Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Marquez have been working at the forefront of the Marvel Universe in the past couple years, first establishing a new status quo for Tony Stark in Invincible Iron Man and then tearing the Avengers down the middle in Civil War II. For their next collaboration, Bendis and Marquez are delivering a new take on the Defenders , one that clearly shares a few things in common with the upcoming Netflix show.

Get a Sneak Peek Inside Marvel's Defenders Comic 9 IMAGES

1. The Idea Started Years Ago.

2. Blade and The Punisher Are Showing Up.

3. The FCBD Special Is Important.

4. Bendis Is Getting Reacquainted With Daredevil.

5. The Tone Is Darker and More Grounded.

Marvel held one of their "Next Big Thing" press calls on Tuesday to shed more light on the new Defenders comic. Both Bendis and Marquez were in attendance, as was Executive Editor Tom Brevoort. Check out this preview art Marvel provided, and then scroll down to find out what was revealed during the call and why fans shouldn't assume this book is a simple cash-in on the Netflix series.With the team roster being what it is in this series, there's no denying the fact that Defenders is banking on the excitement for Netflix's upcoming Defenders TV series. But Bendis reminded those on the call that he actually set the stage for this series way back in his New Avengers run. All four main characters were included in New Avengers Vol. 2, and the series ended in 2012 with a tease for a potential Heroes for Hire spinoff. Five years later, Defenders is basically making good on that promise, albeit with a different team name.“This idea, and these characters, and how they’re going to interact and what they’re going to do was always the plan, way before the Netflix deal,” Bendis said.We asked Bendis and Marquez if they were drawing any specific inspiration from the Netflix shows for this series, and both noted that they have been influenced by the cinematography and use of color. Marquez said, "We’re taking some of the things that were done well on the show - they shoot the city beautifully, they have amazing use of color - and we’re adding those things if they improve the quality of the book." But in terms of plot and characterization, it sounds like the Defenders comic is very much its own beast.Another key difference between Defenders the comic and Defenders the TV series is that the former has far more options when it comes to reflecting the larger Marvel Universe. Brevoort confirmed early on that Punisher will be entering the picture in issue #3 (albeit in an unexpected role), and Blade and Doctor Strange were both name-dropped as other popular heroes who will be making early guest appearances.Bendis also confirmed that Night Nurse will play a role in the series, as the new team will be in regular need of medical attention. The creators even teased an eventual confrontation between the new Defenders and members of the original team, who won't be overly thrilled at the idea of the "Defenders" name being co-opted."We’re going to really open up the streets and have a lot of people come in," Bendis said. "The four are the base, but there will be members that come in and out, hopefully in an organic way.”Readers will be getting their first real taste of the new series this weekend thanks to Free Comic Book Day. One of Marvel's two FCBD releases is an All-New Guardians of the Galaxy/Defenders special. The latter story will introduce the Defenders' main enemy, someone whom Bendis promises "is connected very personally to one of the four."This villain's debut will apparently cause the hero to reevaluate the role they play in protecting the Marvel Universe and bring the rest of the Defenders together for the first time.One of the more interesting challenges with The Defenders is the fact that Bendis has written all four main characters extensively in the past. He's left a particularly long-lasting mark on Jessica Jones and Daredevil, having co-created the former and basically redefined the latter with his early 2000's run.How does Bendis go about reconnecting with these characters again? The writer revealed that his strategy basically boils down to pretending he's never written them before and starting fresh rather than dwelling on his past stories. He noted a strong admiration for Charles Soule's current Daredevil run before jokingly suggesting that he plans to undo all of Soule's hard work in restoring DD's secret identity.“This is one of the great joys of staying at the company, " Bendis said. "You can leave Jessica for a few years, come back and the character is still reacting to the world around her, and the Marvel Universe has shifted so much. It’s all worth exploring. I’m writing all-new material about these characters that I love so much. Because they’re in a different place in their lives, it feels brand new to me.”The phrase "street-level" came up several times during the call, and that seems to sum up the approach Bendis and Marquez are taking with this book. The Defenders are very much a grounded, street-level alternative to the Avengers, and they'll have a very love/hate relationship with the ordinary citizens of the Marvel Universe.That grounded approach extends to the art, with both creators striving to paint a realistic portrait of New York City. "These feel like real places, and sometimes they are real places," Bendis said. "The characters are really reacting to each other. They’re reacting to the world around them. David and I spend a great deal of time talking about the city as a character and making sure they react to the city in a human way.”Bendis also hinted that he'll be offering a very different take on organized crime in the Marvel Universe, one that reflects the changes real-world organizations have experienced in the aftermath of 9/11.Marquez made it clear that fans should expect a very different visual approach to this series compared to past Bendis collaborations like Civil War II and Invincible Iron Man. The series was described as an evolution of Marquez's gritty, Jefferson Davis-focused issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, which had a much stronger noir flavor. Brevoort said that fans will see a clear influence from classic Daredevil/Elektra artist Bill Sienciewicz, while Marquez also noted that he was inspired by recent DD artists like Chris Samnee and Paolo Rivera.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter , or Kicksplode on MyIGN