Daredevil Cancelled on Netflix But His Story Might Not Be Over
Netflix broke the news that Marvel’s Daredevil starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio will not be getting a fourth season on the streaming giant, effectively cancelling the show.
And with that it joins the unsung heroes for hire Luke Cage and Iron Fist with their cancellations being announced just months ago. Which is interesting because fans of the Netflix show were doing all they could to keep the show going for more seasons on the streaming platform. There were reddit threads doing their utmost to message Netflix to keep the show. We had twitter hashtags for #RenewDaredevil. There were even suggestions for Netflix that people filled in specifically to keep Daredevil going for another season.
**Warning spoilers ahead for Daredevil season 3**
Destiny Still Arrives
“Marvel’s Daredevil will not return for a fourth season on Netflix. 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 our partners at Marvel, showrunner Erik Oleson, the show’s writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox and Daredevil himself, and we’re grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years,” reads Netflix’s official statement concerning the cancellation of the show.
It sounds like a copy and paste of the announcements they made for Luke Cage and Iron Fist, doesn’t it?
Yet what took place late last week was an affront to all of those efforts. Yes, even I saw there was a potential in introducing an adamantium spined Bullseye. It was speculated that Vanessa would eventually take on the role of Kingpin in her husband’s absence. This as a ceremonious passing of the Kingpin’s jacket to Vanessa, to both protect her from Bullseye and to symbolically pass on the mantle of crime boss of Hell’s Kitchen. Heck, with Dr. Oyama being introduced, perhaps this was an open door for Lady Deathstrike, Wolverine, the Weapon X Program, and the X-Men?
No, not really.
I believe the writing was on the wall for these shows when there was no planned Defenders sequel. There were other indicators such as the enormous amount Netflix paid to produce these shows within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there was no real tie-in made other than a few small references here and there. Not to mention Netflix has been making their own major moves bringing in new and original content and IPs. They recently bought Mark Millar’s Millarworld and are planning to adapt a number of his comics into live-action as well as produce new, original comic books. The move also seems to be in response to Disney’s planned streaming service, Disney+ which will launch its own Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows with the first confirmed to be about Loki. Not only that, but Disney is pulling their films from Netflix when their deal expires.
The landscape for the streaming service has changed, and they don’t need the Marvel franchise shows to bolster their platform. Even though many of us had Netflix subscriptions after seeing a clip from Daredevil’s first hallway fight, the streaming giant has acquired a number of original programming since then.
They hadn’t been promoting season three of Daredevil as much as the first two seasons. I remember only getting a few notifications and a couple of posters about letting the devil out. This is in stark contrast to the season 2 hype with the Punisher joining the show and everyone talking about the show directly adapting from the Punisher vs. Daredevil storyline specifically the epic scene where Matt Murdock as Daredevil is chained up on the roof and has to choose between shooting Punisher or shooting a nefarious felon.
The Last of Us
That leaves the audience with a looming sense of doom for Jessica Jones season 3 and the Punisher season 2. For season 2 of Punisher, the principle photography has already wrapped. Jessica Jones is still filming. However, the showrunner for that show, Melissa Rosenberg, is leaving after this season. So the end of her involvement in the show might also be the end of the show itself.
With Punisher, there is some notable speculation that it might be safe from the same fates the other shows suffered. Mostly because it wasn’t part of the Defenders package that Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil were part of.
Daredevil down, but not out
There is some hope for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen to return as both Netflix and Marvel hinted his story wasn’t over. Netflix ended their announcement with this:
“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.”
And Marvel hinted at a future with Daredevil in its projects with this:
“We look forward to more adventures with the Man without Fear in the future.”
Then we have a tweet from the Daredevil twitter account after the news of its cancellation on Netflix:
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) November 30, 2018
It’s unclear what exactly this means. It could mean it’s an Easter Egg as to what could have been. But one thing’s for sure is that it has thrown both fans and the comic book community into a frenzy about what it could mean for the future of the character.
But what might give fans the greatest hope for the continuation of Daredevil’s story is Kingpin actor Vincent D’Onorfrio’s response to the show being cancelled.
.@Daredevil @netflix canceled. Yet Daredevil is still out there blood stained high up poised in the moonlight. Movement below him on the street. A flash of white moving through the sea of darkness Hell’s Kitchen. This image folds into a black suburban screeching into the night. pic.twitter.com/w4zhLwPLse
— Vincent D’Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) November 30, 2018
And Let the Speculation Begin
It has already begun, but what are your thoughts about what this all means for the Man without Fear? Do you think he’ll have a future series on the Disney+ streaming service? Or will the mature content be more a flavor for the Hulu streaming service, also owned by Disney?
And what about some of the cast of the show reappearing for other future endeavors? Will Kingpin/Vincent D’Onofrio show up for another show or even film, reprising his Wilson Fisk character in a showdown with Spider-Man? How about Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil?
Let us know what you think in the comments below! Or let’s have the conversation on social media!
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