Marvel's Jessica Jones Will Still Be "Messed Up" in Season 2

Marvel's Netflix shows are easily the darkest in the studio's cinematic and TV universe, and Jessica Jones was as much a disturbing psychological drama as it was a superhero adventure. With Season 2 due in 2018, showrunner Melissa Rosenberg has been speaking about what fans can expect from Jessica's second outing.

In a new interview with Esquire, Rosenberg explained that her time on the acclaimed serial killer drama Dexter will influence her approach to Jessica Jones' second season. "I learned from working on Dexter that you can advance the character, but you never want to cure the character," she said. "With Dexter, the moment he felt guilt or accepted that he was 'bad,' the show's over. He's no longer a sociopath.

"The equivalent for us would be if Jessica somehow recovered from the damage that had been done to her. People don't just heal, you don't go through that just to say, 'Oh, he got arrested, he's in jail, I'm OK now. That trauma is a huge part of who she is now."

"She was kind of messed up even before [season one villain] Kilgrave came along, and so in Season 2 we can explore what's possible for her moving forward."

The character, played by Krysten Ritter, is also set to appear in Netflix's The Defenders, which will team her up with Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Rosenberg revealed that although she is not directly involved with The Defenders, the fact that it will be screened before Jessica Jones Season 2 was influencing what she writes for her show.

"I need to know what they're doing in order to plan for Season 2 of Jessica, and they need to know what we're planning on in turn," she said. "Marvel is very smart and they enjoy collaboration, so there's never one maniac trying to take ownership."

The Defenders is set to hit the streaming service in 2017, with Jessica Jones season 2 due in 2018.