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Sigourney Weaver will play the villain in Marvel’s Netflix series ‘The Defenders’

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Marvel's The Defenders | NYCC Surprise | Netflix
Fans at the 2016 New York Comic Con were treated to a surprise during the Iron Fist panel, as Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Matt Murdock/Daredevil were brought together on one stage for the first time with their partner Danny Rand/Iron Fist.

Mike Colter, Krysten Ritter, Charlie Cox, and Finn Jones will star in The Defenders miniseries on Netflix. The Verge reported that Jeph Joeb, executive vice president of Marvel Television announced the gang before bringing out yet another surprise in the form of a villain.

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“We’ve not told you who the villain of the Defenders is,” Loeb said in a video uploaded by Netflix, which elicited boos from the crowd. “And the reason is for that,” Loeb continued, “is because we needed to find somebody that could take on all these guys. She doesn’t require any introduction anywhere she goes in the world. She’ll be joining The Defenders cast. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce Miss Sigourney Weaver.”

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Weaver came out onstage and hugged her future cast-mates as the audience went wild.

Fans have been waiting for a long time to see who will be the antagonist in the new series, which brings together stars from some of television’s most popular superhero shows. There is no set release date for The Defenders, though we know it will be sometime in 2017. It is rumored that it will be an eight-episode miniseries.

Marvel’s Iron Fist is set to premiere next year on Friday, March 17, with a 13-episode first season. It will be joining the collection of Marvel shows that are already streaming: DaredevilJessica Jones, and the new smash hit Luke Cage.

The Punisher, another solo series from Marvel, has commenced filming in New York City but does not yet have a premiere date. Jon Bernthal stars as the titular character.

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