Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Not only does Marvel’s The Defenders bring together the four titular heroes of Netflix’s shared universe superhero shows, it also unites their supporting casts in exciting ways. That’s appropriate, too, considering just how many superheroes-in-waiting there are in all of these shows. Badasses like Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Claire Temple, and Trish Walker have all been tested in one way or another, and come out stronger for it.
And in the final chapter of The Defenders, Misty Knight finally gets her big moment.
***SPOILERS FOR THE DEFENDERS SERIES FINALE***
So, that was crazy, right?
While the super-powered Defenders were dealing with Elektra, Madame Gao, Murakami, and all their cronies, a trio of totally human heroes were on the ground level squaring off against Bakuto (you know, the smooth-talking cult leader from Iron Fist). Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), and Misty Knight (Simone Missick) threw everything they had at the seemingly immortal villain. Colleen swung her sword, Claire clobbered him with tools, and Misty pumped him full of bullets. None of it worked, and Bakuto got the upper hand by placing a fallen Claire in-between his two blades, primed for decapitation.
Not so fast, Bakuto!
In a totally insane sequence of lightning-fast events, Misty shoved Claire free only to get her arm caught in-between Bakuto’s blades. Misty lost her arm and then–again, lightning fast!–Colleen sliced off Bakuto’s head. These three can claim victory over one of the Hand’s head honchos, but at the cost of Misty’s arm.
So yeah, that’s upsetting! It’s always upsetting to see a character you love go through something painful, and “painful” definitely describes getting your arm sliced off by an immortal villain! Misty makes it out of the Midland Finance building before it blows and wakes up in a hospital, down one arm but up one friend (Colleen Wing). As sad as this is, though, you actually just watched Misty Knight become a superhero.
When Misty Knight first appeared in the comics back in 1975, she was a private police detective and one half of a detective agency called Knightwing Restorations (the other half was, as evidenced by the name, Colleen Wing). Oh–and she had a bionic arm. Years before encountering Iron Fist for the first time, Misty was working as an officer for the NYPD. A crazy came in with a bomb, which Misty dove towards and tried to toss away to safety. The bomb exploded, taking Misty’s arm with it. That heroic act caught the attention of a billionaire named Tony Stark, who outfitted her with a high-tech prosthetic.
Misty’s super-strong bionic arm has been a defining part of her character since pretty much her debut, so much so that longtime fans (like myself) have been anxiously awaiting this moment since the first episode of Marvel’s Luke Cage. That series even had a fake out moment when Misty was shot in the arm. She kept her arm then, but she wasn’t so lucky this time.
We don’t see the bionic arm in Defenders, of course, as the Netflix series tend to take their time with those sorts of comic book-y leaps. Colleen does tell Misty that she’s staying in a state-of-the-art hospital, and that billionaire Danny Rand wants to help her if she needs it. Considering how separate Marvel’s movies and TV are, it would make sense for Danny–and not Iron Man–to be the billionaire that gifts Misty with a bionic arm. And hey–Simone Missick has already been cast in Iron Fist Season 2! That means we’re going to get more of Knight and Wing, the potential Daughters of the Dragon. That’s very good news.
Basically, if you’re worried that this injury is going to sideline Misty Knight, think again. We’ve seen time and time again Knight has the spirit of a superhero, and now it looks like she’s well on her way to having the physical power of one too. This was hard to watch, but you know Misty Knight’s gonna come out the other side of it more badass than ever.
