At the end of Daredevil's second season, Matt Murdock revealed his secret identity to Karen Page. It was a pretty major cliffhanger to leave things on, but Charlie Cox has now confirmed that The Defenders won't pick up immediately after that. As expected, the death of Elektra has hit the Matt hard, though with Elodie Yung confirmed to return, that's something he'll be dealing with before long.
"Well, it’s been a few months since the end of season 2. I think it’s been quite a challenging few months for him. He took the death of Elektra very badly —I think he feels responsible for that. One of Matt’s big things is trying to protect the people he loves, which is why he keeps his identity hidden, and he’s failed. He’s left holding the dead body of a loved one, and so I think he’s tried to turn a corner.
It’s almost like quitting an addiction in the hope that it will get easier. He’s perhaps a little bit lost, and the best he can do for now is to not engage in his vigilante activities. When we meet him at the beginning of The Defenders, I’m not sure he’s completely found peace with that idea. I think he’s doing the best with what he can at the time. He finds himself between a rock and a hard place, which is the crux of his issue really from the beginning of season 1. 'Should I or shouldn’t I? What is more beneficial to society?'"
The full interview is well worth checking out over at EW as Cox goes on to discuss what it was like being the first Defender and how it felt to shoot the team's first scene together, but the actor's thoughts on how The Defenders feel about having to work with each other here are particularly interesting.
"From what we’ve shot so far, they want to genuinely make a difference and help people out. I’m not convinced that Jessica Jones feels quite as earnestly about that [laughs], but in some ways paradoxically, these great powers are also our great shame. These characters are living with a shame and a loneliness and have felt kind of ostracized. I think they felt like freaks and have been misunderstood. And as sad as that sounds, there’s also something quite beautiful about that. There’s something quite human about that."
With the show now confirmed to premiere in the summer, we don't have long to wait before we get to see these heroes in action as they assemble to protect Hell's City against a still mysterious threat.
Cox's Daredevil seems like the most logical choice to lead The Defenders, but whether or not that will be the case remains to be seen. What are you guys most excited about seeing from the series?
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.