Move over, Avengers. A new team of superheroes is in town—but without that same shimmer and sparkle. In 2013, Marvel and Netflix announced that they will produce a new team of superheroes called the Defenders, loosely based on the comic book series. The Defenders are made up of Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist in the fictional New York City borough of Hell’s Kitchen. Hell’s Kitchen is full of megalomaniacal politicians and psychopathic villains, and only this gritty team of heroes can take them down. As you can probably glean from this, the Defenders are no Avengers with their star-spangled team of shiny superheroes. This series has a refreshing and new take on the superhero, a rougher and more human take on the larger-than-life stereotypes. The Defenders are the anti-Avengers in that their origin stories are more personal or relatable—no billionaire-playboy-philanthropists here.

In early 2015, the first of the Defenders, Matt Murdock’s alter ego, Daredevil, appeared in his own series. “Daredevil” follows Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind, Catholic ninja who practices law by day and fights crime by night. Matt Murdock is here to protect Hell’s Kitchen from the evils of mob boss and politician Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). With the help of his fellow lawyer Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and friend Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), he fights for justice in his neighborhood as the Daredevil. The Daredevil is a unique character in that his religion plays a big part in his psyche. He has a strict moral code for which he does not kill. Some of the most profound scenes happen to be with Matt just talking with a priest and questioning his faith in certain situations in his life, which makes him more relatable to a large audience.

Following the massive success of “Daredevil,” Netflix released “Jessica Jones” in late 2015. The titular character, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), is a hard-drinking, heavy-swearing, never-taking-no-for-an-answer private detective. The show follows Jones as she comes to terms after an abusive relationship with a mind-controlling man named Kilgrave (David Tennant). Yes, that is the tenth Doctor, and yes, he has mind-controlling powers. So you can see that he is not a very good guy. And yes, his name is actually Kilgrave—or is it?  The straightforward and vulnerable narrative of the show makes it special as Jones struggles with what has happened to her in the past with Kilgrave and possible frontiers in the future concerning Luke Cage (Mike Colter). Luke Cage is introduced in “Jessica Jones” as an ex-con who is the subject of one of Jessica’s investigations, and the two have what some may call a “fling.” The show’s honest and no-nonsense approach make a girl who can fly a little bit more normal.

With the Defenders introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), their stint will culminate in a Netflix production with the titular group as leads. Like most characters in the MCU, it is now expected that they will appear in future MCU productions, such as a possible cameo in “Captain America: Civil War” (now I’m not saying that Matt Murdock is going to represent Bucky Barnes…but he should) and “Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet.” “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist” are expected to begin production in 2016 and 2017. “Daredevil” season 2 will be on Netflix on March 18. “Jessica Jones” season 2 is confirmed, but no date has been released.