The Marvel-Netflix era came to an end today with the cancellations of The Punisher and Jessica Jones, but there may be hope yet for fans of The Defenders.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Marvel Television president Jeph Loeb penned a letter to Marvel fans following the cancellation. The letter looked back on what Marvel Television accomplished on Netflix and thanked fans for their support.
Towards the end of the letter, Loeb hinted that Marvel isn’t done with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and the Punisher just yet.
“Our Network partner may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters… but you know Marvel better than that,” Loeb wrote, throwing some shade at Netflix for its decisions. “As Matthew Murdock’s Dad once said, ‘The measure of a man is not how he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how he gets back up.’
“To be continued…!”
It sounds like Loeb isn’t giving up on the Defenders yet. There have been rumors and speculation that the heroes could be revived on Hulu or Disney+, though that can’t happen for at least two years.
In a recent interview, Loeb made it clear that the Netflix shows were not canceled because they were underperforming, saying that the decision was entirely Netflix’s.
“In the Netflix situations, that was a situation where the network made a decision and we had nothing to say about it,” Loeb said.
When all is said and done, Marvel will have produced five ongoing show and one miniseries for Netflix. Daredevil and Jessica Jones each ran for three seasons. Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher (a spinoff of Daredevil) each ran for two seasons. The Defenders united the original four Marvel series for a single season crossover event.
Marvel Television is now moving ahead with new projects at Hulu. Netflix’s rival streaming service is already the home of Marvel’s Runaways. It will soon play host to four new Marvel animated comedies – MODOK, Howard the Duck, The Tigra and Dazzler Show, and Hit-Monkey – that will crossover in a special called The Offenders. Cloak and Dagger will also continue on Freeform. Marvel Television is also involved with Fox’s X-Men television shows. Legion will end after its third season. The Gifted is now in its second season.
Do you think the Netflix heroes still have a future? Let us know what you think about it in the comments section!
