As production on Marvel’s Netflix seriesThe Defenderslooms closer, the directing team is being assembled, and they’ve chosen a terrific filmmaker to kick things off. PerMarvel,S.J. Clarksonwill be helming the first two episodes ofThe Defendersand will serve as an executive producer on the first installment of the eight-episode miniseries. The filmmaker is no stranger to Marvel series, as she did a terrific job directing the first two episodes ofJessica Jones, which still stands as the best show Marvel has released thus far. Clarkson has also helmed episodes ofVinyl,Orange Is the New Black, andDexter, but giving her the reigns of the first two episodes ofThe Defendersis a pretty terrific choice, as she’ll get to set the aesthetic tone of thisAvengers-style miniseries.
Marco RamirezandDoug Petrie, the showrunners ofDaredevilSeason 2, are serving as the showrunners ofThe Defendersand are executive producing alongsideDrew Goddardand Marvel TV headJeph Loeb. Over the course of these eight episodes,The Defenderswill bring together the stars of the individual Netflix shows—Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones)—as they team up to defeat a looming threat.
It’ll be interesting to see how these characters mesh together inThe Defenders, and even more interesting to see just how long it’ll take to get them to team up.The Avengersonly had two hours to have the group meet, break up, and become a team, butThe Defendershas eight hours’ worth of storytelling. Will we get a slow burn buildup to the moment when they become The Defenders, or will we geta lotof Defenders action up front followed by drama?
The quality of Marvel’s Netflix series has varied, and it’s hard to argue that every show could’ve been improved by shortening to 10 or even 8 or 9 episodes. Each season feels like the story’s being stretched too thin, and things start to peter out long before the season concludes. With a shorter episode order, we may get much tighter storytelling onThe Defenders, and in the hands of Clarkson we at least have some reason to be confident about the show’s direction.
The Marvel Netflix shows don’t normally traffic in high-profile movie directors, so I’d be surprised if they announced a big “name” for any of the rest of the episodes. Odds are the roster will be filled out by those that have already helmed episodes ofDaredevil,Jessica Jones,Luke Cage, orIron Fist.
We do know thatThe Defenderswon’t be the end of the road.DaredevilandJessica Joneshave each been renewed for new seasons, with the latter recently announcing thatit’ll feature an all-female roster of directors. And currently in production is the first spinoff series,The Punisher, starringJon Bernthal.
Iron Fistdebuts on Netflix on July 10, 2025, and whileThe Defendersdoesn’t have a firm release date just yet, it’s slated to hit Netflix sometime next year—likely in the fall.
