Like the MCU, the Marvel universe on Netflix had incredible interconnectivity, but that didn't stop The Defenders saga from wasting its best crossover set-up. Release in 2017 as the culmination of “Phase 1” of the Marvel Netflix shows, The Defenders brought together Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist into a single miniseries in which The Hand was the great enemy. In addition to all the heroes, many of the supporting characters from each show were also part of the crossover event.

Outside of the heroes, the most important character in what Disney+ is now calling The Defenders saga was Claire Temple. Introduced in Daredevil season 1, episode 2, the nurse who would often stitch Matt Murdock became a constant presence in the shows of that universe and was always ready to help the heroes. Except for The Punisher, Claire was part of every Marvel Netflix series and interacted with the four Defenders at some point in their stories.

Related: Daredevil & All Marvel Crossovers: Every Character In Multiple Shows

Many have said that Claire Temple was the Nick Fury of the Defenders universe. However, when The Defenders crossover event finally happened, Claire being part of the stories of Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand had no real effect on the show. Rather than meeting through Claire, the Defenders ended up bumping into each other for pure luck and script convenience. After so much setup with Claire appearing in all the four solo series set before The Defenders, her role in the crossover series felt like a huge missed opportunity. It would have been a much more inspired choice if Claire had linked the four heroes, whether in their civilian or vigilante lives. Claire is obviously no Nick Fury in the sense that she wouldn't be actively trying to form a superhero team, but she knew the Defenders on such an intimate level that serving as a link between them wouldn't have felt forced.

Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple the Night Nurse in Luke Cage

Rather than treating Claire as the character common to all four stories, The Defenders seems to have chosen to focus more on her role in Luke Cage's story. The show sees Claire getting Luke out of prison, and much of how she interacts with the Hand's overall story comes from Luke Cage's investigation of a local kid's death. It can't be said that Claire wasn't part of the action — the character was in the final showdown against the villainous organization known as the Hand — but The Defenders lacked Claire's much-needed advice for New York's heroes. In terms of both making the character justice and paying off all the previous setup, Claire's role in Defenders didn't live up to expectations. This was also a symptom of a larger problem in the Marvel Netflix universe with Claire, who seemed to have no end goal in terms of character development. That's why, when Rosario Dawson chose not to return for Daredevil season 3, many were left wondering what Claire's fate had been.

Claire didn't have to go door to door gathering the Defenders as Nick Fury did with the Avengers, but the show could have found a way to incorporate the idea that she was the only common element in the stories of those four heroes. Among all the events in the Daredevil canon, Claire's role in The Defenders can be considered one of the most frustrating.

Next: Why The Defenders Was So Disappointing

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