Until fairly recently, the flow of content between Hulu and Disney+ only went in one direction. The latter got to play with all of Disney’s biggest brands while Hulu’s superior lineup of films and TV shows was used to shore up Disney+’s shortcomings.
Now, Disney seems much more willing to give Hulu subscribers a taste of what they’re missing on Disney+ with a handful of Star Wars movies as well as a few Marvel TV shows.
This month, Daredevil and The Punisher are streaming on Hulu, which is ironic since both were Netflix original series produced by Marvel Television nearly a decade ago. Both of those series are worth catching for superhero fans who want more mature storylines, but the one Hulu show you have to watch in May 2025 is The Defenders.
The Defenders was the culmination of Marvel Television’s attempt to bring four different TV superheroes into a single miniseries. Think of it as The Avengers on a much smaller scale. It’s not the best show that Marvel has ever produced, but there are definitely things it does very well.
The Team-Up Feels Like a Genuine EventIf you’re expecting The Defenders to match the scale of Marvel’s Avengers movies, then you’re bound to be disappointed. It’s got a lot lower budget than the big Marvel movies. What it does have is TV-MA action that borders on R-rated, and it’s really enjoyable to see Matt Murdock/Daredevil banter with Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter). Jessica always seems to know the most cutting line to say while she’s around Matt.
Similarly, the live-action pairing of Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) felt very natural. In the comics, Cage and Rand had a long partnership, but they’re initially strangers to each other in this story. Jones’ performance as Danny was widely panned in the first season of Iron Fist. But in this series, Jones seemed more relaxed and in command of his character. There were some shaky moments with Iron Fist’s decisions late in the season, but it was still an improvement.
After establishing those two separate pairings, the show finally brings the four of them together for the final stretch of the season. They may not be Earth’s mightiest heroes, but they’re an entertaining group.
‘The Defenders’ Blends the Casts of Four Different TV SeriesThis wasn’t simply a show for the four main heroes. Almost all of the important supporting cast members from their respective shows also had roles in this crossover. Rosario Dawson‘s Claire Temple was the natural choice to appear, since she had previous interactions with all four of the main characters.
Iron Fist‘s Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and Luke Cage‘s Misty Knight (Simone Missick) had a longtime partnership in the comics that was given a nod on this show. Marvel did reunite them in Luke Cage season 3, but this miniseries had some of their best interactions. Jessica Jones‘ Rachael Taylor and Eka Darville and Daredevil‘s Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll weren’t as prominently featured, but they also took part in this miniseries. That made The Defenders feel like a true continuation of all four shows.
Sigourney Weaver Embraces Her Villain EraIn the ’80s and ’90s, Sigourney Weaver‘s Ellen Ripley was practically a superhero in the Alien movies. But in The Defenders, Weaver seemed to relish the chance to play Alexandra, one of the main villains. On the face of it, having a 68-year-old Caucasian actress play the leader of The Hand — a Japanese ninja clan and a death cult — didn’t make a lot of sense. Weaver was probably cast in the role for her star power, and she chews the scenery like a great villain should. The show presents Alexandra and her fellow five fingers of The Hand as functionally immortal, but also facing their own potential deaths if they don’t move forward with their plans for New York City.
That brings us to Élodie Yung‘s Elektra, the former lover of Matt Murdock and a key figure in Daredevil’s backstory. Alexandra resurrected Elektra to be her weapon in this show, but Elektra ultimately had other ideas and went down a darker path. Yung has since headlined four seasons of The Cleaning Lady on Fox, and she may not be reprising her role as Elektra anytime soon. Thankfully, she’s very good in the short time she played the character, and she was also a believable physical foil for the Defenders.
It Inadvertently Sets Up ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2
This wasn’t planned back in 2017, but The Defenders is now in the odd position of foreshadowing the return of Jessica Jones to the MCU. It was recently announced that Ritter will reprise her role in Daredevil: Born Again for the first time since Jessica Jones ended in 2019. Ritter’s return had been rumored for years, but not confirmed until earlier this month. That almost certainly means Jessica will reunite with Matt at some point during the season and resume their somewhat contentious relationship.
Given the way that Born Again season 1 ended with Matt recruiting allies to help him take down NYC Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), getting the Defenders back together was the natural way to go. For now, there’s no word about whether Colter or Jones will also reprise their roles as Luke Cage and Iron Fist when Daredevil: Born Again premieres in 2026. But fans will likely welcome them back if they are.
The Defenders is streaming on Hulu.
