The Defenders will take place over "a couple of days," according to Iron Fist star, Finn Jones. The Netflix miniseries brings together Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Daredevil (Charlie Cox), and Iron Fist (Jones) for the first time, as they team up to fight against The Hand and a new villain in the form of Sigourney Weaver's Alexandra . The miniseries will be eight episodes long, in contrast to the individual Marvel/Netflix TV series, which are thirteen each and typically span a longer period of time than The Defenders will.

Speaking at the 2017 Comicpalooza event in Houston, where he appeared on a Defenders panel alongside Colter, Jones said that having the entirety of The Defenders take place over just a couple of days, allows for a more intense storyline to take place - one which throws the four Marvel Cinematic Universe, New York-baed vigilantes together, against their will.

Here is the full quote from Jones (via MCU Exchange):

"[The Defenders] takes place in a very short amount of time. It’s 8 episodes but it takes place over a couple of days. So it has this real-time frenetic energy to it which I think adds to the impending doom. So we’re all kind of brought together not through choice, but through necessity. We don’t want to work with each other but our backs are against the wall and we kind of have to."

The short time frame is in contrast to other Netflix/ Marvel offerings, which span a lot longer timescale. Daredevil in particular, takes place over several months. That approach can work well; in the example of Daredevil, it gives time for the threat to build, relationships to develop and alter, and for a lot more characterization to come through. But The Defenders isn't Daredevil, or any other Netflix/Marvel show. Each of the core four have had their own standalone series; we know the Defenders characters, we know their ways, and we know the other characters they'll be bringing along with them, too.

The short time frame should mean the action is ramped up right away, and that we see these characters having to pull together immediately to face a very real and imminent threat. The Defenders trailer highlights some impressive fight sequences, as well as some real humor between the characters. Anticipation for The Defenders is high already, and with added intensity to look forward to, and a bunch of superheroes who really don't like each other, this could well turn out to be one of Netflix/Marvel's most entertaining offerings to date.

NEXT: Summer 2017 Premiere Dates - What to Watch

The Defenders arrives on August 18th, with The Punisher coming later this year. Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, Luke Cage season 1, and Iron Fist season 1 are now available on Netflix. Premiere dates for the next seasons of Jessica JonesDaredevil, and Luke Cage have not yet been revealed.

Source: MCU Exchange