https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h3m7B4v6Zc

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Netflix and Marvel’s collaborative efforts.  I think Daredevil and Jessica Jones are some of the better shows out there right now. I love the first half of Luke Cage and thought Iron Fist was fine. So you could say I’m pretty excited to see this summer’s team up between our titular heroes (stop laughing at titular, RDT). I think we’re all hoping that The Defenders is more Daredevil and less Iron Fist and from what we see here that looks like that’ll be the case.

Originally in the comics The Defenders was a group with Doctor Strange and The Hulk at it’s core. It has had, however, a rotating cast throughout the years with members including Namor, The Silver Surfer, and Netflix mainstays Hellcat and Luke Cage. Usually it’s a team up of heroes that are known as loners and outsiders and that’s definitely what we’re getting with this incarnation. Though the comic version deals with more mystic threats, The Hand (which look to be the “big bad” of this series) is pretty mystical as far as The MCU goes. This also looks to have more of a street level vibe similar to the Marvel Knights line, than the original Defenders but hey, we weren’t getting a Defenders movie so why not use a preexisting name. It does look as though this series will be tying up all sorts of storylines from the previous five and setting up the next seasons like Jessica Jones Season 2 and hopefully a Heroes For Hire series.

Ok no more wasting time, Let’s Talk About The New Marvel’s The Defenders Trailer:

• We open on Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) in an interrogation room. Misty Knight (Simone Missick) tells Jessica that she’s interrupted a citywide investigation and we get an overhead shot of a destroyed New York City street.
• Misty continues to rundown Jessica’s offenses saying she stole evidence from her crime scene and got her one lead killed. In a very clichéd shot Misty throws down a large file with “Jones, J” written on the side. 
• Jessica tells Misty that she was trying to help. Suddenly a wild Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) appears. I internally squee a little bit seeing them together.
• Matt tells Jessica to stop talking. She doesn’t know who he is. He informs her that he’s her lawyer. Again all very Law & Order but, like, in a good way.
• Title cards and an establishing shot of NYC.
• Hey what’s Luke Cage (Mike Colter) been up to? Oh it looks like he’s on the bus back from prison. 
• We see that Luke and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) are still together as she asks him how being Harlem’s Hero allows him a normal life. He tells her he just wants to help people. Maybe, and I’m just spitballing here, he can open a business where people hire him to help them with their heroing needs. Nah, that’ll never work. 
• Danny Rand (Finn Jones) and the briefest shot of Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) sneak into an apartment and Danny impulsively chases down a man that was hiding out. Glad to see they’ve really mastered all the zenness from the Iron Fist character. 
• Just as Danny is about to punch the man they were chasing, Luke grabs his hand. In a kind of childish and dickish way Danny asks who Luke is. Luke asks the same question. This is their meet-cute. 
• Danny being calm, cool and collected as ever immediately attacks Luke. He tries to punch and kick him martial arts style but it has no effect. Luke rightly pushes him to the ground.
• We get some voiceover explaining their powers. Danny asks why Luke can’t be hurt and Luke asks what’s up with his glowing fist. This meet-cute is getting less cute.
• In a cool looking scene Danny uses the Iron Fist on Luke and we get a slow motion punch to the face that probably knocks Luke out.  
• Danny explains to Luke he’s The Immortal Iron Fist. Luke, because he’s a person, doesn’t know what that is. Claire assures them that they are on the same side.
• A slowed down version of “Come As You Are” plays. But not like a slowed down children’s orchestra version. Like it’s just Kurt Cobain singing very slowly.
• Now it’s Stick’s (Scott Glenn) turn for some voiceover. Maybe he’ll be their blind, asshole, Nick Fury.
• Stick calls out each of the Defenders as we get shots of them.
• The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen           
• The Smart Ass Detective   
• The Righteous Ex-Con                
• And the Kid with the Glowing Fist   
• As Stick continues his VO we get a shot of Elektra (Elodie Yung) in her magical tomb (god I love comics) as it is re-opened. He tells the Defenders that the war for New York is here. 
• Some force knocks over some cars and then inside a theater knocks the Defenders over.
• The line “as a known enemy” is sung over the introduction of Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver) the other presumed big bad of the series.  
• Stick continues that they need to get their shit together as he assembles the team. I guess they’ll need a battle cry like “Avengers Assemble” but there aren’t really any alliterative words that work.
• Fight montage time. Again hopefully they got the fight choreographer from Daredevil and not the one from Iron Fist.
• Alexandra has some ninja businessmen attack the Defenders. Telling them that the more connections they have the easier it is to break the chain. I… I don’t think that’s how that works though, scientifically.
• Jessica and Matt start to walk down a hallway (the best locations in each one of these series). Matt is wearing a makeshift mask. Jessica tells him he looks like an idiot (he does) he retorts with it being her scarf (it is). 
• HALLWAY FIGHT!!!! It looks like the team is going up against a reanimated Elektra and a host of business ninjas in another slick hallway fight scene. 
• The last licks of “Come As You Are” play and we get our title card.
• Danny thinks that they make quite a team, but Jessica isn’t convinced. He breaks it down for her.
• Bulletproof                                     
• Blind Ninja                                         
• Whatever it is she is                                       
• Jessica calls Danny classy, but you guys, she doesn’t mean it. Suck on THAT Iron Dork! Roasted. 

I know I poked fun at a bunch of stuff but I really am excited for this series. It’ll be really nice to see a culmination of these stories into the Netflix MCU version of The Avengers. Plus, I am looking forward to seeing these characters play off each other a bit more. Will Danny and Luke become best friends? How will Jessica handle Luke being with Claire? Will they get together like they are in the comics? How does Daredevil fit into all of this? Also will the side characters have much interaction? Can we at least get Colleen, Misty and maybe even Trish together as the Daughters of the Dragon please? Guys, I think I’m a little stoked for this.

Marvel’s The Defenders hits Netflix with all episodes on August 18th.

From Hollywood,
-Loren