Following up Netflix and Marvel's popular first season of Daredevil was no easy task, but Jessica Jones managed to make a name for herself as a uniquely tormented street-level hero. Jessica earned herself a planned follow-up season, but one that will have to wait a while. Luke Cage and Iron Fist, are next on the docket, with Jessica's next appearance set for The Defenders series, which will team-up all four of the Netflix Marvel heroes.

The threat to Jessica in her first season was deeply personal and immeasurably damaging. Once a slave of the mind-controlling, Kilgrave, Jessica's journey sees her attempting to overcome both her own PTSD and a nemesis that renders null the benefits of her superhuman strength.

In an interview with Esquire, Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg (Dexter) promised that Jessica won't be magically fixed just because she overcame the source of many of her problems.

"She was kind of messed up even before Kilgrave came along, and so in season 2 we can explore what's possible for her moving forward. I learned from working on Dexter that you can advance the character, but you never want to cure the character. With Dexter, the moment he felt guilt or accepted that he was 'bad,' the show's over. He's no longer a sociopath. The equivalent for us would be if Jessica somehow recovered from the damage that had been done to her. People don't just heal, you don't go through that just to say, 'Oh, he got arrested, he's in jail, I'm OK now.' That trauma is a huge part of who she is now."

Rosenberg also admitted that the long period before the second season has been a blessing in disguise.

"When I went to cable [on Dexter] having worked in network TV for many years, I realized I was doing the best work of my career, because I had the time to do it. Half of writing is rewriting, and that's what you have the time for on a cable schedule. This is an even more generous schedule than that."

As for Rosenberg's role in The Defenders team-up, she says she's "only as involved as they need me to be." Since Jessica will be involved in a whole season of team adventures before her return to her own show, Rosenberg's task is to pick her up from there.

"I need to know what they're doing in order to plan for season 2 of Jessica, and they need to know what we're planning on in turn. Marvel is very smart and they enjoy collaboration, so there's never one maniac trying to take ownership."

It sounds like Marvel will be employing the same collaborative techniques that have made their ongoing movie sagas so cohesive, despite being designed by multiple directoral visions. Considering this methodology is similar to the comics the characters are derived from, it sounds like the Netflix series are in good hands.

Half of Jessica Jones' appeal is her tenacity in the face of her brokenness so it's good to know that, just like real people, she'll be struggling to overcome the internal threats to her well being for a long time come. This may be bad for Jessica, but it makes for great drama.

Daredevil season 1 & 2 and Jessica Jones season 1 are now available on Netflix. Luke Cage season 1 will arrive on September 30th, 2016. Iron Fist and The Defenders arrive in 2017. Release dates for Jessica Jones season 2, The Punisher and Daredevil season 3 have not yet been announced.

Source: Esquire