Summary
- Charlie Cox returned as Daredevil, solidifying the Netflix shows as canon, sparking hope for others to do the same.
- Indeed, Finn Jones is eager for another shot in the MCU as Iron Fist, asking skeptics to give him a chance.
- And he’s not the only one. Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter have also voiced interest in returning as Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.
Iron Fist gets a bad rap. Helmed by the infamous Scott Buck, known for such hits as the Dexter finale and the ill-fated Inhumans series, it was criticised for its sloppy action scenes, tedious dialogue, and poor VFX, leaving Finn Jones at the center of unending controversy.
Jump ahead seven years, after the underappreciated second season, and his brilliant appearance in Luke Cage, and The Defenders are finally making the leap to the MCU proper. Yet as Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox enjoy the critical and commercial success of Daredevil: Born Again, and while Jon Bernthal gets ready to suit up in a dedicated, one-off Punisher special, the rest of the Defenders are left warming the bench. But more than anyone else, Jones seems doomed to stay that way.
Give me a fu**ing chance, man. I’m here and I’m ready. I want to prove people wrong.
At an anime convention (via IGN), Jones addressed the backlash to Iron Fist and his casting directly, as well as the possibility of his return to the MCU; “[There is a] willingness for the fans to see that happen. There’s a lot of willingness for the fans to see that not happen as well. I’m very aware of the critiques of the character and my role in it. My response to that is like, give me a fu**ing chance, man. I’m here and I’m ready. I want to prove people wrong. So I would love to see that happen.”
Luke Cage And Jessica Jones Want Back In The MCU, Too
But it’s not just Iron Fist who hasn’t made the leap yet. We still have yet to see Mike Colter return as Luke Cage, or Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones (not to mention Simone Missick as Misty Knight and Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing — c’mon, where’s that Daughters of the Dragon special, Marvel?) But both have voiced interest in reuniting the Defenders under the Disney Plus banner.
“I love Jessica Jones,” Ritter told CBS Mornings. “I think it’s so exciting that there seems to be such an appetite to see her again. I get asked about it almost everyday. We remain cautiously optimistic. If they asked me, I would be there ready. I may or may not have the jacket that I stole from set.”
Iron Fist ended with Colleen Wing taking the mantle, and Danny Rand channeling his chi through guns.
Colter, similarly, is open to returning (while we’re at it, throw in a Heroes for Hire special), picking up where Luke Cage left off as the crime boss of Harlem: “I would love to explore it, if they found some story, some way, somewhere, to take it. And I’m happy that Charlie Cox and those are getting it rebooted, but I don’t have any [idea if Luke Cage is]. I’m not holding anything back.”
With Daredevil back, and with Born Again picking up right where Season 3 left off, it’s clear that the Netflix shows are canon, which means that Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all exist out there somewhere in the MCU. What they’re up to, we have no idea, but maybe one day we’ll see the gang reunite. Maybe with a few more Defenders on the team this time.
