It is pretty clear that the Marvel movies such as The Avengers don't really cross over well into the TV realm, such as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. A recent clip from that program on ABC shows how events from Captain America: Civil War could still affect the storyline, and that does for the darker Netflix universe established in Seasons 1 and 2 of Daredevil, Season 1 of Jessica Jones, and the upcoming first seasons of Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and the recent addition of The Punisher.
IGN shows the clip that will air on the May 10th episode of Agents, which discusses the Sokovia Accords. If you don't know what that is, then you should probably watch Avengers: Age of Ultron again, as Sokovia was that unfortunate country that had a city raised from the earth by Ultron. This, with other events from Captain America: Civil War was enough to convince the public that superheroes or other types of enhanced humans need to be registered.
This led to what is essentially the conflict of Captain America: Civil War, and you can read our Review of the film to see that the idea of registering superheroes caused a possibly permanent rift between the partnership of Captain America and Iron Man. These Sokovia Accords mean that superheroes need to register with the government, which would affect how Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage operate for sure.
After all, it has been established in Daredevil that a costumed vigilante is on the streets of Hell's Kitchen. Chances are, the law would not abide such a figure, and if it was found out that he possesses super-senses, then he would have to register as a government agent of some kind like the Avengers did. Well, at least half of them did. Yes, that is a spoiler for the latest Captain America movie, and I'll take it even further by saying that Captain America essentially made himself an outlaw with his Avenger allies of the Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and the new recruit Ant-Man.
I would say that Daredevil needs to join Captain America's team, but that would be quite a crossover. It is pretty clear that these Netflix Marvel Universe has been established as its own entity. Otherwise, the Black Widow, who was a constant ally to Daredevil in the comics, would be visiting constantly. Yeah, I don't think that is going to happen, but if Marvel really wants a connected universe, this is how it works in the comics. Of course, Marvel has all the rights to its characters and can just write and draw them as they see fit, but when it comes to getting all these studios and actors working together, that is a little harder.
Still, this leaves Jessica Jones, who is definite super-powered human but chooses not to have a costumed identity for legitimately good reasons. It is hinted on the show that she might have had one at some point in time, and if that is the case, then she would have to register. She is pretty freelance, but it would be an interesting plotline in Season 2 if the government were to suddenly come down upon her for having unregistered super-abilities.
As for Luke Cage, not much is even really know about this series that is set not in Hell's Kictchen, but Harlem. His show is next on the agenda, and will be coming out on September 30th. There is a preview video showing the character being shot up, and resisting the bullets.
The Sovokia Accords would have to change the way superheroes operate in this Netflix Marvel universe. For example, the people who shot Luke Cage on the trailer, assuming they got away, can just tell the authorities that there is an unregistered superhero. Then a supervillain could be the least of Luke Cage's problems.
As for Iron Fist, very little is known about that show, but there was a lot of ground laid in Daredevil with sub-plots about The Hand ninja organization that would fit in very well there. Iron Fist's powers are mystical in origin, which would mean that he would also need to register. As for The Punisher, he kills criminals, and even though he has no super-powers other than lots of weaponry, the authorities would be coming down on him anyway, costume or no.
Eventually, these characters (possibly without the Punisher) will meet up on The Defenders, which was Marvel and Netflix's plans for these programs in the connected universe. By the time that they do meet, the world could be changed to reject superheroes altogether, maybe even fearing them so much that The Avengers will have been essentially disbanded.
With all the hatred directed toward superheroes, this might give Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist a reason for teaming up. Maybe they might form some kind of underground movement which was at the heart of the Civil War comic book source material. Given that kind of set-up, The Defenders won't need any villains to fight, but The Kingpin might want to take them down.
We're probably going to have to wait quite a while to see how these plotlines turn out, which is the beauty of Marvel's connected Cinematic universe. If you have anything that you would like to see, feel free to leave a comment below.
