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The Defenders has been a long time coming and we're all wondering what it's really going to be like when the four very different heroes start fighting for a common cause. The latest issue of SFX magazine, arriving on Wednesday, July 19, has some answers - and we were able to snag some choice quotes from its interviews with the stars ahead of time. Here's what to expect from the big Netflix team-up.
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Jessica Jones is in a bad place
"She hasn’t changed much," Jessica Jones' Krysten Ritter explains. "She’s still kind of an asshole. She’s still hitting the bottle. She is dealing with popularity and eyes on her – that’s not the easiest thing for someone that’s reclusive and as isolated as she is, and prefers to be. So she’s just kind of trying to figure out how to fit in. We’re picking up not too long after we see her at the end of [Jessica Jones] season one. She’s dealing with the aftermath of killing someone, which is not easy. And as someone who already hates herself, the self-loathing is running pretty deep. But she’s still funny!"
Daredevil is finding companionship
"With the Avengers, there’s a pride about who they are, they’re very chest-out, gung-ho, and that’s very cool to watch," Daredevil actor Charlie Cox says. "To make this work on TV, with these street-level heroes, we have to go the opposite way. We go to a place of shame, and a place of loneliness for these guys. We’re trying to find moments where Matt is essentially learning not just what these guys can and cannot do but how they deal with the same pain he deals with on a daily basis. How do they not feel like they’re freaks of nature and outcasts of society?"
But it's not all friendship and good times. Cox said that there is "a lot" of tension between Daredevil and the other defenders: "Initially they don’t trust each other. It’s particularly difficult for Matt because he has a secret identity. That’s one of the things that was very hard to navigate because obviously we can’t have Matt Murdock in a mask for an entire show, because the other guys wouldn’t trust him. He would not be allowed in!"
Iron Fist and Luke Cage are finally making it happen
"The dynamic between the characters is working really well," says Finn Jones, who plays Iron Fist. "Before we started this, because there was such hype around our characters coming together for the first time, there was a worry that it might be too over- sensationalised or too over-written or too over-anticipated. But the way that it’s written and the way that we’re getting on and working together, it feels really natural.
"They’re trying to organically allow our characters to get to know each other, without just going, “Hey, I like you, you like me, let’s hang out!” Luke Cage actor Mike Colter adds.
Alexandra is 'deliciously' bad
Sigourney Weaver's character Alexandra is still mostly under wraps, but we know that she and The Defenders aren't going to be on the best of terms. And it sounds like Weaver's really relishing her chance to go beyond a simple heel turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"I’m allowed to say that I’m a multi- layered character!" she says. "And I get to have quite a lot of interaction with the four heroes, which is fun for me. I’m having a great time. We don’t share the same priorities but it’s a delicious character."
Read through our full The Defenders info article to catch up on the rest of the news. And don't forget to subscribe to SFX for more news from the MCU and beyond!
