Previously, Marvel has confirmed that the individual and shared threats attacking Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Daredevil and Jessica Jones in each of their individual Netflix series are all connected by a singular, overboss - likely Sigourney Weaver's Alexandra. But it sounds as if that threat could be nonexistent or appropriately counter-checked by the time credits roll on episode 8 of the miniseries.
At least, that's what one might infer from Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker's response when asked whether the events of The Defenders directly lead into Luke Cage season 2.
"It’s like the Wu-Tang. You’ve got the Wu-Tang Clan record, which is what The Defenders represents. Say that Luke Cage is Ghostface, say that Jessica Jones is Method Man. It’s like they’re all kind of part of the same clique, but each record sounds different.
So that’s really the analogy I would make, is that they acknowledge each other, but they’re not really dependent on each other. But because it’s the same crews, and the same family, the same feel, it’s all interconnected — but it doesn’t mean that one really dictates the direction of the other."
Going back to the previous report that all of the antagonists encountered in each of the solo Netflix dramas are connected somehow, we're left to speculate on Coker's words. If Diamondback had a connection to the villain in The Defenders but Luke Cage season 2 spins off into a whole new direction, what does that mean for all of the Netflix superhero dramas moving forward?
Perhaps the miniseries closes the door on The Hand and Daredevil season 3 and the sophomore seasons of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones start a new chapter moving forward? And if so, would you want Marvel and Netflix to repeat the same formula, where there's a singular, overarching villain lurking behind the scenes of each individual show?