Bendis, Marquez and Brevoort discuss Defenders

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>>92034828
>Next question was for Bendis, if this was “who he wanted” for the book’s main cast, despite the fact that it’s also the cast of the upcoming TV series. “I literally pitched this to the public on my last page of New Avengers’ — a page of Luke and Jessica talking about this book,” Bendis answered. “It was always on my list of, ‘This is what I want to do if I return to these characters.” Bendis said the only thing that changed for him was calling the book “Defenders,” as he didn’t have a great name for the series he wanted to do before.

>“This idea, and these characters, and how they’re going to interact and what they’re going to do, was always the plan, way before the Netflix deal,” Bendis said.

>Where are the characetrs when “Defenders” #1 picks up? Bendis said readers need to first check out the Free Comic Book Day story, available this Saturday. “The characters are all at sort of their base status quo,” Bendis said, with the FCBD story revealing the villain of the initial storyline of the series. “Then we dive right into ‘Defenders’ #1, and we hit the ground running,” Bendis said.

>“I try to bring as much humanity and realism to [‘Defenders’] as possible,” Bendis said, adding that it dates back to his early, pre-Marvel crime stories. “The escapism is much more visceral, because you feel like this is a bar you could walk into — not a crazy space station or Avengers Tower. These feel like real places, and sometimes they are real places. The characters are really reacting to each other, they’re reacting to the world around them. David and I spend a great deal of time talking about the city as a character, and making sure they react to the city in a human way.”

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>>92034839
>Next question from Marvel asked if New York City is a “partner” to the Defenders or an antagonist. “Like any character in any story, you don’t know,” Bendis said. “Sometimes the city is going to be a gigantic help to them. At the same time, there are people in the city who will react very negatively to what they’re doing.”

>“You’ve got two characters — you’ve got the real New York City, the New York City that we all know and I love to visit,” Bendis said. “And then you’ve got the Marvel New York City, which is a New York City with Doctor Strange, and Elektra, and Blade running around in it.”

>How personal of a series will “Defenders” be for its cast? “The villain is connected very personally to one of the four,” Bendis replied. “So personally, that it affects all of them.” This threat will prompt the character to “reevaluate” the way the book’s heroes do things, thus leading to the Defenders becoming an official team.

>“It’s been a very fun week of readers emailing or Tumbling questions at me, at one of the best questions was, ‘I’m so confused about Luke Cage, because according to everything, he’s one of the most powerful superheroes in the world, but they keep referring to him as street-level,'” Bendis continued. “I wrote back saying, ‘Street-level is not a power set. It’s an address.'”

>“There are so many places to take these characters within the context of a street-level hero,” Bendis said. “This is one of the great joys of staying at the company — you can leave Jessica for a few years, come back, and the character is still reacting to the world around her, and the Marvel Universe has shifted so much. It’s all worth exploring. I’m writing all-new material about these characters that I love so much. Because they’re in a different place in their lives, it feels brand new to me.”

>>92034828
I'm pretty dissapointed Luke isnt in his PM&IF costume. Best look he's had in a while.

>>92034875
>Is a leadership role established in “Defenders”? “It’s kind of like what I liked in ‘New Avengers,'” Bendis answered. “Everyone steps up when it’s their turn. They’re not like membership ID kind of people. It’s a handshake — there’s no contract. They’re in together. It speaks more to the fact that they really are a family. They love each other… with that comes all the positives and negativity of family.”

>Every issue of “Defenders” will have back-up material — the first will feature an interview with Luke Cage. Future issues will have installments of the Marvel Universe publication “The Pulse,” and material similar to the Avengers oral histories.

>More from Bendis on Punisher in “Defenders”: “What happens in the first couple issues of ‘Defenders’ is so loud, that it can’t help but bring the Punishers of the world towards it.” Bendis said that the Punisher’s role will surprise readers.

>“Certain spider-people will show up,” Bendis added. “Doctor Strange shows up. Blade shows up. A couple mutants show up. Night Nurse will be back — that of course hints that a lot of people will get hurt, but that’s what she’s for. We’re going to really open up the streets and have a lot of people come in. The four are the base, but there will be members that come in and out, hopefully in an organic way.”

>“This is not a group that’s worried about bylaws or who’s a member and not a member,” Brevoort added. “There will be characters that come in and out as the situation demands it.”

>>92034828
Oh shit, more Urban New York books. Damn, just what we needed! We've literally never had such a book Ever!

>>92034904
>Also coming up down the line — members of Marvel’s original Defenders team (which consisted of members including Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and Valkyrie) getting involved with the new squad. “They may not be thrilled that their name is being poached,” Bendis said. “Look for some Defender-on-Defender action down the line. Not in the first storyline. Look for the long-overdue Jessica Jones vs. Silver Surfer, the Hulk and Valkyrie fight.”

>First question from press, from CBR: What’s it like for Bendis to return to Daredevil, who he had a famous run on years ago, along with Alex Maleev? “It’s one of the most exciting and scariest things,” Bendis answered. “And this is as high-class of a problem a creator can have,” adding that sometimes prior work of creators is viewed with “rose-colored” glasses by fans over time. “I decided to forget about all that, forget about my first run — it’s all in the past — and just come at this character like it’s the first time I’ve ever written him.” Bendis complicated the work of current “Daredevil” writer Charles Soule, saying he’s “created an amazing platform” — and that he wants to avoid the feeling of when writers return to a character, and show they haven’t read comics featuring that character since they worked on it.

>Next question, from Adventures in Poor Taste: How does Bendis plan on writing a contemporary take on the mob in “Defenders”? Bendis said that for years, organized crime in “Daredevil” was still in the Frank Miller mold, and hadn’t evolved with the times. “All of this is worth re-examining, and almost laying down tracks from scratch,” Bendis said. Though it’s going to be different than the New York City of Marvel’s Netflix shows, it’ll be something inviting to new comics readers familiar with those shows.

>Marquez added that Bendis had him do the same “homework” on organized crime.

>>92034930
>Next question, from Word Balloon: What do “Defenders” represent the other Marvel team books don’t? “It’s scope is smaller, because it’s more focused on the neighborhood, even if the neighborhood is as big as the whole of Manhattan island,” Brevoort answered. “I think the core of this book will have a different tone than any group book that exists in the Marvel Universe. It’s a very tight-knit group of people with a common cause, who are operating down on the ground, and on the same level as the people that they’re working to help and protect. There’s a little more of a ‘Zorro’ aspect of it, where these are really the heroes of the community, rather than the heroes of the planet.” Brevoort said the book has a “community flavor.” “They’re people of the people.”

>Next question, from Newsarama, concerns the team’s visual looks. Marquez said it’s a “living, breathing process,” and that it’s more than just what the characters wear — though there are recognizable fashion choices, like Luke Cage wearing a hoodie or Jessica Jones in a leather jacket.

>Next question, from ComicsVerse: Will the comic deal with real-world issues, or metaphors for real-world issues? Bendis said he has plenty of metaphors in store, and touches on the real world will also play a part. “Crime is a real-world issue, in general,” Bendis added. “Let’s not forget that!”

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>>92034951
>Next question, from ComicBook.com: How will Daredevil’s secret identity affect his role on the series, with characters working with public identities? “You’ll find these characters are in such a dangerous position, that this guy in the devil mask might have to give a little more,” Bendis said. “What secrets they want to share with each other is going to be a part of that. Obviously I have a tendency to take those secret identities very seriously and dangerously — Daredevil being the most ballsy move we’ve ever made on something like tat. All I’m going to say is that we’re going to continue down that road, that a secret identity is not something to take lightly. It’s going to be something that’s very difficult to maintain, and difficult to maintain with friends.”

>Next question, from IGN: Is anything specific from the Netflix shows being incorporated in the series? Bendis said he’s been on record of how much a fan he is of those shows, and immensely flattered that his work has inspired them. “It’s kind of the best version of Marvel becoming this multimedia empire,” Bendis said. “It flowed out of the comics and into the TV shows.” Bendis said Marquez will employ a more noir style in the series, similar to some of the sequences back in “Ultimate Spider-Man.”

>“If they do things well, it’s good to learn from them,” Marquez said of the Netflix shows. “It’s good to have elements of it being recognizable, but also to be additive, and not repetitive. We’re taking some of the things that were done well on the show — they shoot the city beautifully, they have amazing use of color — and we’re adding those things if they improve the quality of the book. We’re also making sure we’re adding, and not repeating.”

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>>92034991
>Bendis added “Drive” and “The Wire” as further visual inspirations.

>Next question, from ICv2: Will the inciting event of the series spill out to other books? Yes. “It’s a game-changer for everyone involved,” Bendis said, adding that the “Jessica Jones” series he writes will certainly be affected, and likely “Daredevil” and “Luke Cage,” as well.

>The call ended with some final thoughts. Bendis said he’s excited for exiting readers and new fans coming to the series from the Netflix shows to see the book. Marquez said he wants people to know how the creative team is respecting the long histories of these characters. Brevoort reiterated that the Free Comic Book Story does not wait to “dive into the meat” of “Defenders.”

So far the vibe I'm getting s that Danny d=gonna get pushed to the side

>>92034828
>Bendis
>Brevoort

Their opinions are irrelevant.

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>“This idea, and these characters, and how they’re going to interact and what they’re going to do, was always the plan, way before the Netflix deal,” Bendis said

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>>92035023
>>Bendis added “Drive” and “The Wire” as further visual inspirations.

>>92035165
Does Bendis hate Danny

>>92034839
>“This idea, and these characters, and how they’re going to interact and what they’re going to do, was always the plan, way before the Netflix deal,” Bendis said.
Fuck that guy who did the interview. My very next question would've been "Then why aren't other street level characters on the team? Why not Thing, or Spider-Man, or any street level X-Men, or Ant-Man, why the four exact same characters that have the tv series and the group tv series?"

>>92035286
Remember when they said that the "Luke Cage" show was taking heavy inspiration from "the Wire"? Apparently that meant hiring a bunch of people from the Wire and wasting them like every other Netflix show

>>92035286
Why visual? he doesn't draw shit.

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>>92034839
>>92034875
According to Rich Johnston, the villain is Willis Stryker, Diamondback. Who quite so happens to be the villain of the Luke Cage TV show, but I'm sure that's just a coincidence too and he had always planned to do this.

>>92035286
Didn't bendis once say the ultimate spider-man cartoon was like 30 rock meets arrested development?

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>>92035023
>Bendis added “Drive” and “The Wire” as further visual inspirations.
If he's making references to shows that came out a decade ago I'm fully expecting him to go full-edge again. Bodies are gonna hit the floor, and the body count of villains that haven't been in the spotlight for a couple of years in Infamous Iron-Man is already in the double digits. Let's hope the people that bought the first couple issues of Jessica Jones learned their lesson.

>>92035456
>>92035522

Found a link
http://www.mtv.com/news/2620977/eccc-2011-nick-spencer-goes-exclusive-at-the-marvel-panel/

>Bendis talked a little about the writers’ room for the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon through Disney XD: when explaining the feel of the show he said that it owed more to eccentric comedies like Arrested Development and 30 Rock.

Bendis loves throwing around popular stuff as comparisons to his own work.

>>92034930
>Look for the long-overdue Jessica Jones vs. Silver Surfer, the Hulk and Valkyrie fight.
So I guess this is further confirmaton that Bruce Banner won't stay dead much longer.

>>92035522
>the body count of villains that haven't been in the spotlight for a couple of years in Infamous Iron-Man is already in the double digits
What are you talking about? The latest issue= None of them died, Ben Grimm and SHIELD confirmed it. Diablo from issue 1 is the only one we're not sure about.

>>92034839
I've been out of the loop a few months, and have clearly missed some shit.


>Where are the characetrs when “Defenders” #1 picks up? Bendis said readers need to first check out the Free Comic Book Day story, available this Saturday. “The characters are all at sort of their base status quo,” Bendis said,

What Happened with Jessica kidnapping their kid then?

>>92035585
>What Happened with Jessica kidnapping their kid then?
Jessica needed to infiltrate an anti-superhero hate group so to do that she needed to pretend she had a falling-out, break up with Luke with the hero community and go to jail. Why she needed to keep the baby from Luke too was never explained, but I guess we're meant to assume it was necessary for her cover even though it clearly wasn't. It's also not clear why she couldn't tell Luke about this and ask him to play along.
Anyway, after everyone in the group was arrested thanks to Jessica, Luke now knows the full story, he isn't happy about it but they seem to have patched up.

>>92035023
>Will the inciting event of the series spill out to other books? Yes. “It’s a game-changer for everyone involved,”
DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE
>>92035023
>Bendis said, adding that the “Jessica Jones” series he writes will certainly be affected, and likely “Daredevil” and “Luke Cage,” as well.
Oh thank God it's only shit books

>>92035691
The good thing about Bendis being on Defenders is that he's in a position where other writers are free to ignore whatever he does, unlike when he was writing Avengers or X-Men.

>>92035680
Somebody answers your question but you just have more questions. You think to yourself ' FUCK IT, I'll just find somewhere to read it" But then you remember Bendis wrote it and you don't want deal with all that pointless dialogue and other bullshit. And you realize 'OH, he's involved in this too' , so your mind decides to save itself by just cutting all interest in all of the above.


Thanks for taking the time to explain though,

>>92034930
>>Next question, from Adventures in Poor Taste: How does Bendis plan on writing a contemporary take on the mob in “Defenders”? Bendis said that for years, organized crime in “Daredevil” was still in the Frank Miller mold, and hadn’t evolved with the times. “All of this is worth re-examining, and almost laying down tracks from scratch,” Bendis said. Though it’s going to be different than the New York City of Marvel’s Netflix shows, it’ll be something inviting to new comics readers familiar with those shows.

What does he mean by this exactly? What would a "contemporary take" of the mob look like? I admittedly am not too familiar on how New York gangs operate these days.

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>>92034904
>Bendis said that the Punisher’s role will surprise readers.
>Certain spider-people will up
>Doctor Strange shows up
>A couple mutants show up
>Night Nurse will be back

How quickly is this going to hit 30K? Issue 4? 5?

>>92035522
>and the body count of villains that haven't been in the spotlight for a couple of years in Infamous Iron-Man is already in the double digits
Anyone has a list?

>>92036054

when does the show come out in relation to the first issue of this?

>>92036185
>Diablo in issue 1 (as far as we know)
That's it. The anon missed the page where Ben Grimm laughed at the Wrecker by revealing that Doom didn't actually kill anyone.

>>92035928

It definitely won't mean black gangs as villains

>>92035928

a lot more white collar businessmen doing shady shit as covers for street level stuff, with attempts to keep violence low.

high class call girls servicing the rich vs cheap hookers on the corner, designer drugs for rich college kids vs shit laced crack for junkies

>>92036054

10/16 Jessica Jones #1 - 74,291
11/16 Jessica Jones #2 - 36,893 (-50.3%)
12/16 Jessica Jones #3 - 38,601 (+ 4.6%)
01/17 Jessica Jones #4 - 32,252 (-16.4%)
02/17 Jessica Jones #5 - 25,769 (-20.1%)
03/17 Jessica ones #6 - 27,342

02/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #1 - 79,069
03/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #2 - 41,104 (-48.0%)
04/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #3 - 26,496 (-35.5%)
05/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #4 - 26,308 (- 0.7%)
06/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #5 - 24,202 (- 8.0%)
07/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #6 - 26,980 (+11.5%)
08/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #7 - 24,163 (- 10.4%) (CV2)
09/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #8 - 22,189 (- 8.2%) (CV2)
10/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #9 - 19,611 (- 11.6%) (CV2)
11/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #10- 19,934 (+ 1.6%)
12/16 Power Man and Iron Fist #11- 17,078 (- 14.3%)
01/17 Power Man and Iron Fist #12- 18,886 (+10.6%)
02/17 Power Man and Iron Fist #13- 14,808 (-21.6%)
PM-IF #14 14,174

4-5 issues sounds right

>>92036299
Senpai... the effect of TV shows and movies on comics is almost imperceptible.

>>92035165
Pretty much, he didn't do much with Danny while he had him in his Avengers run except give him a white outfit.

>>92035248
Yeah no one believes him at this point he's just jumping at anything that's popular.

>>92036005
As long as he keeps away from the Guardians I'm fine.

>>92034930
>Look for the long-overdue Jessica Jones vs. Silver Surfer, the Hulk and Valkyrie fight.”
I honestly can't tell if he's joking.

>>92037260
>Jessica puts the Surfer a lock
>between her legs

>>92036843
This.

>>92036427
>civil war 2 killing sales
top kek

NO NO NO NO I WANT THE ORIGINAL DEFENDERS NOT THIS SYNERGY BULLSHIT REEEEEEEEEEEEE

>>92034875
>Luke Cage, because according to everything, he’s one of the most powerful superheroes in the world

How so? He's strong and invulnerable, but hardly a worldbeater.

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>>92035435
Isn't he long dead in 616?

There's only one Diamondback for comics fans.

>>92036427

Man the art and Civil War II really hurt PM&IF. sad cause the book was good.

>>92036790

Did'nt he name the baby of his 2 faves after Danny though? Cant hate him too much.

>Bendis writing Iron Fist
kill me

>>92039494
Wow, he didn't last very long at all.

I wonder if the Serpent Society will try to recruit him?

Maybe him and the female Diamondback could have a male Viper/Madame Hydra dynamic.

>>92039170
Appearance of Death
Hero for Hire #2
(August, 1972).

>>92034828
>Bendis, Marquez and Brevoort
so nobody worth listening to

>>92035435
Didn't he get his head blown off by one of his own exploding knives?

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>>92034930
>Look for the long-overdue Jessica Jones vs. Silver Surfer, the Hulk and Valkyrie fight

>>92035435
Wait, what? Fucker's been dead for 40 years! He died in Luke's second issue!

>>92034828
Synergy was mistake.

>>92034828
>>92034839
>>92034875
>>92034930
>>92034951
>>92034991
>>92035023
I read through this entire thing multiple times, and Iron Fist never came up once.
Why is he even on the cover if the writer has no interest in him?

>>92039293
Yeah, but he also forgot to have Danny at Luke's wedding.