December 2021 finished off a monumental year for Marvel Studios fans. There are several reasons for that, but one of the biggest was the return of two former Netflix Marvel characters: Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil, and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin. Many thought they'd never see the two again on screen, but thankfully, fate had other plans, and a revival of Netflix's Daredevil is now in the works at Marvel Studios and Disney+.
So with the blind vigilante back in action, what about everyone else from the Netflix shows? Mike Cotler's Luke Cage, Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Jon Bernthal's Punisher, and Finn Jones' Iron Fist—none have shown their faces, with only a few outlier rumors fueling the fire of those various potential returns.
Recently, fans were shaken up thanks to a photo of Colter and Ritter hanging out.
Naturally, many jumped to the conclusion of how this could be the sign everyone's been looking for in regards to their hopeful return to the MCU. So, what's the real story?
Will Luke Cage Return In the MCU?
In an interview with The View, Luke Cage actor Mike Colter commented on his potential return to Marvel, touching on those recent photos of him alongside Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter.
Colter revealed that their encounter was by chance, as they were both "at a strawberry patch" with their kids, and that he truly "[doesn't] know what's happening with Marvel:"
"You know, we live in a neighborhood really close to each other, and it's funny, we bumped into each other at a strawberry patch that's like an hour away, and we just happened to be in the same place hanging out with our kids. And I bumped into another actor who I did not know, who came up to me; we were talking and he's like, 'oh, you know Krysten [Ritter's] here.' And [I'm like],'Krysten?' I thought they were friends. So then I texted her and she pops up in front of me and we start hanging out and let the kids play... I don't know what's happening with Marvel. I, you know, I loved working with her and really don't know anything other than that. That's it."
Why the MCU Might Have a Cage-y Future
With the return of Daredevil, it's seemingly only a matter of time before those previous Netflix heroes come back into the fold. Throughout the years, the actors behind them have been asked time and time again if they were interested in returning. Across the board, that answer is a resounding yes.
That said, the person least likely to get a party invite would be Finn Jones' Iron Fist. On top of his series now having been received well, his portrayal of the character left a lot to be desired for most viewers. It's even been alluded to in the past that he never wanted to train for his own fight sequences; it's probably for the best he sat this one out.
As for the photo Mike Colter is trying to explain, these days, it's hard to trust anyone. This is especially true after Andrew Garfield's various debunkings before Spider-Man: No Way Home—and everyone knows how that turned out.
Colter's strawberry patch excuse does seem plausible and would be an oddly specific detail to include in his alibi if it wasn't true. Needless to say, fingers are crossed that both of them get the formal invite back into the Marvel Studios fold sooner rather than later.
It sure seems like that newly announced Daredevil show could be the perfect place to do so.
