The Marvel Cinematic Universe officially kicked off in 2008's Iron Man when Nick Fury appeared in an after-credits scene teasing the Avengers Initiative. Since then, the MCU has grown to include 13 more films -- the most recent of which, Doctor Strange, hit theaters earlier this month -- with other movies planned through 2019. On the TV front, Marvel established a small screen presence of the MCU with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2013, but has since received particular critical attention with The Defenders universe on Netflix.

Launched in early 2015 with Daredevil season 1, Netflix's street-level corner of the MCU has continued to grow, including Jessica Jones season a, Daredevil season 2, and Luke Cage season 1. Next up on the slate is Iron Fist set to debut early in 2017, followed by the Daredevil spinoff The Punisher, and a team-up series featuring all of The Defenders. Now, with The Defenders currently in production, new photos from the set tease one particular reunion.

Snapped by Steve Sands, the photos from the set of The Defenders feature Luke Cage (Mike Colter) reuniting with NYPD detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick). Though the photos don't necessarily give away any plot details, they do indicate Luke will return to NYC for the series; last fans saw him, he was being taken back to Georgia by federal Marshals to answer for breaking out of Seagate Prison. Take a look at the Defenders photos:

[] Mike Colter และ Simone Missick ถ่ายทำ #TheDefenders ค่ะ (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images) via https://t.co/5DuUAqfD7R pic.twitter.com/GX9IWmngNI— Marvel Netflix TH (@NetflixMarvelTH) November 17, 2016

На съемках @TheDefenders замечены #LukeCage и @SimoneMissick #TheDefenders #Защитники pic.twitter.com/P7lzSPtiOO— Movie Universe (@movie_uni) November 17, 2016

In addition to Luke Cage and Misty Knight, The Defenders will star fellow street-level heroes Matt Murdock aka Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), and Danny Rand aka Iron Fist (Finn Jones). Plus, supporting characters from each of Netflix's Marvel series will appear, including Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Ann Moss), Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), Stick (Scott Glenn), Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), and Elektra Natchios (Élodie Yung).

So far, a handful of The Defenders leads have been spotted on set, including Ritter alongside Jessica Jones co-star Taylor as well as Ritter's Jessica meeting Missick's Misty Knight. However, none of the set photos, including the newest featuring Colter and Missick, offer much insight into the plot of The Defenders. We know the heroes will team up, and perhaps the set photos indicate Knight is the one who brings everyone together -- or at least Jessica and Luke.

That said, the identity of the main villain is being kept under wraps. It was was revealed during the Iron Fist panel at New York Comic Con that Sigourney Weaver will portray the villain, but not who the character will be. Still, as filming progresses through The Defenders' eight episodes, it's possible we'll learn more from additional set photos.

Next: Luke Cage is Marvel’s Biggest Netflix Hit of 2016

Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, and Luke Cage season 1 are now available on Netflix. Iron Fist will premiere on March 17, 2017, with The Defenders and The Punisher arriving later that year. Premiere dates for the next seasons of Jessica Jones season 2 and Daredevil season 3 have not yet been announced.

Source: Steve Sands (Marvel Netflix TH, Movie Universe)