By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In the Netflix era of Marvel shows, none had quite the impact of Jessica Jones. Krysten Ritter gave the title character the perfect amount of world-weary charisma, and the show (particularly the first season) was much darker than anything Marvel has given us before or since.
Now, the character is set to come back in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, but Marvel has plans for this character that may already be ruining her big return. You see, it sounds like Born Again is going to be a Defenders reunion, and poor execution of these characters’ return may sabotage the development of a new Jessica Jones show.
The Return of the Queen
Most of the new information we have about Jessica Jones’ return 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 solo Jessica Jones series may be coming “sooner than you think.”
So far, so good for Jessica Jones fans, right? However, there’s just one problem: when EW asked Winderbaum about other Defenders like Luke Cage and Danny Rand also coming back in Daredevil: Born Again, he demurred and said, “The less I say, the better.” He then went on to describe how showrunner Dario Scardapane would be trying to give the series a Game of Thrones-like “epic” feel and returned to EW’s question by stating, “So I don’t know if it’s exactly about who’s gonna show up.”
The Gang’s All Here
In case you’re not fluent in corporate doublespeak, Winderbaum’s evasive answers are a sure sign that you can expect to see Luke Cage and Danny Rand make a return in Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2. That’s great news for fans of the original Defenders show and fans who are hoping to see an onscreen reunion between charismatic lovers Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. However, it sounds like Winderbaum wants to use Born Again’s many cameos to soft-launch some new solo shows, and this approach is doomed to failure.
Why is that? The original Defenders followed the Marvel movie formula, introducing several new characters in successful solo shows before having them come together for an ambitious ensemble series. Now, though, Marvel is going in reverse by transforming a solo show into an ensemble show, a move that is likely to disappoint fans.
To see why, just go look at the critical feedback of Defenders. Even those who liked the show 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 alike was that if you didn’t already know who these characters are and what their deal is, thanks to everyone’s solo series, you’d basically have no idea what the heck is going on.
This Superhero Reunion Is Already Doomed
We know who the Defenders were, but not who they are, which is important because Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 takes place about 10 years after we last saw most of these characters (with the notable exception of Daredevil himself) onscreen. That means that Born Again is 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 subsequent solo shows.
But Born Again won’t be able to do that because fully re-developing three other major heroes would take the focus away from Daredevil himself. That means characters that Marvel has ignored for about a decade are likely to get short shrift in the new show, and audiences just won’t care all that much about their return. Worst case, we’ll get an overstuffed show that, like Defenders before it, never gives any one hero time to shine.
Marvel Is Assigning 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 solo shows. That may turn off fans who frequently gripe that Marvel gives audiences homework; after all, they’ll now be asked to watch two seasons of a completely different show to understand what’s going on in a future Jessica Jones series. That’s a big risk to take, especially in a time when lingering superhero fatigue has doomed many major Marvel movies to mediocrity (if not outright failure).
I thought Jessica Jones was the greatest character of the Netflix Marvel era, and I’d normally be excited about the idea of her getting another solo show. But if Born Again botches her reintroduction, it may sabotage any chances of success for future Krysten Ritter MCU appearances. Should that happen, all of us fans might have to take a page from 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 create great TV shows!