One of the biggest unsolved mysteries from the Defenders Saga finally has the chance to be addressed in Marvel’s upcoming Daredevil: Born Again season 2. Marvel Television’s Defenders Saga released between 2015 and 2019 on Netflix, delivering some of Marvel’s most mature, grounded, and realistic live-action street-level stories. Initially set outside the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Defenders Saga was confirmed to be canon to the MCU in 2024, which allowed Daredevil: Born Again to be a true continuation of Netflix’s Daredevil series, rather than a reboot.
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Born Again marked the return of several characters from the Defenders Saga, including both Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, along with Frank Castle/Punisher, Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Vanessa Fisk, Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye, and more. However, none of the other Defenders have yet returned, but Daredevil: Born Again season 2, scheduled for release in 2026, will change that. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) will be reuniting with Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) in Born Again season 2, and it’s possible the other Defenders could follow suit.
Luke Cage’s Defenders Saga Ending Needs to Be Resolved in the MCU
The Defenders Saga was comprised of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders, The Punisher, and Luke Cage. The latter starred Mike Colter as Luke Cage, who gained impenetrable skin and superhuman strength during a prison experiment. He used his gifts to become the “Hero of Harlem,” taking on the criminal networks of crime boss Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali), councilwoman Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard), his half-brother Willis “Diamondback” Stryker (Erik LaRay Harvey), and enhanced criminal John “Bushmaster” McIver (Mustafa Shakir), all of whom vied for control of the club Harlem’s Paradise, the symbolic seat of power in Harlem’s criminal underworld.
After defeating them all, Luke Cage season 2 ended with Harlem’s Paradise being left to Cage himself in Dillard’s will. Cage used his remarkable strength to subjugate the other crime bosses in New York City, too, however, seemingly establishing himself as Harlem’s new crime lord. His dark new story was also teased during a cameo appearance in Jessica Jones season 3, but hasn’t been addressed in the six years since. Seeing Luke Cage become something of an antagonist or antihero in the Defenders Saga was a surprising turn of events, especially considering the character’s Marvel Comics background.
In Marvel Comics, Luke Cage evolved from Harlem’s Hero for Hire into a leader of other superpowered individuals. He was featured on Thunderbolts teams, briefly joined the Fantastic Four, and led various iterations of the Avengers team. It’s hard to imagine Mike Colter’s antihero Luke Cage fulfilling this role in the MCU, should he return, but Marvel Studios has the perfect opportunity to solve this cliffhanger ending and make Luke Cage more faithful to his Marvel Comics counterpart.
Daredevil: Born Again is the Perfect Place for Luke Cage’s MCU Story to Continue
Luke Cage hasn’t yet been confirmed to be returning to the MCU, whether played by Mike Colter or not. However, Daredevil: Born Again season 2 presents the perfect opportunity for him to come back and for his cliffhanger ending from Luke Cage season 2 to be addressed. Krysten Ritter will be reprising her Defenders Saga role, so it would make sense for Colter and Iron Fist actor Finn Jones to follow, with them both becoming part of Daredevil’s new army for the battle against Kingpin, Vincent D’Onofrio’s antagonist who became the new Mayor of New York City in season 1.
In Marvel Comics’ Devil’s Reign event, which inspires Born Again’s Mayor Fisk storyline and his outlawing of vigilantes in New York, it’s Luke Cage who replaces Fisk as the city’s Mayor. Following this storyline in the MCU would contribute to the best redemption story for Cage after he controversially transformed into something of a villain in the Defenders Saga. Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will likely include more references to the Defenders Saga’s past adventures, as the series has been created with the knowledge of it being a continuation of the past Netflix shows, unlike its predecessor.
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 filmed several episodes that established it as being completely separate from the Defenders Saga, prior to 2023’s Hollywood strikes. After the strikes, an immense creative overhaul saw Dario Scardapane hired as showrunner, and the series was connected much more heavily to the original Defenders Saga shows, with some of the original material from Born Again‘s first version still included. This created a strange sense of disconnection, but Daredevil: Born Again season 2 won’t suffer from this problem, so it could easily bring back Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and many more, solving some of the Defenders Saga’s biggest unanswered questions.
Do you want to see Luke Cage return to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again season 2? Let us know in the comments!
