Since 2013, we've been treated to two seasons of Daredevil as well as solo outings for Jessica
Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist — and now the wait for their team-up series is finally
over.
The Defenders season 1 is live on Netflix, and it's packed with subtle nods and references
not only to the team members' solo shows and the wider MCU, but to the original comics,
too.
Here are the Easter eggs you might have missed in The Defenders.
New Harlem Renaissance
After turning himself over to the law at the end of his first solo season, Luke Cage is
fresh out of prison and ready to get back to protecting Harlem in The Defenders.
When we see him next, Power Man is admiring the city on the bus, but you probably didn't
catch what was written on the side of that bus.
Just for a moment, you see an advertisement for the New Harlem Renaissance, which is the
campaign being run by Mariah Dillard, otherwise known as Black Mariah.
She and Shades Alvarez inherited Harlem's crime syndicate at the end of Luke Cage season
one.
Yellow shirt Luke
Slowly but surely, we're getting closer to seeing the Defenders decked out in their traditional
comics garb.
Misty Knight turns up wearing a leather jacket that kind of resembles her comics costume,
and Danny Rand is starting to wear Iron Fist's traditional green and yellow colors more regularly.
The most clear-cut fashion influence from the comics comes in Luke Cage's wardrobe,
however.
Before he gets all shot up in a scrap with Hand henchmen, the bulletproof hero wears
the plain yellow t-shirt he's rocked on countless comic book missions.
The Incident
The climactic battle in 2012's Avengers has been alluded to in various Marvel shows, and
The Defenders doesn't skip a beat on that front.
In episode 2, a caller mentions the "Incident" on Trish Walker's radio show, Trish Talk.
Then, in Karen Page's office, two framed front pages are still on display that Daredevil
fans will recognize from Ben Urich's time in that office.
One is about "The Battle of New York," while the one beside it is another Easter egg headline,
"Harlem Terror," an article about the confrontation between the Hulk and Abomination that took
place in 2008's The Incredible Hulk.
Why didn't Page redecorate when she took Ulrich's office?
Because they were the best Easter eggs ever, so why not reuse them?
Lawyer up
The final scene of the second episode is one of the biggest nods to the source material
in the whole season — in fact, it's nearly identical to a page in Alias #3.
Jessica Jones is being questioned about a murder she didn't commit when, to her surprise,
Matt Murdock turns up and announces himself as her attorney.
Stop talking"
"What?"
"This is over."
"Who the Hell are you?"
"My name is Matthew Murdock.
I'm your attorney."
There are a few differences, but this is still an unmistakable nod to Alias.
The five-part series was the main inspiration for Jessica Jones season 1, which was a good
move according to star Krysten Ritter.
She told Time: "Actually Alias was my first time reading a comic book.
And I loved them."
Stan the man
The obligatory Stan Lee cameo comes 26 minutes into episode 3, when the Marvel mainstay can
be seen in a few consecutive shots.
As Jessica Jones follows Matt Murdock down a busy New York street, they pass by a kiosk
adorned with Lee's grinning face.
Theme song cameo
During a scene in episode 6, Murdock sits down at a piano and starts playing a song,
stopping only when he realizes one of the keys sounds dull.
Jessica pops the lid and finds a set of blueprints for the Midland Circle building.
It's an interesting plot development, but equally as interesting is the tune Murdock
was playing: The Defenders theme song.
White privilege
Iron Fist has the unfortunate distinction of being the only MCU Netflix show to get
slammed hard by critics.
Some of that criticism was aimed at the fight scenes and at leading man Finn Jones himself.
But what really ruined Iron Fist in the eyes of its detractors was its worn-out story of
a privileged young white dude.
Even The Defenders took a shot at him for it.
In episode 3, Luke Cage has a sit-down with Danny Rand and tells him exactly how it is.
"The difference is I live on their block.
The difference is I'm not some billionaire white boy that takes justice into his own
hands and slams a black kid against a wall because of his personal vendetta.
Hopefully that speech will spark some character development for Rand, but it pretty much sums
up the first season of Iron Fist for a lot of fans.
Misty's arm
This season of The Defenders didn't end particularly well for Misty Knight.
Right when Bakuto is about to take off Claire Temple's head, Knight pushes
her out of harm's way — losing her arm in the process.
For those unfamiliar with Misty Knight's story in the comics, it must have seemed like a
pretty horrific way for the character to finish the series.
But those in the know were already thinking about what was to come.
In the comics, Knight loses her arm during a terrorist attack, but she's fitted with
a new bionic one by none other than Tony Stark.
The Night Nurse
The seeds of the budding friendship between Misty Knight and Colleen Wing are shown at
the end of The Defenders, with Colleen waiting by Knight's hospital bed for her to wake up.
There's also a subtle comic book Easter egg in this scene.
When Wing stands up, a white board with patient information can be seen over her shoulder,
and on it is the name of the nurse on duty — L. Carter.
This is a nod to nurse Linda Carter, a.k.a. the Night Nurse, who often helped Daredevil
in the comics.
Her role of superhero caregiver has been passed on to Claire Temple in the show, but it's
still a pretty cool reference.
Sister Maggie
After the Defenders blow up Midland Circle, Matt Murdock wakes up in a strange bed, but
he isn't in a hospital - he's being cared for in a nunnery of some kind, at which point
a nun says this:
"Get Maggie."
If you're familiar with Daredevil's backstory, you may recognize the comics reference.
The show never told us much about Matt Murdock's mother.
"What about the mother?
She dead?"
"Ah no.. she's..."
"Well, that's another story."
But comics readers know she left the family after falling mentally ill and wound up being
taken in by the church, where she took on the name Margaret.
Did The Defenders just tease a family reunion for Daredevil season 3?
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