First, it was Iron Fist. Then Luke Cage. Now, it appears that no Marvel show is safe, as Netflix has just announced it is cancelling Daredevil, arguably the most popular of these shows, after a mere three seasons.
Why are these shows being cancelled? Netflix has done a good job with these Marvel characters. All seasons of Luke Cage and Daredevil were Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Even Iron Fist, which always fared poorly with critics, managed to improve between its first and second season by enhancing its fight scenes and pacing.
Despite their quality, the shows seemed to have lost a proportion of followers. Season 3 of Daredevil lost over half of their viewers when compared with Season 2. Luke Cage and Iron Fist’s viewership also declined. While both shows attracted a large audience for their first seasons, their second seasons had half the amount of viewers.
Yet, there is likely a larger reason these shows are being taken on the chopping block. Disney, the owner of Marvel Studios, is starting their own streaming service called Disney+. Disney has already announced that they plan on pulling all their movie franchises, including Marvel and Star Wars, from Netflix which leaves many fans speculating that these recent cancellations are Disney’s attempt to pry their characters from Netflix. Perhaps Disney is trying to consolidate their MCU heroes into their streaming service (keep in mind that all the Netflix heroes were confirmed members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that Disney+ plans to have MCU characters star in their own TV shows.)
There does seem to be potential that Daredevil will reappear in some sort of television or movie, as Netflix did say that Marvel does have future plans for the character. With Disney ending many of its partnerships, it is safe to assume that if Daredevil does reappear, it will be through one of Disney’s ever-expanding platforms.
Jessica Jones and The Punisher have not been cancelled yet and are both on track to release one more season (and both will likely be cancelled after that.) Keep in mind that while the Marvel Netflix shows may be no more, there are still plenty of Marvel shows to be released. Earlier this month, Disney confirmed that a TV show featuring Loki will be released on their streaming service. Hulu is still moving forward with Runaways, to be released in late December (see trailer below.)
Featured Image Via MovieHole.
