While 2024 was a fairly quiet year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the 2025 movie schedule has the franchise back to where it used to be. We’re getting three upcoming Marvel movies this year, but perhaps even more exciting is the return of Daredevil in his first TV series on Disney+. I’m certainly hoping the return of Charlie Cox to the role is the first of several returns from the old Netflix Marvel series, and that includes Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones.
While I loved most of the Marvel series originally running on Netflix (and streaming now with a Disney+ subscription), the first season of Jessica Jones was probably my favorite. So I’m one who has been hoping that we see that version of the character in the MCU again. I’m likely not the only one, as Brian Michael Bendis, one of the original creators of Jessica Jones in the comics, tells Forbes that he particularly loved how that character was handled and how the adaptation spoke to people. Bendis said…
The filmmakers were able to get across the trauma of her life in ways that were very healing to people who experienced something like it. The reaction was overwhelming and came back to us from every direction. When you achieve something like that, you want to chase it, because it’s a great feeling. And so when I’m in situations where people are developing or adapting things, I can feel them asking the right or wrong questions, and I will gently guide them where I can. I’m not saying the comic book people know all the answers, but there’s a lesson in our experience that people might want to keep an eye on.
One of the things that made the Netflix series so different from the rest of the MCU was the way the shows were specifically geared toward a more adult audience. While the most obvious way this manifested was in the form of more graphic violence from the likes of Daredevil and Punisher, it also meant more mature storylines, including the abuse that Jessica Jones suffered and the frequently unhealthy ways she tried to deal with it.
The Netflix series ended with Jessica Jones considering leaving New York, ultimately running away from her problems, before making the decision to stay. It put the character in an interesting place and could make for a good launch pad for a new Marvel series if Disney+ were so inclined.
Krysten Ritter has indicated she wasn’t necessarily interested in playing Jessica Jones again, but that was years ago. Mike Colter recently indicated he might be willing to play Luke Cage again because he’s been away from the character long enough that returning could be fresh again. If Ritter has a similar feeling, hopefully we can bring them both back.