One of the Comic-Con surprises this year was an unscheduled advanced screening of the long anticipated pilot for Netflix’s The Defenders. For the few uninitiated out there, that is the “reunion” series based on Marvels’ superhero team that reunites Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Iron Fist (Danny Rand) and Daredevil (Charlie Cox). This bunch of gritty and urban superheroes has each been prowling the streets of Manhattan in their own individual (and darkly existential) Netflix series. Now they join forces to save their beloved New York from an ultimate menace in a storyline in which their worthy adversary is played by Sigourney Weaver.  They all stopped by the HFPA Comic-Con headquarters to talk about the show.

“We all have our own s shows we have our abilities,” said Mike Colter, aka Luke Cage, “but we (they) didn’t know about each other (apart from me and Jessica). Now they’re finding out they’re not alone and its great to have a group of people to identify with – it’s like home base for us.” “Alexandra is a good adversary for them,” added Weaver. “She sees how talented they are even though the whole time she is working work for her side.   It’s certainly great fun to see them in action together.”

A lot of the conversation in the HFPA Comic-Con suite revolved around the realistic urban setting that characterizes this part of the Marvel universe and the role played by the location itself. “As a  New Yorker,” said Sigourney Weaver, “what’s great about the show is how it’s shot in all these actual neighborhoods, like Red Hook and how it captures the essence of the city, the situations people get into,  what’s good and not good about the city.  Most shows don’t even try and just use it as the backdrop. Here (the city) really is a character in the show.”

“What I love about them,” added Weaver, “is they are not superheroes with capes flying around the city, it’s really in the neighborhood, and as a New Yorker  I really love how  believable it is,  especially Hells Kitchen, I mean  it really seems very relevant  to me.” “

I’ve lived in New York for a year and a half,” said British import Finn Jones (Iron Fist). “And what  I love about it is the absolute diversity – and energy that is electric about it”. “NYC is what you make of it,” agreed Colter. “ It’s like a spectrum of the entire world. I had a Über driver who was a Sherpa from Nepal, from Mount Everest but he was driving there. He’s a New Yorker.” “I love that you can just walk outside with no plan or agenda,” said Krysten Ritter, “and something is going to happen to you – good or bad.”

Before they departed for a panel in Hall H we just had time for a lest question: what is Comic-Con for you? “It’s the first reunion for us here after working together on the set,” Finn Jones concluded. “Comic-Con is great for us.”