Marvel is rolling right along with its Netflix experiment. After a successful second season for Daredevil, the studio found similar success with the release of Luke Cage in September, and is set to debut Iron Fist in 2017. While those projects are generating a lot of excitement, it’s The Defenders that fans are starting to anticipate most eagerly. Comprised of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist (presumably with some of their less “super” allies as well), The Defenders will be a more low-key version of The Avengers, designed for Netflix and better suited to the street crime we’ve seen in these series.
After seeing Luke Cage in his own show and Iron Fist’s series coming next year, there’s one big question fans want answered about The Defenders: who exactly will they be fighting? Odds are it will be a group of villains, but here are a few major figures from the comics who could pop up to oppose the Netflix heroes (several of whom made our top 10 Marvel superheroes list).
Kingpin
Possibly the most obvious choice as the villain for The Defenders, Kingpin (or Wilson Fisk) is one we have already seen. He was memorably portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio in the first season of Daredevil, and though Daredevil got the better of him, he didn’t die, which means he’s perfectly in play for future shows.
So why does he make sense for The Defenders? Suffice it to say that a lot of people started referring to him as Marvel’s best villain ever in the immediate aftermath of Daredevil’s initial release. D’Onofrio stole the spotlight for that season with his chilling but oddly sympathetic take on the character, and a lot of us would love to see him reprise the role. One peculiar write-up declared that there were spoilers indicating Kingpin would indeed be the main villain, though right now it still seems this is speculative.
Mephisto
Mephisto seems as if he’d be an odd choice, because he’s frankly a little bit too powerful for The Defenders. This character is essentially The Devil, an underworld ruler with a stockpile of sinister powers at his disposal, and he seems as if he could pretty much do away with The Defenders with a flick of his wrist. Nevertheless, a recent post in the rumor mill of Marvel news cited a report that Mephisto may in fact be the villain under consideration for this series.
The Green Goblin
This would be an absolute shock, but it’d be a fun one. The Goblin has had run-ins with figures from The Defenders in various comics, but more importantly he suits the more limited scope of the Netflix branch of the Marvel universe. Norman Osborn is a wealthy businessman who turns himself into a super villain through science and technology; he’s not the sort of otherworldly threat you might imagine for the cinematic branch of the Marvel Universe.
It also matters that he’s extraordinarily popular and well known. It may seem a small thing, but glancing at some of the licensed gaming content on the web, the Goblin is the only Marvel villain to be featured in a title amidst a branch of entertainment otherwise dominated by popular heroes. With the Hulk, Iron Man, and the like all featuring in slot machines and jackpot games, “Attack Of The Green Goblin” stands out and emphasizes that this is perhaps the only Marvel villain on an even plane with the superheroes. It would take some reimagining to include him, however, given that we’ve seen him portrayed in two separate film franchises. But as a final point in support of this idea, it could also give Marvel an excuse to sneak Spider-Man into a few episodes of a Netflix series.
Elektra Natchios
Finally, there’s Elektra, who’s expected by most to be resurrected by The Hand for either The Defenders or the third season of Daredevil, or both. Already a sort of antihero who straddles the line between good and evil (but has a certain power over Daredevil), Elektra is ideally positioned to be turned into a full-on villain once she’s brought back to the land of the living. The Hand is a wicked organization that’s gone head-to-head with heroes from The Defenders before, and after appearing in Daredevil’s second season, they figure to factor in in the near future as well.
The likeliest outcome may be that Kingpin works with The Hand, and together they weaponize Elektra, ultimately designing a sort of team of villains to take on The Defenders.
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