# Marvel's The Defenders (2017)

> Four street-level Marvel heroes from New York join forces to stop a sinister conspiracy threatening their city.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/55420

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 51 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: action, fantasy, crime
- Created by: Doug Petrie, Marco Ramirez
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones, Élodie Yung, Peter McRobbie, Chloë Levine, Deborah Twiss
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4230076/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: gritty, brooding, wry, brutal

## What critics say

Audiences rate the miniseries positively, enjoying the reunion of four Marvel Netflix heroes in a team-up, though the crossover is weighed down by the homework of watching four separate series first.

## Synopsis

Marvel's The Defenders (2017) is a American streaming superhero miniseries created by Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez for Netflix. Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer-vigilante Daredevil (Charlie Cox), leads a team that also includes the hard-boiled investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), the bulletproof Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and the martial-arts-trained Danny Rand, Iron Fist (Finn Jones). Their engine is simple and urgent: separately established street heroes must put aside their solo turf and unite when a sinister organization begins threatening New York City. Elektra Natchios (Élodie Yung) moves through the same shadows, adding a dangerous edge to the alliance. Told across eight episodes of about fifty minutes each, the series is a single, self-contained limited run rather than a case-of-the-week format, and it rewards viewers who already know the solo shows. Set in gritty present-day Manhattan, from the alleys of Hell's Kitchen to the streets of Harlem, it carries a gritty, brooding, wry tone with bursts of brutal combat and character-driven banter. Its Netflix production sits within the Marvel Cinematic Universe tradition. Fans of Daredevil, The Boys and The Avengers will find resonance in its blend of grounded crime and superhero spectacle.

## Shows like Marvel's The Defenders

- [Lucifer (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/56109)
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- [Marvel's Iron Fist (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/55306)
- [Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/1319)
- [The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30946)
- [Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/114430)
- [Marvel's The Punisher (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/59137)
- [Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/35359)

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