AVENGERS: SECRET WARS Rumor Says the Defenders Will Play a Significant Role
Marvel may be pulling some of its street-level heroes into a fight that’s way above their usual pay grade.
A new rumor surrounding Avengers: Secret Wars claims that the Defenders could have a major role in the massive MCU event movie. If this information turns out to be true, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist may find themselves trading the streets of New York City for whatever multiversal or Battleworld insanity Marvel has planned for Secret Wars.
Industry insider James Mack claims that the Defenders will play a significant part in the film, though he didn’t offer any additional information about how they fit into the story.
For now, this should absolutely be treated as a rumor. Marvel Studios hasn’t announced the Defenders for Avengers: Secret Wars, and there’s no official confirmation that the team will reunite for the movie.
Still, it’s a pretty cool possibility. The Defenders occupy a very different corner of the MCU than the Avengers. The Defenders brought Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, and Finn Jones as Iron Fist together in 2017 after each character had been established through their individual shows.
These heroes traditionally deal with criminals, corrupt organizations, assassins, and other threats operating at street level. They aren’t usually the people you call when reality starts collapsing or a cosmic war breaks out.
That contrast is exactly what could make their involvement in Secret Wars so much fun. An Avengers movie featuring Daredevil and the rest of the Defenders caught in the middle of a gigantic multiverse conflict would offer a completely different perspective on the chaos.
Watching characters accustomed to protecting neighborhoods suddenly having to survive alongside the Avengers against threats that could reshape entire universes has a lot of potential.
It also raises some interesting questions about what Marvel intends to do with its expanding roster of street-level characters. Daredevil has already become increasingly connected to the larger MCU, and Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist joining him for another adventure would give Marvel an opportunity to bring that whole crew back into play.
Of course, we still don’t know what this rumored “major” role actually means. They could be central to one portion of the story, become part of a larger resistance, or simply find themselves dragged into the conflict alongside dozens of other Marvel heroes. With Secret Wars, there are plenty of crazy directions Marvel could take things.
What we do know is that Marvel is preparing a massive two-film Avengers event with Avengers: Doomsday followed by Avengers: Secret Wars. Both films are part of Phase Six, and Marvel is assembling an enormous collection of characters for the story.
One of the biggest developments is the return of Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark throughout the Infinity Saga and is coming back to the MCU as Doctor Doom.
Avengers: Secret Wars is currently set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027, one year after Avengers: Doomsday.
There’s still plenty Marvel hasn’t revealed about Secret Wars, so the Defenders rumor goes into the increasingly large pile of possibilities surrounding the movie. But if Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist really are being brought into the fight in a substantial way, it could make for one hell of an MCU reunion.
I’d especially love to see how Matt Murdock reacts when his usual night of punching criminals in dark hallways turns into a battle for the fate of the multiverse.