There’s a lot of wishing, praying, bitterness, resent, and a cavalcade of complicated emotions for fans of the recently-canceled Marvel shows on Netflix. “Daredevil,” the streaming giant’s most popular show has been dropped, and two lesser-successful shows “Iron Fist,” and “Luke Cage” were deep-sixed earlier this fall (apparently none of the shows were very bingeworthy and didn’t crack Netflix’s top 10 most-watched shows of 2018). There are many wishful thinkers who believe that those beloved actors will just reappear on Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, once Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios—who have taken over Marvel television on that channel—are ready to go.
READ MORE: ‘Daredevil’ Canceled After Season 3 By Netflix
The truth is much more complex and highly unlikely. Moreover, there’s an extra complicated wrinkle to it all. Variety reports that as part of the original Netflix/Marvel deal, a clause in the contracts prevents the characters from the four original shows in that pact from appearing in any non-Netflix series or film for at least two years after cancellation. So, that means, no “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist” or “The Defenders” for that matter on Disney+ until 2020 at the earliest.
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This clause will also apply to “Jessica Jones” when it is (sorry) presumably canceled sometime after its 2019 season three debut, so you won’t be able to see her again until 2021. The contract fate of “The Punisher,” the second season of which debuts January 2019, is unknown because it came later and fell outside of the scope of the original four-series deal (that said, it’s probably the same).
This news may further upset fans, but it really shouldn’t, because as Vincent D’Onofrio (The Kingpin on “Daredevil”) has already noted, “it’s just business.” To that end, the business side of it all means realistically; you’re never going to see the Netflix iterations of those characters on Disney+ regardless. That’s just life.
Feige and Marvel Studios will want to put their distinct mark on the characters and start fresh, and not take leftovers from someone else’s casting decisions, guaranteed. Moreover, it feels unimaginative to think that if every one of those characters could instantly reappear over at Marvel—and they certainly will one day—that they would arrive in the exact same shape and form. Who’s to say Daredevil can’t be introduced through an upcoming Marvel movie or receive his own film? What law is written that says The Defenders has to include Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, especially when the comics had all kinds of different variations of that team throughout the years (just like “The Avengers.”)
It feels very shortsighted and underestimating of Marvel Studios to believe that just because those characters were featured in their own individual series and then a ‘Defenders’ team-up on Netflix, that Feige and co. would present them in the exact same formula.
In fact, I’d argue because the four characters were presented as such, Marvel Studios will do the exact opposite and introduce them in a new configuration that does not feel like a simple regurgitation or continuation of what already happened on Netflix (something Marvel will likely want to disassociate themselves within every capacity).
Marvel was already going to wait and distance themselves and not pop these characters up into a new, but the same series on Disney+ and now we know they have to delay regardless. Furthermore, contracts are such that there’s very little shot that actors like Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, etc. would reprise their roles on Disney+ because they’d literally have to be recast, renegotiate and start over. Plus, you go back to the idea that Disney is reclaiming their characters from Netflix and from a business proposition, you don’t want that continuity; you want to start fresh and have audiences watching these characters on your channel, not theirs. The more different, the better. That seems pretty necessary to me.
Additionally, expect to have to wait regardless. Even if Disney+ could start running a Jessica Jones series tomorrow, they have several shows in the queue already: a Loki series, the Scarlet Witch (possibly with Vision), Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a rumored Hawkeye and protégé limited series and another unconfirmed Rocket and Groot series. It’s very clear they’re focusing on B-characters from the MCU that can’t really support their own movie. This should already tell you something. Marvel is trying out new configurations. Don’t expect the same old same old and if you’re a betting person, do not put a cent on the idea that any of the Netflix actors are returning (though if you’re going to be that foolish, seek me out, I’ll be happy to take those wagers).