle, the nefarious corporation that looks set to pull together our four costumed (?) crusaders in the first place.
Essentially, each tabloid spread pinpoints the four core characters of The Defenders. On one hand, Mike Colter’s Luke Cage is seen returning to Seagate, while the people of Hell’s Kitchen have been left wondering where the Man Without Fear has gone. Perhaps that lingering mystery goes some ways to explaining why Charlie Cox’s Daredevil was seen dressed in civvies in this morning’s viral teaser? We’ll find out soon enough.
The Defenders is one of three Marvel/Netflix series currently brewing in development, and with a premiere date now locked in, it shouldn’t be too long before we clock eyes on the first trailer. Other projects also in the works include Jessica Jones season 2 and a spinoff dedicated to The Punisher, Jon Bernthal’s glowering Frank Castle who was looking a little worse for wear in the latest round of set photos.