Kevin Feige said that any comic book characters Marvel Studios owns are on the table to appear in the MCU -- including the Defenders.
After Marvel's various superheroes and supervillains were scattered to the wind as the company approached bankruptcy in the '90s, it's slowly been regaining the film and TV rights. Daredevil and Punisher came back to the company last decade, which quickly saw Marvel and Netflix pair up for a series of shows centered around Matt Murdock, Frank Castle, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand. It also resulted in the team-up show The Defenders. But the shows were slowly canceled and the rights reverted back to Marvel as Disney+ launched and ushered in the canon era of Marvel television. Now, Feige says they're all fair game.
"I always say that whenever a character comes back into the Marvel sandbox, it becomes another tool in the storytelling ability of the MCU," Feige told Screen Rant. "As I said before, the good news is, all will be revealed when people actually finally watch."
While Feige didn't go into specifics, the question about which Defenders characters might show up in the MCU and his subsequent answer indicate that it's only a matter of time before Punisher, Jessica Jones, and others pop up in a Marvel Studios movie or show.
For months now, rumors have swirled about a number of the Netflix-era characters not only joining the MCU but bringing the actors with them. And even more recently, that process has officially kicked into gear. The third episode of Hawkeye featured numerous nods to Kingpin possibly appearing on the show, including what many fans believe is the distinctive laugh of Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. With Episode 5 of Hawkeye said to "blow up" social media, audiences might not have to wait much longer for Feige's promise to come true.
And after rampant speculation that Charlie Cox will reprise his Daredevil role in everything from Spider-Man: No Way Home to She-Hulk, Feige recently confirmed that the actor is indeed the MCU's Matt Murdock -- whenever the character actually returns.
Outside of rumors and wishful thinking from some actors, there's no word on if other performers will return to their roles when the characters inevitably return. But it seems fans eager to learn the truth won't have to wait much longer.
Source: Screen Rant