History Fridge / TheDefenders2017

** Additionally, for Luke, the image of a white man (Matt) engaging in an extra-judicial strangling of a black man (Sowande) is probably stirring up some conflicts for a black man having grown up in the south.
* Jessica notes that she's the only person who doesn't know kung fu. (Luke doesn't know Eastern martial arts either, but he has his training as [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous a Force Recon Marine]] to fall back on, and his super durability gives him some leeway) This comes to bite her in the ass when she goes up against Murakami in his attempt to kill Trish, and gets handily defeated in a matter of seconds, not even managing to land a punch. However, Matt, who has no physical super strength, holds his own. Jessica relies on her super strength as a blunt instrument with no finesse because her enemies in her own series and Luke doesn't require anything more since he never had to really exert himself, whereas Matt has decades of training and experience needed to fight supernatural ninjas. Superior strength doesn't mean shit when you don't know how to use it effectively.
* Why is Danny the most enthusiastic about putting together a SuperTeam? Well, he lived in K'un-L'un at the time of [[Film/TheAvengers2012 the Incident]], and therefore A.) the concept of a team of superheroes is still novel to him and B.) he hasn't witnessed the backlash against the Avengers or the fallout from "The Incident". Also, he desperately wants friends.

** At the Royal Dragon, they were trying to capture Danny alive, so they couldn't shoot up or explode the place (this is why Madame Gao shot that goon in the back of the head), and the Defenders were in the same location most of the time. Luke Cage even shields the others from gunfire a few times. Bakuto taught Danny how to cure poison with his chi when trying to win his trust, so that leaves not many options open for exploration. Gas could be possible but chances are Matt would hear them, so that would leave political interference but the Hand like to stay quiet.
** Last but not least, the Hand rarely ever faced true threats, and when they did in the past they were still immortal. This has made them cocky, not to mention hindered their martial skills over the years. Their superhuman strength would have only further added to this. If Matt can best Nobu without too much trouble in their rematch in ''Daredevil'' season 2, then Matt can totally take on Murakami considering both him and Nobu have lived for a long time. We also know as demonstrated by Harold Meachum that constantly coming back to life "strips away part of your soul". Who knows what affect it's had on the five fingers' minds by now, especially considering how long they've lived?

* If the lighting in each segment is meant to represent the presence of our heroes, it's interesting that any scene with Matt has a variable amount of red in it. In the beginning it's limited to background lights and warm brown tones (like when he's practicing legal arguments in his apartments, or when he's having lunch with Karen), but as the series progresses we see more and more red surrounding Matt until he finally puts on the suit again, in which the scene is practically saturated in red. This all ties in with Matt's initial conflict in the series of keeping himself from becoming Daredevil again. In support of this, the lighting in each of the other Defenders' segments is fairly even throughout, symbolizing their unwavering commitment to their respective ideals.

* How did Matt think to check the piano when he and Jessica were at the Raymonds' place? Well, in season 2 of ''Daredevil'', Frank mentioned to Karen in one scene that his son used to hide cookies in his piano bench at home. She probably mentioned that story to Matt, so when Lexi said her father spent a lot of time just sitting at the piano, Matt was reminded of Frank's anecdote and thought to take a closer look.

* Series/IronFist2017 established that every time the Hand resurrects someone from the dead, [[CameBackWrong they lose a piece of their soul and eventually go mad]]. It's even worse for Elektra: she murders the woman who treated her as a daughter to usurp her position as the leader of the Hand and want the same thing as they do.

** Also Murakami like Nobu is quite arrogant and won't change language out of pride.
* Luke Cage is a little hesitant to admit that Matt's billy club gimmick is "kinda cool" because he's using it on Sowande - as the only one of the four that's been experimented on, torture is still clearly a sore spot for him. [[KickTheSonOfABitch Fortunately Sowande's an asshole.]]
** Additionally a white man engaging in an extra-judicial strangling of a black man is probably stirring up some conflicts for a black man having grown up in the south
* Jessica notes that she's the only person who doesn't know kung fu. (Luke doesn't know Eastern martial arts either but he has his training as a Marine--specifically as [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous a Force Recon Marine]]--and his super durability gives him some leeway) This comes to bite her in the ass when she goes up against Murakami in his attempt to kill Trish, and gets handily defeated in a matter of seconds, not even managing to land a punch. However, Matt, who has no physical super strength, held his own. Jessica relies on her super strength as a blunt instrument with no finesse because her enemies in her own series and Luke Cage didn't require anything more since he never had to really exert himself, whereas Matt has decades of training and experience needed to fight supernatural ninjas. Superior strength doesn't mean everything in a fight.

** There is a shorter shot with Luke and Danny symbolizing the two of them bonding. It's shorter that the first one because when Jessica and Matt were investigating, Dany was asleep.

* A question a number of fans had regarding ''Series/IronFist2017'' is why Claire didn't offer to bring Matt in to assist Danny when he and Colleen decided to take their fight to Madame Gao. That question is handled here in ''The Defenders'': Matt has retired from Daredevil activities after Elektra's death and probably even made that clear to Claire.

* If the lighting in each segment is meant to represent the presence of our heroes, it's interesting that any scene with Matt has a variable amount of red in it. In the beginning it's limited to background lights and warm brown tones, but as the series progresses we see more and more red surrounding Matt until he finally puts on the suit again, in which the scene is practically saturated in red. This all ties in with Matt's initial conflict in the series of keeping himself from becoming Daredevil again. In support of this, the lighting in each of the other Defenders' segments is fairly even throughout, symbolizing their unwavering commitment to their respective ideals.

** Daredevil's battles all happened with Nobu's, and by extension Murakami's branch of the Hand. Given that Murakami tends to keep to himself and has a well-established hatred of Alexandra, it's likely that he didn't tell her about Matt's actions (if Nobu told him at all).
** Alexandra doesn't appear to recognize Luke either, despite the fact that Luke is a much higher-profile hero [[Series/LukeCage2016 who was featured extensively in the news as a criminal not too long ago.]] [[spoiler: In addition, she doesn't seem to have a clue who Jessica is [[DynamicEntry before being introduced to her]] [[CarFu via SUV.]]]] While she namedrops the heroes later, it's implied that the Hand doesn't keep tabs on all goings-on in the city, only those that involve them somehow.

** There's also some Brilliance to the Hand continuing to call Matt "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen." Think about how they talk to and about Danny Rand as the Iron Fist. They're casual, even dismissive. Now, some of that may be because he's [[FailureHero Danny]] [[ButtMonkey Rand]], but also, this series reveals that the Hand started in K'un-L'un. They know the Iron Fist, the know who he is, what he's capable of, what his strengths and weaknesses are, Alexandra even brags about killing one at one point, and it's doubtful she's the only Finger who's done it. They've spent centuries learning how to deal with their nemesis. Now, think about what they know about Matt: He's interfered in their business in Hell's Kitchen twice, he's somehow connected to the Chaste through Elektra and Stick (and likely because of his fighting style). . . ''and that's it''. They don't know who he is, what he wants, his strengths or weaknesses, what he's capable of, what his motives are for continuing to stick his nose in their business. They have no idea how to go about confronting, controlling, or killing him. Danny Rand may be the Immortal Iron Fist, sworn enemy of the Hand, but Matt Murdock, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, is their boogeyman. Using the more dramatic name indicates that, while they'd never admit it, the Fingers are scared of Daredevil, because they have no idea how to deal with him.
* Why does Murakami hate Alexandra so much? Apart from his stated reasons of not wanting to leave K'un L'un with her and simply not trusting her, it was his branch of the Hand that acquired the property that would become Midland Circle, oversaw the excavation [[spoiler: leading down to the dragon bones]] ''and'' hunted the Black Sky for themselves. Alexandra stole his great weapon, hijacked his operations and is now asking him to serve her. Whose pride could withstand that kind of punishment?

* Luke is hesitant to call Matt's method of torture on Sowande as "kinda cool", no doubt because he's too reminded of how he was tortured in Seagate.

* At the end of ''Daredevil'''s second season, Matt believes that he broke his own no-kill code after he knocked Nobu off the building which is part of the reason he retired his costume besides Elektra's death. Come ''The Defenders'' and he is more ruthless now even willing to blow up a building to stop the Hand once and for all, something his previous self would have resisted doing at any costs. He doesn't know that Nobu didn't die at his hands, but actually Stick's, and considering [[spoiler:Stick died in this series]], Matt likely will never know that he didn't actually cross the one line. As far as he knows, he's proven Frank Castle was right to say "You're one bad day away from becoming me."

** Lastly there is Luke and Jessica which is the shortest of the shoots because they already know each other and their interactions are kept short (multiples lines per but not an actual conversation) until their last scene is the last episode.

* Why does Murakami hate Alexandra so much? Apart from his stated reasons of not wanting to leave K'un L'un with her and simply not trusting her, his branch of the Hand acquired the property that would become Midland Circle, oversaw the excavation [[spoiler: leading down to the dragon bones]] ''and'' hunted the Black Sky for themselves. Alexandra basically hijacked his operations and is now asking him to serve her.

* Karen repeatedly expresses concern about the possibility of Matt being exposed. Given that Wilson Fisk is already beginning to have suspicions about Matt being more than just part of the law firm that put him down, she has every right to worry.

* Many of the shots of Jessica in the trailer are more blue than purple (in fact, she is even wearing a blue shirt when Misty interrogates her). Symbolically, blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Even though not all of those adjectives apply to Jessica, the blue may symbolize her path to stability and confidence after her debacle with Kilgrave.

** Many fans have noted that the backgrounds often reflect the colors of the Defenders (red for Matt, purple for Jessica, yellow for Luke, and green for Danny). Then there's Alexandra's headquarters which is all in white. Perhaps this reflects that the heroes are completely out of their elements as their signature colors are nowhere to be found.
** White light is when all of the colors come together to form a single beam. The antiseptic white of the Midland Financial building represents the first moment that all of the Defenders come together as one to fight the Hand. It also represents the site of the final battle where all of the Defenders come together to work as one; every other scene where the quartet show up as a group either is missing one of them, or they're in disharmony.

** In episode 5, when Jessica goes to take Trish somewhere safe, the restaurant Trish is in has a notable blue color scheme. When they escape to another floor while chased by the Hand, the new room still has some blue lights but a very prominent red color scheme. Sure enough, moments later, Matt shows up as backup in his Daredevil costume for the first time on the show.
** At the end of the first episode, as the camera pans around Matt Murdock, the emergency sirens splash the walls of his apartment in the four colors, foreshadowing the teamup to come.

** Madame Gao spoke her chosen language -Chinese- in ''Daredevil'' Season 1, that is, until Wilson Fisk revealed that he understood Chinese. Fisk put himself on a even level with Gao, and so Gao treated Fisk with more respect and switched to English for the rest of the season.

** There is a long shot with Matt and Jessica symbolizing the two of them gaining intel on the other (Matt already knows about her when he meets her due to reading the files Foggy had given him, and she knows about his past). Also they were the only two who spend the whole year in New York and in their respective series they were looking for evidence in someone.

* In "Ashes, Ashes," it at first seems odd why Matt seems to dominate Danny during his fight against him. Now it would be so easy to say that Matt is simply the better fighter and leave it at that. But there's a reason why Matt is able to fight and seemingly defeat Danny without him summoning the Iron Fist: Matt has been out fighting almost every night since he became Daredevil, and on the nights he isn't fighting, he's blowing off steam at Fogwell's Gym. In addition to Stick's training, Matt also has a great deal of experience in street fighting since average criminals, whether they be Wilson Fisk or street thugs like Rance, aren't trained in that sort of fighting. This means that Matt has a very unorthodox fighting style which makes him unpredictable to someone like Danny who always fights with an orthodox style. Combine that with Matt's super-senses which gives him a faster reaction time and being able to predict movement, it is easy to see why Matt seem to dominating Danny during their fight.

** They were trying to capture Danny alive, so they couldn't shoot up or explode the place (this is why Madame Gao shot that goon in the back of the head at the Royal Dragon), and the Defenders were in the same location most of the time. Luke Cage even shields the others from gunfire a few times. Bakuto taught Danny how to cure poison with his chi when trying to win his trust, so that leaves not many options open for exploration. Gas could be possible but chances are Matt would hear them, so that would leave political interference but the Hand like to stay quiet.

* Why does Murakami hate Alexandra so much? Apart from his stated reasons of not wanting to leave K'un L'un with her and simply not trusting her, his branch of the Hand not only oversaw the excavation beneath what became Midland Circle but also hunted the Black Sky for themselves. Alexandra basically hijacked his operations and is now asking him to serve her.

** Alexandra doesn't appear to recognize Luke either, despite the fact that Luke is a much higher-profile hero [[Series/LukeCage2016 who was featured extensively in the news as a criminal not too long ago.]] [[spoiler: In addition, she doesn't seem to have a clue who Jessica is before being introduced to her via SUV.]] While she namedrops the heroes later, it's implied that the Hand doesn't keep tabs on all goings-on in the city, only those that involve them somehow.

* When Alexandra gives Elektra the order to kill the rest of the Defenders [[spoiler: just before Elektra kills her]], she refers to Matt as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, "whoever he is." At first this seems like a case of FailedASpotCheck, since Daredevil has been a major thorn in the Hand's side and she saw Matt without in civvies and without his scarf-mask back at the Royal Dragon. However, this actually opens the way for a slew of FridgeBrilliance:

** Matt is the only Defender to lead a double life, and therefore is the only one to attempt or even need his identity hidden. Alexandra staying in the dark is [[ProperlyParanoid just proof that he's doing a really good job.]]

** Which means that ''The Defenders'' marks the end of a chapter for Matt; he’s basically going to be starting from scratch in ''Daredevil'' season 3, as he begins to realize that he ''needs'' Foggy and Karen in his life, and that pushing them away has not done him ANY favors, nor has it done any good for Foggy or for Karen. ''The Defenders'' is the beginning of a new chapter in Matt's life, where it’s not about who Matt's lost, but about who comes back. Starting with his mother, and then continuing on to Karen and Foggy, which will be an absolute necessity for Matt since with Fisk scheming revenge against him, Matt will need to have allies.

* A visual clue to cue the audience in that Alexandra is masterminding the earthquake is the white light emitted when Matt opens the refrigerator right as the shaking starts.

** Gao, Murakami, Sowande and Bakuto were unaware there was no substance left due to Alexandra making an executive decision without their permission. So they were less prepared because they thought the possibility pf death was slim. On top of that, Alexandra accelerated their plans six months, further complicating matters. Because of this, no contingencies were put in place, and bringing in players from overseas would take time.

** So when Matt wakes up in the precinct, he's freaking out because he’s wearing an NYPD shirt, has been drugged and knocked out, and falls apart as he tells Foggy that Elektra killed Stick. But not only is he processing the fact that he just lost Stick, the father figure whom he still loved (despite being manipulated, abandoned, and rejected over and over again), he is processing that he has lost Elektra completely. That the Elektra who earned her redemption by throwing herself in front of Nobu’s blade both to save Matt and deny the Hand their Black Sky is gone. That he can never get Elektra back again. And yet, even in their final confrontation down in the pit below Midland Circle, he still holds out that tiny bit of hope that maybe the Elektra he knew is still there, because he’s Matt. He will always believe in redemption. He has to, or else he’s damned. Stick was an asshole who weaponized children, and fucked them up because he loved them (in a very twisted way). But that moment isn’t just about losing Stick. It’s about losing hope.

** So when Matt wakes up in the precinct, he's freaking out because he’s wearing an NYPD shirt, has been drugged and knocked out, and falls apart as he tells Foggy that Elektra killed Stick. But not only is he processing the fact that he just lost Stick, the father figure whom he still loved (despite being manipulated, abandoned, and rejected over and over again), he is processing that he has lost Elektra completely. That the Elektra who earned her redemption by throwing herself in front of Nobu’s blade both to save Matt and deny the Hand their Black Sky is gone. That he can never get Elektra back again. And yet, even in their final confrontation down in the pit below Midland Circle, he still holds out that tiny bit of hope that maybe the Elektra he knew is still there, because he’s Matt. He will always believe in redemption. He has to, or else he’s damned. Stick was an asshole who weaponized children, and fucked them up because he loved them (in a very twisted way). But that moment isn’t just about losing Stick. It’s about losing hope.
** Basically, Matt tries so hard to believe that he is worthy of love, but everyone leaves him. His mother, his father. Stick. Elektra. Claire. Foggy. Karen. Over and over again, he ends up alone. And yet he still keeps trying to find some way to prove to people that he’s worth coming back to. He just doesn’t understand what he’s doing wrong. Again, because he’s Matt.
** And the thing about love is that it's not a merit badge. You don’t complete a checklist in order to earn it. It’s about letting people in. It’s about allowing people to love you and allowing yourself to be loved. But because Matt's life-long experience has been "If I allow myself to love and be loved, then I will be abandoned," so he puts up walls to try and protect himself. And it’s because of those walls that he actually drives people away. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
** This reflects greatly on his relationships with Foggy and Karen, who he has constantly said are the two most important people to him. But he’s absolutely terrified of being vulnerable around them and really letting them in. Because every time he has been close to someone, they leave him. So he keeps them both at a distance, thinking that’s better for everyone, when it’s better for absolutely no one.
** Which means that ''The Defenders'' marks the end of a chapter for Matt; he’s basically going to be starting from scratch in ''Daredevil'' season 3, as he begins to realize that he ''needs'' Foggy and Karen in his life, and that pushing them away has not done him ANY favors, nor has it done any good for Foggy or for Karen. ''The Defenders'' is the beginning of a new chapter in Matt's life, where it’s not about who Matt's lost, but about who comes back. Starting with his mother, and then continuing on to Karen and Foggy, which will be an absolute necessity for Matt since with Fisk scheming revenge against him, Matt will need to have allies.

* At the end of ''Daredevil'''s second season, Matt believes that he broke his own no-kill code after he knocked Nobu off the building which is part of the reason he retired his costume besides Elektra's death. Come ''The Defenders'' and he is more ruthless now even willing to blow up a building to stop the Hand once and for all, something his previous self would have resisted doing at any costs. He doesn't know that Nobu didn't die at his hands, but actually Stick's, and considering [[spoiler:Stick died in this series]], Matt likely will never know that he didn't actually cross the one line. As far as he knows, he's proven Frank Castle was right to say "You're one bad day away from becoming me."