By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:21am PDT, Aug 16, 2017
"The Defenders" debuts on Netflix on Aug. 18, 2017. In honor of the latest installment in the Marvel television universe, Wonderwall.com rounded up everything you need to know about the titular heroes and the actors who bring them to life. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the cast of "The Defenders"…
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Charlie Cox stars as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer in Hell's Kitchen who moonlights as the vigilante crimefighter Daredevil. Though he's lost the sense of sight, his other four senses are superhumanly strong. He's also developed a radar sense similar to echolocation.
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Charlie Cox made his acting debut in 2002 and appeared in "Casanova," "Stardust" and "The Theory of Everything" before his debut as Daredevil. The English actor also portrayed Owen Sleater on "Boardwalk Empire." He previously dated actresses Kate Mara and Lynn Collins and welcomed a baby with Samantha Thomas, who produces the Marvel TV shows on Netflix, in late 2016.
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Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones, a private investigator with superhuman strength. She can also jump extraordinarily high and is somewhat immune to physical harm.
Krysten Ritter made her acting debut in 2001 and scored her first big break in 2005 when she debuted as Gia Goodman on "Veronica Mars." (She returned to the role in the 2014 movie.) Krysten also had stints on "Gilmore Girls," "'Til Death" and "Breaking Bad" and portrayed the titular B on "Don't Trust the B—- in Apartment 23." Her film credits include supporting turns in "27 Dresses," "What Happens in Vegas," "Confessions of a Shopaholic," "She's Out of My League" and "Big Eyes." She previously romanced actors Ivan Sergei and Brian Geraghty and is currently in a relationship with The War on Drugs rocker Adam Granduciel.
Mike Colter stars as former convict Luke Cage, a vigilante crime fighter in Harlem. He has superhuman strength and bulletproof skin.
Mike Colter made his acting debut in 2002 and had roles in "Million Dollar Baby," "Salt," "Men in Black 3" and "Zero Dark Thirty" before he debuted as Luke Cage. He also starred on "Ringer" and had stints on "American Horror Story: Coven," "The Following" and "The Good Wife." He's been with wife Iva Colter for nearly 20 years — since he was a student at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts. They have one daughter. (According to Variety, Iva is the director of talent acquisitions at Netflix.)
Finn Jones stars as the billionaire Buddhist monk and martial artist Danny Rand. He possesses the ability to call upon the mystical power of the Iron Fist, which gives him superstrength and speed.
Finn Jones made his acting debut on "Hollyoaks Later" in 2009. He went on star as Loras Tyrell on "Game of Thrones" from 2011 to 2016 and had short stints on "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and "Doctors" before his debut as the Iron Fist in 2017. The English actor has managed to keep his love life under wraps so far.
Elodie Yung stars as Elektra Natchios, Matt Murdock's onetime lover and the human weapon Black Sky. Though she died during the second season of "Daredevil," the manipulative murderess will be resurrected for "The Defenders." "Basically, Elektra is amnesiac," Elodie explained during Comic-Con. "She's trained … to be some sort of a weapon. How much of the Elektra that we all know remains? Well, we will find out."
Elodie Yung launched her acting career in 2002 and appeared predominantly in French productions until 2011 when she made her major Hollywood debut in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." She had roles in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "Gods of Egypt" before she starred as Elektra on the second season of "Daredevil." The French actress, who has a black belt in karate, reportedly earned a law degree from the University of La Sorbonne in Paris.
Sigourney Weaver stars as Alexandra, the mysterious main antagonist on "The Defenders," whom showrunner Marco Ramirez described to Entertainment Weekly as "a very powerful force in New York City." (She's also Elektra's boss.)
Sigourney Weaver, who's been acting since the '70s, scored her first big break in 1979 when she debuted as Lt. Ellen Ripley in "Alien." She's earned three Oscar nominations over the years: for her work in "Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey," "Working Girl" and the 1986 sequel to "Alien," "Aliens." She won two Golden Globes in 1989 and has racked up five more nominations over the years and has also earned three Emmy nominations (for "Snow White: A Tale of Terror," "Prayers for Bobby" and "Political Animals"). Sigourney has been married to director Jim Simpson since 1984. They have one daughter, Charlotte.
Jessica Henwick stars as Colleen Wing, a former member of The Hand and Danny's lover. She's a skilled martial artist and owns her own dojo. She'll appear in all eight episodes of "The Defenders" — unlike most of the other "sidekicks" from the marvel Netflix universe (like Trish from "Jessica Jones," Misty from "Luke Cage" and Foggy and Karen from "Daredevil") who'll appear in only a handful of episodes each.
Jessica Henwick launched her acting career in 2002 on the BBC kids show "Spirit Warriors" but didn't score her big break in Hollywood until 2015 when she debuted as Nymeria Sand on "Game of Thrones." The English actress, who also had a small role in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," is currently in a relationship with martial artist and stuntman Johnny Yang.
Rosario Dawson stars as the Night Nurse, Claire Temple, who's appeared in "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage" and "Iron Fist." After very minor romantic entanglements with Matt and Luke, she ultimately teamed up with Danny to fight The Hand on "Iron Fist."
Rosario Dawson made her acting debut in 1995's "Kids." Since then, she's appeared in "He Got Game," "Light It Up," "Down to You," "Josie and the Pussycats," "Men in Black II," "Alexander," "Sin City," "Rent," "Seven Pounds," "Unstoppable" and "Top Five." She's been romantically linked to a number of famous men over the years, including JAY-Z, Joshua Jackson, Colin Farrell, Jason Lewis, Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth, Gerard Butler, DJ Mathieu Schreyer, director Danny Boyle, Michael Fassbender and Eric Andre. (It's unclear which rumored romances were the real deal aside from the ones with Jason, with whom she lived, Mathieu, to whom she was rumored to be engaged, and Danny, which she confirmed.) In 2014, Rosario adopted a 12-year-old girl as a single mom.
