Marvel and Disney have changed the title on the Jessica Jones pilot episode on Disney+ - and the change is more significant than most viewers realize. The legacy Marvel Netflix TV shows were generally considered some of the best content produced by Marvel Television. For years it was generally assumed they would be overlooked by Marvel Studios, simply because the film studio historically had a rather troubled relationship with Marvel Television.
All that changed last year, when Disney acquired the distribution rights for the legacy Marvel Netflix shows, and placed them on its Disney+ streaming service. Some of the major cast from Marvel Netflix began to reprise their roles in the MCU, with Vincent D'Onofrio returning as the Kingpin in Hawkeye and Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was unclear whether these were the same iterations of the characters, or whether they'd been effectively given a soft reboot. Recent rumors have suggested Cox and D'Onofrio are not alone, but that Krysten Ritter will also be returning as the MCU's Jessica Jones. Those have now been supported by a curious title change on Disney+, with the pilot episode of Jessica Jones given a new title and logo. It is now called "A.K.A. Jessica Jones," a nod to the comics and the original title used by the show during pre-production.
This may seem only like a cosmetic change, but it's actually quite important. Although most are focusing on this as a title change, in reality, it's an alteration to the logo, and therefore to the branding. It suggests there is active interest in the Jessica Jones brand - not merely as a legacy TV series, but rather as an ongoing concern, as it seems unlikely the marketing team suddenly considered reworking the logo of a show that has wrapped up. This is the strongest sign yet that the rumors are correct, and that Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones is destined to return.
Is Disney+ Rebooting Jessica Jones?
The prospect of Ritter's return naturally raises the same question as the appearances of Cox and D'Onofrio: namely, whether there will be a direct line of continuity between the Marvel Netflix iteration and the MCU version, or whether Marvel Studios will conduct a soft reboot using the same actors. Even the stars themselves have seemed divided on this point, with D'Onofrio wanting to play the same Kingpin and Cox favoring a soft reboot, perhaps using the time jump as an excuse to avoid dealing with the characters' pasts. So far, there's no evidence either way; most viewers had assumed the point will only be proven when Daredevil and Kingpin meet, because Daredevil season 3 ended with Matt Murdock unmasking before a defeated Kingpin. If Kingpin does know Daredevil's secret identity in the MCU, then it will indicate the legacy Marvel Netflix shows are canon; if he doesn't, it will be a major difference, indicating Marvel has conducted a soft reboot.
But Jessica Jones' logo change is in itself significant, because it suggests Marvel is considering rebranding that particular franchise - and, significantly, that the studio's branding and marketing departments are exploring whether to rebrand the old Marvel Netflix shows as well. The only logical reason to do that is if Marvel is discussing establishing a clear line of continuity between the old and the new, thus wanting a single consistent brand. It's a major indication that the legacy Marvel Netflix shows are becoming mainstream MCU canon.
None of this is definitive, of course; it's all a matter of assessing evidence and pointing to the most reasonable, logical explanations. The timing is, however, particularly interesting given rumors have tied Ritter's Jessica Jones to the upcoming She-Hulk Disney+ TV show, due to release in August. It will be exciting to see whether She-Hulk does indeed serve to relaunch the Jessica Jones franchise.
