By Chris Snellgrove | Published
In the Netflix era of Marvel shows, none had as much impact as Jessica Jones. Krysten Ritter gave the title character the perfect amount of world-weary charisma, and the series (especially the first season) was much darker than anything Marvel has given us before or since.
Now the character is ready to return Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, but Marvel has plans for this character that could already spoil his big return. You see, it looks like Born again going to be a Defenders reunion, and poor execution of these characters’ return can sabotage the development of a new Jessica Jones to show.
The return of the queen
Most of the new information we have about the return of Jessica Jones comes from Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum and his recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. He confirmed that in Born again Season 2, Jessica Jones would be “part of this resistance that Matt is trying to build” against the Kingpin. He also told Phase Hero that a new Jessica Jones solo series could be coming “sooner than you think.”
So far, so good for Jessica Jones fans, right? However, there’s only one problem: when EW asked Winderbaum about the return of other defenders like Luke Cage and Danny Rand. Daredevil: Born Againhe hesitated and said, “The less I say, the better.” » He then described how showrunner Dario Scardapane would attempt to give the series a Game of Thrones— as an “epic” feel and returned to EW’s question, stating, “So I don’t know if it’s exactly about who’s going to appear.”
The gang is all here
In case you’re not fluent in corporate doublespeak, Winderbaum’s evasive responses are a sure sign that you can expect to see Luke Cage and Danny Rand make a return in Daredevil: Born AgainSeason 2. This is great news for fans of the original Defenders series and fans hoping to see an on-screen reunion between charismatic lovers Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. However, it seems that Winderbaum wants to use Born againThere are many appearances to soft launch new solo exhibitions, and this approach is doomed to failure.
Why then? The original Defenders followed the Marvel movie formula, introducing several new characters in blockbuster one-man shows before bringing them together for an ambitious ensemble series. Now, however, Marvel is backtracking by turning a one-man show into an ensemble show, a move that is likely to disappoint fans.
To understand why, just look at the critical feedback from Defenders. Even those who loved the series complained that it relied too much on action scenes to make up for a slow plot and lackluster characterization. A relatively common complaint among critics and fans was that if you didn’t already know who these characters were and what their deal was, thanks to everyone else’s solo series, you would have virtually no idea what was going on.
This superhero reunion is already doomed to fail
We know who the defenders are werebut not who they arewhich is important because Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 takes place approximately 10 years after the last time we saw most of these characters (with the notable exception of Daredevil himself) on screen. This means that Born again are going to have to take the time to properly reintroduce us to Jessica Jones and the other two Defenders if they want audiences to care about any of their later one-man shows.
But Born again won’t be able to do so because the complete redevelopment of three other major heroes would take the focus away from Daredevil himself. This means that characters that Marvel ignored for about a decade will likely be neglected in the new series, and audiences simply won’t care much about their return. In the worst case, we will have an overloaded show which, like Defenders before him, never gives any hero the time to shine.
Marvel gives fans homework (again)
Even if Daredevil does a good job bringing these characters back to the screen, the events of Born again will almost certainly influence the development of their personal exhibitions. This may turn off fans who often complain about Marvel giving the audience homework; after all, they will now be asked to watch two seasons of a completely different show to understand what will happen in the future Jessica Jones series. It’s a big risk to take, especially in an era where persistent superhero fatigue has doomed many major Marvel films to mediocrity (or even outright failure).
I thought Jessica Jones was the biggest character of the Netflix Marvel era, and I would normally be excited about the idea of her getting another solo show. But if Born again botching her reintroduction, it could sabotage any chances of success for Krysten Ritter’s future appearances in the MCU. If that happens, all of us fans may have to take a leaf out of Jessica Jones’ book and drown ourselves in Wild Turkey as we try to remember the good old days…you know, back when Marvel knew how to consistently make great TV shows!
