When will 'The Defenders' premiere? Netflix releases video — and then deletes it.

Culture

It has been a little over two weeks since Iron Fist dropped on Netflix, and since you have likely already binged the entire first season — or decided to skip it altogether — it is time to look ahead to the series we have all been waiting for: The Defenders. And while we have known for quite a bit of time that the highly anticipated team-up is set to be released sometime over the summer, we now have the official date. 

In a YouTube video, that has since been removed by Netflix, we see elevator footage of Matt Murdock, Luke Cage, Danny Rand and Jessica Jones together. In the upper right hand corner of the footage is a time stamp. When Jessica Jones notices the camera, she destroys it, stopping the time stamp at exactly "08:18:20:17." And just like that, we have our release date. The Defenders will premiere on Netflix on August 18.

The release date has also been noted more explicitly elsewhere. If you go to the website for the fictional newspaper the New York Bulletin, you will notice that on the very bottom of the page it says "Watch Marvel's The Defenders all episodes streaming only on Netflix Aug. 18." And, as noted by users on Twitter, you can also get to the website by plugging the numbers found in the upper left hand corner of the deleted video into your browser (those numbers being: 23.253.120.81). 

Screenshot/YouTube

The Defenders will feature an all-star ensemble that includes Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage and Finn Jones as Danny Rand. Other stars from prior Netflix series that will be reprising their roles include Elodie Yung as Elektra, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing and so many more. 

Sigourney Weaver will be playing Alexandra, a mysterious villain who is obviously dangerous enough that she attracts the attention of the new team of heroes. And while most information regarding The Defenders is being kept under wraps, now that we have an official release date, it shouldn't be long before we also get an official trailer. 

The Defenders will be released on Aug. 18 on Netflix. 

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