Here’s Why Netflix’s Defenders Aren’t in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Ten years of Marvel movies have led to this moment: Avengers: Infinity War is about to demolish movie theaters across the country. The 19th film in the multibillion dollar franchise will be unlike anything we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before, as characters from every single previous movie team-up to stare-down the universe-destroying threat posed by the alien conqueror Thanos (Josh Brolin).

Not only are original Marvel heroes like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Captain America (Chris Evans) back for more, they’re joined by relative MCU newcomers Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and pretty much all of their supporting players. Oh–and the Guardians of the Galaxy are in the mix as well. Seriously, this is the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink superhero movie to end all movies–at least until the presumably-even-bigger Avengers 4 drops next year.

With so many people in one cast (can you believe we’re getting Valkyrie and Shuri and Black Widow all in the same movie?!), it’d be insane to wonder if there are going to be more heroes. But considering that the MCU encompasses way more than just movies, it’s actually not a crazy question to ask. Aren’t there a bunch of Marvel TV shows, too? Shows that take place in the same universe, sometimes with the same characters, as the Marvel movies? There are! In fact, Netflix had its own small screen Infinity War-esque scenario last year when their four solo hero series–Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist–all teamed-up for Marvel’s The Defenders. So, what gives?

Will the Defenders be in Avengers: Infinity War?

Should they be? Yes. Will they be? No. A firm no. Let’s break this down, because I get that “no” is a blunt answer and a bummer.

As Newsweek reported earlier this year, Infinity War co-director Joe Russo addressed the possibility of seeing TV characters in the upcoming movie. “We have considered everything. But the trick is that we already have at least sixty characters with whom we must tell a story,” Joe Russo said. “And it’s hard enough to communicate with [movie directors] Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler, Scott Derrickson, Peyton Reed, [Jon Watts, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck] and James Gunn at the same time, not to add all the showrunners and TV crews to this. The latter is also led by totally different people. So it’s practically impossible. Our job is to focus on the Marvel film world and offer a satisfying climax.”

Okay… but shouldn’t the Defenders be in Avengers: Infinity War?

Yes, the Defenders should be in Avengers: Infinity War. The whole appeal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it is a universe, one that encompasses movies and TV shows on a scale never previously seen in pop culture. The problem is that, so far, Marvel stories only flow in one direction, from the movies to TV.

Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) went from being the lynchpin of the first wave of Marvel movies to being the lead of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) spun off from Captain America: The First Avenger into her own TV show Agent Carter. And plenty of movie characters (albeit usually not the marquee names) have guest-starred on those shows: Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Lady Sif, Jasper Sitwell, Dum Dum Dugan, and a few others have all fought the good fight on TV. And the Netflix shows reference the movie heroes all the time, specifically the big battle in 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers that devastated a good chunk of Manhattan and caused Hell’s Kitchen to go from gentrified to horrified. All that being said, no TV characters have ever appeared in a Marvel movie, and it’s not happening in Infinity War.

Wait–the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters won’t be in Infinity War either?

Nope! But there is a consolation prize: Clark Gregg will make his first Marvel movie appearance since 2012’s Avengers as a member of the cast of 2019’s Captain Marvel, a film that’s set in the 1990s.

So yeah, the MCU is hyped as being super connected, but reality gets in the way of the fantasy. Marvel Studios and Marvel Television are, as Russo said, two different entities controlled by different (sometimes combative) people. And it was already hard for them to coordinate the schedules of dozens of different big name actors! Can you imagine tossing in all those TV stars into the mix, especially since movies have a lot more lead time. For instance, the most recent Netflix season–Jessica Jones Season 2–was filmed almost entirely after filming wrapped on Infinity War, yet the TV show still came out months earlier. In order for TV characters like Jessica Jones to be in Infinity War, all of the TV showrunners would’ve had to have known where their characters were going to end up at the end of seasons they possibly hadn’t even written yet.

But aren’t the Defenders in the Avengers comics?

Yes, sort of. To get nit-picky, the four Defenders are actually in their own Defenders comic. But individually, yes, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones have all been members of the Avengers in the comics. If you want to read about Luke Cage and Iron Fist on the team, check out New Avengers, and Mighty Avengers features a squad led by Jessica and Luke. Daredevil’s not a team player and wasn’t an Avenger long, but he did join the team.

Will the Defenders and the Avengers ever team-up?

Maybe! There don’t seem to be any plans for any TV characters to make the jump to movies, but Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has been vague-yet-optimistic about it. Who knows–maybe Luke Cage will take over lead of the Avengers in the next decade? Or, more likely, maybe we’ll just hear a lot of talk about “that purple, prune-chin guy” in the next wave of Netflix shows.

Avengers: Infinity War opens in theaters on April 27.

Where to stream Marvel's The Defenders