【Watch The Temptation of Kimono (2009)】

This recap contains spoilers for the finale of Marvel and Watch The Temptation of Kimono (2009)Netflix's The Defenders, so unless you've watched through episode 8, make like Stick and beat it.

For a second there, we thought The Defenders was going to go the way of Batman v Supermanand try to convince us that Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, was actually dead following the collapse of Midland Circle.

Apparently, though, the superhero team-up series didn't want to leave even a moment's doubt before the credits rolled on the finale, revealing a badly bruised and bandaged Matt under the care of a nun in the final scene.

The nun tells someone else to "Get Maggie -- tell her he's awake," and for Daredevil fans, that namedrop is no coincidence; at least in the comic books, Maggie is none other than Maggie Murdock, Matt's long-lost mother, who left her son and husband after struggling with postpartum depression and paranoia in the wake of giving birth, becoming a Catholic nun.

In Marvel Comics canon, Maggie comes back into Matt's orbit during Frank Miller's "Born Again" story arc, nursing him back to health after he's injured during another crusade against the Kingpin, who has found out his secret identity and is seeking to destroy every aspect of his life. While she denies their familial connection at first, Matt's suspicions are revealed after he hears her heartbeat change when she lies to him. Could this easter egg be setting Daredevilup to adapt the "Born Again" plot in Season 3?

To be fair, though, showrunners Marco Ramirez and Doug Petrie didtoy with our expectations a little before spelling things out -- although a little lingering mystery might've been fun.

SEE ALSO: Did you notice the huge Marvel easter egg hiding in 'The Defenders' finale?

After an emotional Karen and Foggy meet at Matt's church to mourn their supposedly lost friend -- despite Karen holding out hope that Matt somehow survived the explosion by admitting, "I can’t shake the feeling, like, it’s not real" -- the action cuts to a shadowy rooftop, with a man silhouetted against the night, watching the city much like Daredevil used to do. For a moment, it seems that Matt is back, until his fist starts glowing, revealing the man to be Danny Rand (womp womp), sporting a green and yellow tracksuit similar to his iconic superhero costume.

That could've been an effective and emotional spot to end on -- implying that Danny had been so inspired by Matt's sacrifice that he intended to take over his comrade's mantle in his own way -- especially if the showrunners then shifted the Matt reveal to the post-credits scene, just to catch fans off-guard.

But nah, the very next scene shows Matt's true whereabouts -- although it doesn't confirm the status of Elektra. That's a question for DaredevilSeason 3, which was announced more than a year ago -- and might explain why the Defenders showrunners (who are also the bosses on Daredevil) didn't bother trying to trick us with a fake death cliffhanger.

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The Defendersfinale didfeature a surprise post-credits sneak peek, but it starred Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, not the embattled Devil of Hell's Kitchen or his paramour.

So Matt Murdock lives to fight another day -- but where does the finale leave the rest of our heroes?

Danny Rand

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Before he starts lurking misleadingly on rooftops in the middle of the night, Colleen finds Danny meditating at her dojo, and he's pretty torn up about Matt's apparent death. He's clearly moved by the other man's sacrifice for his city, and Danny admits that in K'un-Lun, they taught him that "there's a lesson in every tragedy."

The loss of Daredevil has apparently taught Danny to appreciate New York the way Matt does, because the Immortal Iron Fist confides to Colleen, "it's starting to feel like home." Aww.

Luke Cage

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Meanwhile, a visit from Foggy reassures Luke and Claire that the destruction of Midland Circle won't result in any criminal charges -- thank goodness, since Luke's already done more than his fair share of jail time for crimes he didn't commit -- and that as far as the NYPD is concerned, Claire was never at the scene in the first place. Luke and Claire's relationship seems as solid as ever, but that doesn't stop Luke tracking down an old flame to get some closure...

Jessica Jones

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Luke finds Jessica in a bar (natch) on her fourth whiskey of the day. He's come to see how she's holding up, and expresses regret that they didn't handle the circumstances of their breakup differently.

Jessica stops short of vocalizing her apology for keeping her involvement in Luke's wife's death a secret, but her regret is clear, and Luke insists "we have to move forward," especially considering that either of them could've died at Midland Circle. "I just came to say, I'm really, reallyglad it wasn't you," he adds.

SEE ALSO: Kilgrave is back in 'Jessica Jones' season 2, but how?

He tells her to stay in touch, reminding her that they're friends, and she notes that maybe they'll grab a coffee sometime. Since we all know what "coffee" means in Luke's world, he doesn't respond, but does give her a small smile as he leaves. Does that mean there's still hope? We love Claire and Luke together, but NGL, the Luke/Jessica ship is still fully afloat in our hearts.

Later, Jessica heads home to find her neighbor Malcolm patching up the bullet holes in her wall. She's not mad about it, and doesn't disagree when he suggests, "It's almost like you're back in business."

"Yeah, almost," she concedes, pulling the paper off her newly repaired door, complete with its shiny new logo: Alias Investigations. YASSSSSS.

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