Production got under way on Netflix's The Defenders back in November, with a number of set photos already giving fans their first look at characters such as Night Nurse (Rosario Dawson), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Iron Fist (Finn Jones), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Daredevil (Charlie Cox), just to name a few. The series is expected to debut at some point this year, but while we wait for the trailer, EW has released their new cover for this week's print issue, which features all of The Defenders assembled together. We also have details from showrunner Marco Ramirez, plus a video from the cover shoot.

The Entertainment Weekly cover features all four of these Hell's Kitchen heroes standing atop a New York City taxicab. We also get a glimpse at Danny Rand's intricate Iron Fist tattoo on his chest. The site spoke with co-showrunner Marco Ramirez, who, along with Douglas Petrie also served as showrunners on Daredevil Season 2, before taking over on The Defenders. When asked about how these four heroes meet, the showrunner had this to say.

"Every one of them is following their own trail of bread crumbs, trying to unpack a mystery in New York. We wanted them all caught off guard. Once they're in that room together, it's kind of like, 'Oh, s-, who are you?'"

When all four of these shows were announced as Marvel Netflix shows back in November 2013, it was confirmed that each of these heroes would come together for The Defenders mini-series, which would span anywhere between four and eight episodes, although the episode count has yet to be confirmed. It was also noted that these shows will be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it seems that the MCU's biggest movie, 2012's The Avengers, helped inspire this small-screen extension sometimes referred to as the Hell's Kitchen Avengers. Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb revealed that the inspiration for The Defenders came in 2013 after he was watching The Avengers for the fifth time. He thought about creating a TV show focusing on "Marvel's lesser-known heroes who have long populated the streets of New York." Here's what Jeph Loeb had to say, teasing how this mini-series very well could end.

"The Defenders didn't have a 'D' on their belt buckles and a Defenders Tower. We agreed from the very beginning that these folks could at the very end go, 'I never want to see your face again.'"

EW also released the first look at Sigourney Weaver as the villainous Alexandra, although showrunner Marco Ramirez wouldn't reveal any details about her character. He wouldn't even say who this villain is working for, but he did have nothing but praise for Sigourney Weaver, while teasing that her character represents a threat big enough that would warrant all of these heroes working together. Here's what he had to say below.

"Sigourney is the kind of person you can buy as the smartest person in the room, who you can also buy as a person holding a flamethrower. Her character is a very powerful force in New York City. She's everything Sigourney is: sophisticated, intellectual, dangerous. I'm sorry. I can only say a bunch of adjectives right now. We knew it would take something massive to pull these four characters from their individual worlds to work together, but also small enough that it felt like it existed in our world."

EW has also released nine more photos, along with a video from their cover shoot, with Krysten Ritter describing her Jessica Jones character as an "anti-superhero" who protects the people she loves. Charlie Cox thinks the most interesting thing about Daredevil is that he has a disability, while Mike Colter and Finn Jones break down their characters. Charlie Cox also teased that he has no idea how Daredevil will interact with the rest of The Defenders quite yet, although he thinks there could be an interesting connection with the fiery and opinionated Jessica Jones. Take a look at EW's new cover featuring The Defenders along with the cover shoot video and the other new photos below.

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