What Are We Going to See in Marvel’s Defenders?

Daredevil has been out for an Internet decade now, how many times have you seen it? Hopefully enough to notice that they're building up an event to take place in the Defenders mini-series ala the build-up to The Avengers over the MCU's Phase One. Now the gut reaction is: how does this event tie in with The Avengers? However, in what I think is a huge positive, the answer seems to be: not at all. I know, that then raises an obvious question. What will it be about? I don't know, and it's hard to know with only one series under our collective belts, but that never stopped us from overt speculation! So without further ado, lets talk about what we could be seeing in The Defenders. (Obviously, spoilers ahead, so read on only if you dare. Get it? GET IT?!)

What's the Iron Deal with Iron Fist?

There were a ton of references to the world of Iron Fist. The most obvious being the new kind of heroine "Steel Serpent" hitting the streets, the package of which featuring the symbol of the Iron Fist baddie of the same name. Then, there was Madame Gao who revealed she was from someplace much "farther away" than China. A place that could just be K'un Lun or another City of Heaven. So, truly, they could just be setting up the Iron Fist show, because, unlike the other two, the Iron Fist mythos are a lot less straight-forward. There are magic cities and immortal dragons and tournaments and billionaire kung fu masters. It's a whole thing. On the same sentiment, though, there are definitely events in the Iron Fist stories that would warrant such a team-up. Daredevil was awesome and I'm sure A.K.A Jessica Jones and Luke Cage will be the same, but they're really just street level players. Iron Fist has to fight for whole dimensions. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="370"] And the family pizzeria![/caption] Maybe the street level heroes have to band together to save the city because some magic badness has gotten free. It's about to go down. Monsters, wizards, the usual. That would be a pretty cool change of pace from the kind of alien-themed threats The Avengers are dealing with. By the way, to add to that, I was presently surprised by the level of magic in Daredevil. It's an aspect of the world they're gearing up to present. They didn't even hold back too much! We got a whole bunch more than I thought they were willing to show. Speaking of...

Sticks and Stones

Stick's in this! I'm sure you're aware. He's every bit the magic ninja he was when I first read him in Frank Miller's run. Really well done. But what's more, he helped to introduce The Hand (who even wear red suits and everything) and some kind of magic weapon little boy weapon. A weapon that is a little boy, not a... a weapon used against little boys. Anyway. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="310"] Proof.[/caption] At the end of his episode, he meets what has to be Stone. This would imply that The Chaste exists in the MCU and is actively fighting The Hand. Which, by itself, opens up a whole bunch of other avenues for possible Defenders conflicts. I mean, The Hand alone could be the main baddies. Their operations are overrunning the city and its street-level villains have to get together to take them out. That would go along with Stick's promise to Matt, a promise of participation in an ongoing war (i.e. The Chaste's centuries-old war with The Hand). However, Stone talks about Matt being useful when "the doors open" and that throws a bit of a wrench in things. Perhaps I'm just unaware, but I can't think of anything to do with The Hand and doors? This seems to speak to an actual event in the future, not just a vague "war" happening in the shadows. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Pictured: A Vague War[/caption] It does remind me, again, of Iron Fist mythology. After all, the Seven Cities of Heaven only intersect with Earth every so often (the most frequent one being 10 years), which would lend itself to a "when the doors open" remark. There is also an eighth city which is pretty much hell; it's a prison for demons, monsters, and generally evil magic people. There is a whole deal in the comics about opening its doors. But maybe we're over thinking this.

Power Vacuums

The simplest explanation may just be the power vacuum left after the crime bosses pretty much disappear at the end of Daredevil. Think about it. Kingpin-- I MEAN Fisk is in jail, The Owl-- I MEAN Owlesly is dead, as are The Russian, and Gao is wherever old, magical Chinese women go when they're done dispensing cryptic advice. There could be a mad war for power (pulling for my favorite Hell's Kitchen native). A kind of war that would take a miniseries to solve. A war that threatens to tear New York apart. The kind that's in the shadows, the kind that people like The Avengers can't deal with. Magic, gangsters, the whole deal. Admittedly, it's a bit lame when you compare it to magic cities or ageless demonic ninjas, but it is also the cheapest. So I wouldn't count it out just yet. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="243"] Though, it could involve a cyborg mob boss. So there's that.[/caption] So there you have it. Three big possibilities for the Defenders' plot. Maybe. What do you think we're in for? Let me know in the comments below.