A recent social media post has the MCU fandom abuzz, as one former Defender actor appears to be teasing his Netflix Marvel hero's grand return. After it looked as though the book had been shut on Netflix's Defenders Saga, fans were welcomed back into its gritty world last year with the release of Daredevil: Born Again. The new R-rated streaming series picked up the story from where it was left off on Netflix, including the return of big-name characters like Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin.
That wave of Netflix-era Marvel characters popping back up in the MCU is set to continue in 2026 as Born Again Season 2 brings back Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones. However, she may not be the only one. There have been several teasers of even more former Defenders characters coming back for more fun.
Eagle-eyed Marvel fans are convinced Mike Colter's Luke Cage is teeing up his Marvel TV return after a recent Instagram post from Ritter. The new image was meant to celebrate Ritter's return as Jessica Jones, but it's the post's comment section that is drawing eyes across the fandom. On the post in question, Colter was spotted commenting with a simple eye emoji, throwing fans into a tizzy.
Colter's return to the MCU has long been speculated. The actor sparked a similar speculative fire back in May, as he (along with another Defenders star) seemed to be in New York City at the time of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 production.
After previously stating he was unsure his Marvel hero would ever return, Colter has changed his tune in recent years. In March, the former Defenders star posited that "anything can happen" when asked about the character's potential future within the franchise. Colter's MCU character has not been seen on-screen since the release of Luke Cage Season 2 on Netflix in 2018.
Will Luke Cage Come Back in Daredevil: Born Again?
For years, it felt as though Netflix's Defenders stable of characters was dead and gone. With Marvel Studios now producing its own content on streaming, it was widely assumed that the studio would reboot the character, with some actors returning and others not, and move on. However, that does not appear to be the case.
While Mike Colter's Luke Cage has not been confirmed for a future MCU appearance, his coming back does not sound all that out of the realm of possibility. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is already confirmed to include six major characters from the Netflix era of Marvel television. So, who is to say that more could not be on the way?
The hit show's second season is set to see Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock forced to rally the troops to take on Wilson Fisk (D'Onofrio) and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force. He has already worked on a team with Luke Cage before. It would make sense to see Cox's Man Without Fear reach out to the Hero of Harlem once again.
Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones very well could open the floodgates, leading to a full-scale Defenders reunion. It may not ultimately be in Born Again Season 2, but it feels like Colter's MCU return is inevitable at this point. The evidence is too hard to ignore.
Then, all it will take is Finn Jones' Iron Fist and Elodie Yung's Elektra coming back for the entire Netflix stable of Marvel heroes to be back in the super-powered universe.
