Marvel's The Defenders features established LGBTQ+ characters like Jeri Hogarth and Malcolm Ducasse in supporting roles. While their identities are present, they are not central to the show's plot or themes. The portrayal is incidental, neither uplifting nor denigrating, as their sexuality is acknowledged but not explored or highlighted within this specific series.

The show features multiple female characters who engage in and win close-quarters physical combat against male opponents. Colleen Wing uses martial arts and a katana, while Jessica Jones utilizes her enhanced strength to defeat groups of male adversaries.

The character Jeri Hogarth, a prominent lawyer, is portrayed as female in the series. In the Marvel Comics source material, the character Jeryn Hogarth was male, constituting a gender swap.

Elektra Natchios, canonically established as Greek (white) in the source material, is portrayed by an actress of French and Cambodian descent, representing a shift in broader racial category.

Through Danny Rand's training in K'un-Lun, the film depicts Eastern mystical traditions, heavily influenced by Buddhist principles of discipline, chi, and spiritual balance, as a source of power and enlightenment. These practices are presented as legitimate and beneficial, contrasting with the corrupt mysticism of the antagonists.

The film portrays Matt Murdock's Catholicism as a fundamental aspect of his character, providing a moral compass and a source of internal conflict. While he struggles with his actions, his faith itself is treated with respect and as a legitimate, guiding force.