‘The Defenders’ Organization Chart: Your Visual Guide To Netflix’s Marvel Team-Up Series

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Marvel's The Defenders

Marvel’s The Defenders is big. It’s a television event over two years in the making, the culmination of 65 hours of action. This is what Netflix’s slate of Marvel shows has been building towards since Daredevil wrecked his first hallway back in the spring of 2015. But not only is Defenders a big deal, it’s also just plain big. Despite only running eight episodes (the other solo shows all got 13-episode seasons), The Defenders packs in more street-level superheroes than we’ve ever seen in one place before–and each one of those heroes has brought their supporting casts along with them.

If you’ve watched Marvel’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, then watching Defenders is gonna be like a who’s who of streaming service superheroes. If you haven’t seen those four shows, then jumping in for Defenders is like jumping into an alley melee against a dozen ninjas. You are in over your head! But truthfully, there are so many characters in The Defenders that even Defenders devotees might have a question or four about which characters appeared in which series.

To get you back in fighting shape before you tackle all eight episodes this weekend, we’ve put together a handy appearance chart and guide to (as far as we know) every established character that’s popping up in Defenders. Lesson one: The Chart.

Believe it or not, there are even more characters in Defenders–so many we couldn’t fit’em all on one chart! Below you’ll find more facts about who’s who in The Defenders, broken down by how many Netflix seasons each character has appeared in so far. Lesson two: The Guide.

6 Seasons

Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Jessica Jones; Luke Cage; Iron Fist
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 23
Claire’s skills as a nurse have come in handy in Hell’s Kitchen, as she’s patched up Daredevil and Luke Cage as well as many of the innocent (and some not-so-innocent) people caught in the crossfire. Dawson was hired to be the connective tissue across Netflix’s many series, and this no-nonsense nurse definitely become that.

4 Seasons

Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Iron Fist; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 16
Who woulda thunk that the soft spoken Madame Gao would become one of the most prominent players in the Netflix franchise? After supporting roles in both Daredevil seasons, the possibly immortal Madame Gao emerged as a major threat and a leader of the deadly Hand clan in Iron Fist.

Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss)
Seasons: Jessica Jones; Daredevil 2; Iron Fist; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 14
High powered Jeri Hogarth debuted as Jessica Jones’ primary employer and her role has grown since then. She helped get Danny Rand back on his feet after his return to New York City, and currently employs Matt Murdock’s old partner Foggy Nelson.

Turk Barrett (Rob Morgan)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Luke Cage; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 9
Where there’s trouble, common criminal Turk Barrett is probably there. He’s been roughed up by Daredevil and Luke Cage on numerous occasions, and he’s back for (presumably) another round in Defenders.

3 Seasons

Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 26
The entire Netflix universe started when the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen made a play to topple Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire. Since Daredevil is the only Netflix show to air two seasons, Matt Murdock (and his supporting cast) have more screentime to their name.

Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 26
Karen Page moved up from a victim in need of legal help to working as Nelson & Murdock’s secretary and, most recently, a reporter for the New York Bulletin.

Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 26
Matt Murdock’s oldest friend and legal partner, Foggy helped keep Daredevil’s morals in check. But after Murdock took on Frank Castle, the Punisher, as a client, Nelson left the firm he started and became a lawyer at Hogarth, Chao and Benowitz.

Josie (Susan Varon)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 8
The owner of Josie’s Bar in Hell’s Kitchen, Josie’s popped up in a scene or two in episodes across Daredevil’s two seasons, and the bar’s still open in The Defenders.

Luke Cage (Mike Colter)
Seasons: Jessica Jones; Luke Cage; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 20
Luke Cage started out as a bartender in Hell’s Kitchen, one that enjoyed a few run-ins with a hard-drinking private eye named Jessica Jones. Luke moved uptown to Harlem, where he confronted the crime lords ruling that neighborhood, and was last seen entering Seagate Prison once again to serve out the rest of his original sentence.

Stick (Scott Glenn)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 5
As a member of the shadowy organization known as the Chaste and the mentor to both Daredevil and Elektra, the blind martial arts master Stick is poised to play an even bigger role in The Defenders than he did in both Daredevil seasons.

Father Lantom (Peter McRobbie)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 6
Like Josie, Father Lantom is another Daredevil supporting player that’s returning for The Defenders. As Daredevil’s priest, Father Lantom really has his work cut out for him.

Marci Stahl (Amy Rutberg)
Seasons: Daredevil 1, 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 6
This up-and-coming attorney once dated Foggy Nelson, and now she works for Hogarth, Chao and Benowitz.

2 Seasons

Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter)
Seasons: Jessica Jones; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 13
You know her, you love her–Jessica Jones is the tough-as-nails private eye armed with an eye-roll that’s just as strong as her right hook. When we last saw Jess at the end of her lone TV season, she’d vowed to move on and help those in need.

Iron Fist/Danny Rand (Finn Jones)
Seasons: Iron Fist; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 13
Danny went face-to-face with Madame Gao and the Hand, learning that his role as the Immortal Iron Fist puts him in direct opposition to the ancient criminal organization. When last we left Danny, he and his partner Colleen Wing set out to find K’un-Lun–and discovered a trail of destruction left by the Hand.

Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville)
Seasons: Jessica Jones; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 12
Originally Jessica Jones’ junkie neighbor, Malcolm kicked his Kilgrave-induced drug habit and returned to his social worker roots, helping Jones help the helpless.

Misty Knight (Simone Missick)
Seasons: Luke Cage; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 13
An accomplished police detective, Misty Knight put her brains and hunger for justice to work in Luke Cage’s war against Cottonmouth, Shades, and Mariah Dillard. When last we saw Misty, she was sporting a hard-won swagger and keeping a close eye on Harlem’s criminal element.

Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick)
Seasons: Iron Fist; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 13
Colleen went from a martial arts instructor with a failing dojo to a soldier in the war against the Hand after growing close to Danny Rand. Now Colleen travels the world with Danny on a mission to halt the crime organization’s influence.

Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor)
Seasons: Jessica Jones; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 12
A teen star turned talk radio host, Trish Walker is Jones’ surrogate sister and best friend–a position that often puts her in harm’s way. That’s no problem for Trish, though, because she’s thrown herself into self-defense classes and refuses to play the victim.

Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung)
Seasons: Daredevil 2; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 10
Matt Murdock’s college girlfriend has a lot going on. For one thing, she’s a deadly assassin that’s been trained from childhood by Stick to be a killing machine. Another thing: she died in battle with the Hand at the end of Daredevil Season Two, and the Hand began a ritual to bring her back to life and fulfill her destiny as the deadly and mysterious Black Sky.

Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez)
Seasons: Iron Fist; Defenders
Total Episodes pre-Defenders: 5
Like Madame Gao, Bakuto is another high-ranking member of the Hand, and he also tried to lure Iron Fist to the dark side by manipulating Colleen Wing. Bakuto didn’t survive his encounter with Iron Fist and his associates but, like Elektra, his body was taken by the Hand for nefarious purposes.