The Defenders Mini-Series is Coming to Netflix in August. Will You Be Watching?

So this is pretty exciting.  And I feel like I was out of the loop on this one.  Netflix has coyly announced the release date for the Defenders series.  Coming to us in August 2017.  Why is this so exciting for me?  Well, I have to admit that I really got into Jessica Jones late last year and was feeling like I needed more.  And immediately.  But, like with most things in my life, I just need to learn to be more patient.  I then decided to watch Luke Cage, and while I didn’t like it as much as Jessica Jones, it was still a really good series.  Yes – I did watch them in reverse order, but I wasn’t sold on Luke Cage to begin with.

Now with the Defenders coming out in August, maybe some of my questions will be answered with this miniseries.  Yes, it is considered a miniseries.  Only 8 episodes.   But the good news is that you will get to see some of your favourite characters in an interim way.  What do I mean by interim?  They are calling it Daredevil Season 2.5, Luke Cage 1.5, Jessica Jones 1.5 and Iron Fist 1.5.  Giving us more information about what happens immediately after the season ends.

With Jessica Jones, there seemed to be a clear story line, whereas Luke Cage seemed to be lacking one.  Luke Cage was more about him coming to terms with his abilities.  Figuring out a way to use the abilities he had to make the world a better place.  Which is great.  But, in my opinion, this was the major theme throughout the season.  Should he? Shouldn’t he?  It was an internal tug of war and how he should handle it.  And I think we can all relate to that in some way.  Is that what made this series so appealing to me?  Or was I just so desperate for more Jessica Jones that this helped with that need?

You might be wondering why I’m going on and on about Luke Cage when the purpose of my post is to discuss the upcoming Defenders series.  Well… if Marvel is touting the series to be a Luke Cage 1.5, what can we expect from the Defenders from a Luke Cage perspective?  While I don’t have a crystal ball, the argument could be made that there is a lot in store for Luke Cage in Season 2.  Especially when it comes to his brother.  Could this be the rivalry we are waiting to see?  Or will Luke continue to be the Harlem defender we saw in Season 1?

The same, though, can be said about Jessica Jones.  Again, she seemed to have a mission in Season 1, leaving us to believe that there is more out of this series.  Note – it is anticipated that both Cage and Jones will have a Season 2, so my speculation is simply fodder for what is to come.  That being said, I am extremely interested in the Defenders series as a way to bridge the gap until the next seasons are available.

I am droning on about Cage and Jones only because I haven’t seen the other two series, but now I’m starting to wonder if I should?  Would it add to the anticipation of the Defenders series, or just satiate my appetite for more of the series?  It has been suggested that while Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are great series themselves, they are fairly stand alone and aren’t pre-requisites for the Defenders series.  However, it was also suggested that Daredevil sets the stage for the Defenders, and that was recommended as a much watch.  It seems like a good idea to watch all the series, in order to get a bigger picture of the characters and the back story.  You do, after all have about five months.

Netflix released this trailer last year, even before three of the series had aired.  Which means they’ve put a lot of effort into these series and the inter-connectivity of it all.