We’ve been hearing rumors about the Defenders being rebooted and absorbed into the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s main continuity since long before the rights to the former Netflix heroes began reverting back to Marvel Studios, but the entire gang is all together under one roof once again, so it’s probably only a matter of time before they begin making their way to our screens.
The real question is who could end up reprising their role and who’s going to be left on the outside looking in. It would be safe to assume we’ll never be seeing Finn Jones’ Danny Rand again, but the rest of the roster have all been linked with a comeback. Charlie Cox will reportedly re-debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home, while Jon Bernthal, Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter have each been mooted for a return at various points.
The latest addition to the rumor mill claims that Cox, Bernthal and Ritter will indeed be brought back as part of the MCU, but any events that unfolded on Netflix won’t be mentioned. That’s a smart move, too, given that Kevin Feige ruled any previous Marvel TV projects out of his timeline, and it’s easy enough to skirt around their existence. After all, it’s not as if the plot of The Incredible Hulk has had any sort of bearing on anything over the last thirteen years.
Obviously, we’ve heard so many similar reports on the matter dating back years that it’s best to take the freshest batch of speculation with a pinch of salt, but the introduction of the multiverse and the rights falling back into Feige’s lap should at least mean that the Defenders are closer to the MCU than ever before.
