Netflix Hints 'Daredevil' Will "Live on in Future Projects" Despite Cancellation

12/06/2018 11:48 am EST

The new season of Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix was praised by fans and critics alike, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to warrant the continued adventures of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

The streaming service announced Daredevil has been cancelled less than two months after the third season debuted, squashing all hopes of Season 4 and casting more uncertainty on Marvel Television's future. But the statement also provided a glimmer of hope, as Netflix said Daredevil will appear in future Marvel projects.

"While the series on Netflix has ended, the three existing seasons will remain on the service for years to come, while the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel," Netflix said to Deadline.

Marvel Television and Netflix still have seasons of The Punisher and Jessica Jones in the pipeline, but those shows will likely suffer the same fates as Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Daredevil.

Of course, with the cancellation of Marvel's flagship series, it's very doubtful that Charlie Cox will appear as Matt Murdock in a future Netflix show — but that doesn't mean he won't show up elsewhere. Marvel Television still has relationships with Disney-owned networks like ABC and Freeform, as well as the partially-owned streaming service Hulu.

There's a chance that these series or characters could show up in other Marvel TV series, like Agents of SHIELD, or they could be revived with slightly smaller budgets on Hulu.

Netflix's decision to cancel these series is interesting, especially a popular show like Daredevil, with the knowledge that Disney is launching its own streaming service. The timing of it makes it seem like Netflix's cancellations are in response to Disney+ launching, though that's not been explicitly stated.

Some people have presumed that Marvel Television has plans to take these series to Disney+, but that seems unlikely. The new streaming service will be a family-friendly affair, and the Marvel Netflix series so far have been decidedly more adult oriented.

There's also the fact that Disney+ is launching new series from Marvel Studios; the movie side of Marvel is a different company than Marvel Television, which is part of the reason why TV events are not reflected on the big screen.

Marvel Television will likely continue shopping series to Disney-owned networks like ABC and Freeform, where Agents of SHIELD and Cloak & Dagger are respectively broadcasted. With Disney's purchase of Fox assets, they will gain a larger ownership stake in Hulu; this could be another option for Marvel TV's mature series, as Hulu already airs Runaways.

Either way, despite Netflix saying that Daredevil will appear in future Marvel projects, it seems unlikely that we'll see more Marvel shows on the streaming service after Jessica Jones Season 3 premieres next year.

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