Although Netflix-Marvel hasn’t given Jessica Jones Season 2 an official release date, Krysten Ritter revealed last week that the series will actually film back-to-back with The Defenders in late-2016 to early 2017. If that’s the case, she’s going to be extremely busy, considering Jessica Jones’ major role in both series. However, showrunner Melissa Rosenberg caught up with Nerdist (via ComicBook.com ) and teased Ritter may actually have a few days off this season.
"You have to earn secondary character stories. You have to flesh them out enough so they can eventually carry stories of their own, which is very much what season one was about."
It’s a safe bet we know who Rosenberg is speaking of when she says, “carry stories of their own.” Season 1 spent a lot of time developing Trish Walker and Officer Will Simpson’s storylines. Now that Kilgrave is taken care of, Jessica Jones Season 2 will need a new villain. Can’t get much more insane than Nuke. Named Frank Simpson instead of ‘Will’ in the comics, the pill-popping vet became more violent and villainous with each episode.
After Jessica Jones saved him from Kilgrave’s mind control, Will is out for revenge. He contacts his old military unit for experimental drugs to combat Kilgrave’s powers. He comes obsessed, and the side effects make him go manic. He turns against Jessica and Trish because he doesn’t believe they have what it takes to follow through and kill Kilgrave. Trish is able to stop him, but he’s swiftly taken away by secret military organization called ‘IGH.’ This is the group that makes the super-soldier pills, and also the secret organization that covered Jessica’s medical bills after the car crash that killed her family.
The aftermath of Kilgrave will likely leave an already emotionally fragile Jessica even more mentally unstable. This is where Trish comes in. Jessica’s going to need some serious help, and Rosenberg’s hoping she won’t have to be in every scene. Rosenberg’s comments suggest we’ll be seeing Hellcat, Trish’s superhero alias. In live-action, Trish isn’t known to have mystical powers like she does in the comics where she’s known to sense spiritual energy and can create a force field to deflect mystical attacks. This isn’t to say she won’t somehow acquire new abilities in Season 2. She is a trained martial artist in both universes. Trish (aka Patsy Walker) urged Jessica to use her powers to do good and helped take down Killgrave in Season 1.
Hellcat and Nuke having larger roles doesn't come as too much of a surprise. Rosenberg recently gave Deadline a few hints on new story arcs last month and said she’d like to expand on the current cast, particularly Trish.
“[Trish] is one of the characters that I’m looking forward to exploring, and pushing to new territory, and the world is our oyster on that one. We can go anywhere we want with it and there’s a lot of mythology behind her.”
Jessica Jones Season 2 has no release date. Look out for Jessica Jones in Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix September 30, then Iron Fist at an unspecified date shortly thereafter. Jessica Jones Season 2 will likely come after The Defenders mini-series where Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist will form an alliance.
