The Netflix Marvel shows were planned to last much longer than they did, and as such, they set up a great number of things that they never got the chance to pay off. From storylines to relationships, the shows feel very incomplete, particularly because of what could have been. One of the ideas that still has a lot of acceptance – and support – among fans is the possibility of a Daughters of the Dragon team-up.
The Daughters of the Dragon are Colleen Wing and Misty Knight. They first appeared as a duo in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #3 in January 1997, after both characters had already appeared in Iron Fist comics. In the Netflix Marvel universe, Misty was a recurring character in both seasons of Luke Cage, while Colleen was co-lead to Danny Rand’s Iron Fist in the Iron Fist TV series. Interestingly, in the last few moments of season 2 of the show, which would end up being its last one, Colleen had become the new Iron Fist and already seemed to be doing a much better job than her predecessor.
Misty and Colleen were already friends in the continuity established in the Netflix TV shows, and progressing to a point where the two could have become a crime-fighting duo didn’t seem like much of a stretch. In fact, it’s easy to imagine that if Iron Fist had gotten a season 3, the show would have followed Colleen’s adventures as the Iron Fist, and that would have included some sort of team-up with Misty. Their final conversation in Iron Fist even appeared to be foreshadowing this future team up – and even if Colleen didn’t retain the Iron Fist powers going forward, the two would have probably been working together. This especially works out as the leading men in both series they were featured, Luke Cage and Danny Rand, are famous in the comics for working together.
Of the five Netflix Marvel shows, Luke Cage and Iron Fist seemed like the two that could have easily transitioned out of the format they were originally introduced and into something different. Perhaps that would have been a Heroes for Hire series and a separate Daughters of the Dragon show. With the universe done, fans will never know what the plans were, but the possibilities remain open. And though there’s very little to no interest in seeing Danny Rand again, even paired up with Luke Cage, most everyone would love some version of Daughters of the Dragon.
This is particularly true considering that the MCU doesn’t exactly have a wealth of all-female team-ups, and one with a dynamic quite like Misty and Colleen have, that of equals. Nebula and Gamora are sisters, and their relationship throughout the movies they’ve appeared in has been, so far, mostly antagonistic. The Dora Milaje is a well-oiled machine, and Disney+ is set to move forward on a series set around them. Ms. Marvel and The Marvels promises to explore the relationship between Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel, but that’s set to be more of a mentor/mentee relationship. And the A-Force is but a dream that fans hope one day could become a reality.
Daughters of the Dragon, meanwhile, is a reality. The setup has already been done. The characters are already known by a great number of people. The actresses have been cast. All Marvel would need is to find a way to integrate the continuity of the Netflix Marvel shows into the MCU. With rumors that Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock would make an appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and a continued fan push to bring Frank Castle back, the Daughters of the Dragon present another intriguing reason why the world established in the Marvel Netflix series should be folded into the existing continuity.
It shouldn’t even be that hard, considering the multiverse is now a thing in the Marvel universe, thanks to the Loki finale. Perhaps the easiest way to introduce the Netflix Marvel universe would be in a What If…? episode. Or perhaps Spider-Man: No Way Home is going to merge a few worlds in a way that allows these characters to enter the continuity. Either way, there’s a lot from the shared universe established in the Netflix shows Marvel would be smart to take advantage of.
There’s Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s romance, which, if Marvel wants to get creative, could even mean a possible future appearance by Danielle Cage, Luke and Jessica’s daughter, who in the future dons the mantle of Captain America. There’s the Heroes for Hire team-up. There’s the more grounded storyline of The Punisher, and his possible romance with Karen Page. There’s both Matt Murdock the lawyer, and Daredevil the vigilante. There’s the possibility of bringing them all together, like The Defenders did. And, of course, there’s Daughters of the Dragon, which all things considered, should really be near the top of Marvel’s list.