Once again, New York is under attack in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, but the Defenders of Harlem and Hell’s Kitchen won’t lend a hand.
In a new interview, Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg bears the bad news that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and wielder of the Iron Fist Danny Rand will not be in the upcoming Marvel movie event.
On Friday afternoon, Entertainment Weekly asked Rosenberg if Marvel’s Netflix shows — including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and recently The Punisher — will be impacted at all by Avengers: Infinity War. Rosenberg says definitively, “None whatsoever.”
She adds: “Our partners are Marvel, and if we’re doing something that’s counter to [their continuity], they would pull us back or orient us on the right path, so clearly we’re [okay]. But we’re very much in our own world.”
The complicated economy of concurrent television and film production surely made the Defenders not being in Infinity War a given, but also, what a bummer. Not only have the lines blurred so much that the distinction between “What is a movie?” and “What is a TV show?” is irrelevant — especially due, in part, to Netflix — but fans have been heavily invested in the ongoing lives of characters such as ol’ Matty Murdock and Frankie Castle.
For a while, it seemed like the ties between the Netflix-verse and the rest of the MCU were evaporating. Daredevil, the first show from the Marvel/Netflix partnership to be released, made oblique references to the Avengers and the 2012 “Battle of New York,” but that stuff began to disappear over time. The most recent show, The Punisher, would almost be a a stand-alone series if it weren’t for Karen Page’s status as a recurring character.
While every Marvel fan on Earth is stoked for Infinity War, those especially dedicated to the Netflix heroes are going to be left wondering what could have been. Like, is it so unrealistic that Luke Cage could take a punch from Thanos?
Marvel’s Jessica Jones Season 2 will premiere on Netflix some time in 2018. Avengers: Infinity War will hit theaters on May 4, 2018.
