Netflix has cancelled Marvel's Daredevil, and fans are raising hell.
The streaming giant announced the cancellation late Thursday, after it pulled the plug on fellow Marvel-Netflix series Iron Fist and Luke Cage just one week apart in October.
"Marvel's Daredevil will not return for a fourth season on Netflix," read Netflix's statement published through Deadline.
"We are tremendously proud of the show's last and final season and although it's painful for the fans, we feel it best to close this chapter on a high note. We're thankful to showrunner Erik Oleson, the show's writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox as Daredevil himself, and we're grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years. 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 issued similar statements when announcing the abrupt cancellations of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, noting Danny Rand (Finn Jones) and the bulletproof Harlem hero (Mike Colter) would resurface elsewhere in "future projects" set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The unexpected cancellation could be tied to Disney+, Disney's premiere streaming service launching in late 2019. The company announced earlier this month it will launch a big-budget series centered around Loki (Tom Hiddleston), following news it was eyeing a series to star Avengers' Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany).
Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb previously told EW "the television studio will always be beholden to our networks," a statement backed by Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, who told The Insider Marvel's Netflix shows "are for us to cancel."
In that same interview with EW, Loeb revealed Marvel had "an idea" for at least three more seasons of Daredevil.
Earlier this month, data analysis from analytics firm Jumpshot noted Daredevil could be at risk of cancellation after the fan-favorite and critically acclaimed series saw a 57 percent drop between its second and third seasons in first week views. Netflix does not publicly release its viewership numbers, leaving Daredevil's exact performance undetermined.
Daredevil Season Three showrunner Erik Oleson previously told ComicBook.com he was "hopeful" to return for a fourth season, answering "hell yes" when asked if he was eager to have another go at the horn-headed superhero.
Marvel fans were left incensed by Netflix in September when the company altered its designated Facebook page for limited series The Defenders "NX," a geek-friendly division of genre content — a move that signalled an end to future episodes of the crossover event series.
Following the cuts of Defenders, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and now Daredevil, Netflix has just two Marvel series remaining: Jessica Jones and The Punisher, both developing their third and second seasons, respectively.
If Jones and Punisher are next to be axed, Netflix isn't likely to announce those cancellations before those seasons have had a chance to premiere. Such a move would negatively affect viewership as audiences are less likely to tune into an already-cancelled series.
Netflix has yet to declare a debut date for both series.