Pop culture history: Carol Danvers would've made her debut with Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones will turn a decade old this November. Starring Krysten Ritter as the titular hero, this Netflix series was the second show in Netflix's MCU. Jessica Jones is about a devil-may-care alcoholic PI (private investigator) who possesses super strength. She is haunted by her encounter with Kevin Thompson/Kilgrave, played by actor David Tennant.

This Netflix series was being showrun by Melissa Rosenberg, who had written all the films of the Twilight franchise. Rosenberg was working on a series headlined by Jessica Jones since 2010, when it was under development at ABC. It remains unknown if that version of the series was as linked to the MCU as the version that finally came out.

However, the original draft of Jessica Jones featured Carol Danvers as Jessica's best friend, a role that ended up being filled by the character of Patricia 'Trish' Walker, played by actress Rachael Taylor. This was revealed by showrunner Melissa Rosenberg in a November 19, 2025, interview with IGN.

What did Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg say?

Rosenberg, during a promotional event for Jessica Jones Season 1, spoke with IGN. In the interview, the showrunner touched upon the original version of the show featuring Carol Danvers as one of the characters of the series. This is not surprising, considering Carol Danvers and Jessica collaborate frequently in the pages of Marvel Comics. Rosenberg's exact words were:

"Back when it was at ABC Network, I did use Carol Danvers. But between then and when it ended up on Netflix, you know, the MCU shifted, and it also shifted away from the universe in the [comic] book. So in the book, the powers are very out in the open and the themes of that are about ‘the other,’ and in the cinematic universe that’s not the mythology. So there was a lot that I had to move away from, just in terms of sheer plot, and Carol Danvers got her own movie."

While Rosenberg said these words back in 2015, the movie Captain Marvel was ultimately released in March 2019, almost four years after her comments. The showrunner then discussed the character that replaced Danvers in the Jessica Jones show:

"But as it turned out, Patsy Walker ended up being an incredibly — a much more appropriate fit with Jessica. It was better that her best friend was not someone with powers. It actually ends up being a really great mirror for her."

While it would've been great to see Carol Danvers and Jessica appear together, like in the comics, Trish Walker, who would go on to take up her comic book moniker of Hellcat, fit the series way too well. The third season of Jessica Jones set her up on a much more reflective note as she was more of an antagonist and imprisoned at The Raft, the same prison where Thunderbolt Ross is imprisoned.

What happened after Season 3?

However, we couldn't see more of Jessica Jones, as Netflix cancelled the series owing to rights issues. However, the return of Charlie Cox in Spider-Man: No Way Home hinted at the canonicity of the Netflix Marvel Universe. This was further confirmed when Daredevil: Born Again contained references to the previous three seasons of Daredevil, the Netflix series.

This should also include the events of The Defenders, in which Matt Murdock teamed up with other Netflix Marvel heroes like Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones. But, as of now, nothing is official as far as Krysten Ritter or other actors from the Netflix Marvel Universe are concerned. However, Brad Winderbaum, the Head of Streaming at Marvel Studios, confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the return of the Defenders is something that Marvel is toying with, saying:

“I can't say much, but I'll tell you that it's so exciting to be able to play in that sandbox. Obviously we don't have the unlimited storytelling resources like a comic book. If you can draw it, you can do it. It's dealing with actors and time and the massive scale of production in order to build a cinematic universe, especially on television. But I can just say that all those variables taken into account, it is certainly something that is creatively extremely exciting and that we are very much exploring."

So, Jessica's potential return might have her team up with Captain Marvel.

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