After Marvel Studios officially moved the Defenders Saga from Netflix over to Disney+, many started speculating that it was only a matter of time before they appeared in the MCU. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk have already shown up in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, and recently it was confirmed that they would be returning in the upcoming Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. After those two characters officially joined the MCU, rumors that Krysten Ritter would be coming back as Jessica Jones began to swirl.
A recent report confirmed that Cox and D'Onofrio had joined the cast of the upcoming Echo series, and also suggested that a plotline within the show would feature Daredevil seeking the help of an ally, who would turn out to be Jessica Jones. The only other pieces of evidence that could possibly tease other characters from the Defenders Saga making their way into the MCU are two photos that Ritter shared on Instagram earlier in the year.
In March, a post featured her wearing an outfit that looked extremely similar to the attire Jessica Jones can often be seen sporting, and the other photo, which was posted in May, was of Ritter with Luke Cage actor Mike Colter. To further fuel the rumors, another star from Jessica Jones has recently spoken out about returning to the world of Marvel.
Benjamin Walker Wants to Return to Marvel
In a backstage interview with Entertainment Tonight following San Diego Comic-Con, actor Benjamin Walker, who played Erik Gelden in Season 3 of Jessica Jones, was asked about potentially reprising his role as the character, only this time being in the MCU.
Walker praised Marvel and described it as a "fascinating world to live in." He also talked extremely highly of his co-star in the show, Krysten Ritter, and said that if given the chance, he would return "in a heartbeat:"
"[I would return] in a heartbeat. [It was a] really fascinating world to live in. Krysten was so wonderful and kind and talented. I love that world. It’s dark, it’s noir, it’s funny, it’s cool. Yes, if I’m available."
Will Benjamin Walker Get His Wish?
It is almost impossible to predict what Marvel Studios has mapped out for the future. However, Kevin Feige recently unveiled the entirety of Phase 5 and three projects from Phase 6 at San Diego Comic-Con, and none of them had anything to do with the Defenders other than Daredevil: Born Again and Echo. If the reports are true that Jessica Jones will be appearing in Echo, and Matt Murdock will seek her out for help, then it would be safe to say that there are some plans for her character down the line.
The most likely place for Jess to fit in, as well as other Defenders, is in the empty slots of Phase 6. The only three movies that Marvel Studios revealed for that phase were Fantastic 4, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars. That leaves quite a few empty slots for other films to fill, as well as Disney+ series. It is important to remember that there have been other theatrical releases confirmed to be on the way, such as Deadpool 3, that haven't been put into any of those slots yet.
At the end of the day, it is unclear if Marvel Studios has plans for Jessica Jones. If they do end up bringing her into the fold and center an MCU project around her, then they could very well bring Benjamin Walker's Erik Gelden in as well.
All three seasons of Jessica Jones are currently available to stream on Disney+.
