Will The Defenders Appear in 'Avengers: Infinity War'?

A big part of the fun of the MCU is watching various superheroes pop up in other superhero films, and Marvel has also been taking that approach by having their film stars (sparingly) appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This helps solidify Marvel’s “everything is connected” approach, but will the studio go the same route with their Netflix shows? According to a new rumor, that may be the case.

Bleeding Cool reports the rumor that the Defenders will make an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2, which is a little different from how Marvel’s been handling those movie and TV crossovers. Usually, it’s the other way around, with film stars occasionally popping in on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Now that Marvel has expanded their universe even more with a slate of new Netflix shows, we’ve been curious about potential crossover plans beyond the boundaries of the streaming service.

While Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2 doesn’t hit theaters until 2019, Marvel still has three more heroes to introduce via their own individual Netflix series. Krysten Ritter’s AKA Jessica Jones will arrive later this year, introducing Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, who will get his own series next year. After that, we’ll get an Iron Fist series, likely later next year, followed by The Defenders, which will combine the previously mentioned heroes with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil.

That gives Marvel ample time to introduce and combine the Defenders team, so if the studio wanted to allow them to make an appearance in Infinity War at all, they have more than enough room to do so. It’s a possibility, sure, but one that seems a bit dim and distant.

There will also be some changes in the Avengers lineup between now and then, as various contracts change or expire, and events in the MCU dictate the subtraction and addition of new members.

Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 arrives on May 4, 2018, followed by Part 2 on May 3, 2019.