A new trailer from Disney+ is announcing the arrival of the collected Defenders shows on the streaming platform. Initially, the small screen outings of Marvel superheroes were done through the now-defunct company Marvel Television, which cooperated with networks and other streaming sites to produce content. This included several properties for Netflix centered around the Manhattan-based supergroup The Defenders, including Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist.
Initially, these shows saw massive popularity, with Daredevil, in particular, drawing praise from critics and fans alike, eventually leading to a spin-off show featuring Punisher. Netflix’s television heroes even united in the short-lived Defenders show. However, its mixed reception indicated how the streamer’s Marvel properties lost favor with critics over time. By 2019 however, Netflix had canceled all of its Marvel shows, and Marvel Television was folded into the wider Marvel Studios, with a renewed focus on programming for the recently-announced Disney+. In 2022, Daredevil and the other Marvel shows were removed from Netflix after Disney bought back the rights to the characters, with plans to release them on Disney+ on March 16th.
Now, on the day of the reunion, a new Youtube trailer for the ex-Netflix properties has been released that announces Disney+ as the streaming Home of Marvel. The trailer shows off all the fan favorites, such as Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and the rest of his Defenders crew, alongside the villains that often stole the show, such as David Tennant’s Kilgrave. Alongside the Defender’s universe, the trailer also announces that Agents of Shield, the first-ever show set in the MCU, is now streaming on Disney+.
Click here to watch the trailer on YouTube.
From the trailer, it’s easy to see that the focus for Disney is on the reunification of all their properties under their streaming banner. There is a distinct feeling of homecoming for the Defenders crew and the MCU’s first foray onto the small screen, and the choice to highlight the popular favorites such as Kilgrave shows how Disney is keenly aware of what their viewers want. Much of this is reflected in the videos comments section, where the prevailing sentiment is that of a long-awaited reunion.
What remains to be seen is if this means that the Defenders will be popping up in more MCU titles in the coming years or if there will be more seasons of the old Netflix shows. Charlie Cox has already reprised the role of Daredevil in No Way Home, and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin appeared in Hawkeye. Still, there have been no confirmed reports of more seasons from any Defenders. However, with the massive popularity of new shows such as Wandavision, there is a good chance that we could be seeing more of the man without fear and his Manhattan-based friends soon.
Source: Youtube