Friday was a big day for Netflix and Marvel with the 12 a.m. release of the third season of their flagship series, “Daredevil.” But the mood was soured somewhat when it was announced before the day had even ended that “Luke Cage” would not be returning for a third season.
That’s huge news, since Luke and Iron Fist make up half of Marvel and Netflix’s ambitious attempt to do on the small screen with “The Defenders” what it did on the big one with “The Avengers.” And it leaves me wondering a lot about the future — and fate — of the Netflix corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
First, there’s the matter of timing — the frankly wild decision to make this announcement on the launch day for “Daredevil” season 3.
It’s been four months since the second season of “Luke Cage” came out. Marvel and Netflix have had since June to make a decision about the show, but waited until this exact moment to tell everybody. They could have waited another week. They could have announced it in tandem with the “Iron Fist” news. Instead they chose to cancel “Luke Cage” not only on launch day, but at a time in the evening when many people on the East Coast were probably just settling in to watch “Daredevil.”
And that’s not even taking into account that it took less than half that long for “Iron Fist” to get the axe after its second season
Creative differences with who? Probably not showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, since Netflix and Marvel have had no problems liberally changing showrunners on other Marvel shows. “Daredevil” is already on its fourth showrunner with Season 3 boss Eric Oleson, and “Iron Fist” swapped in Raven Metzner for its second (and now final) season. That at least implies that the conflict here was between Marvel and Netflix rather than “Luke Cage” creatives.
And third, there’s the statement Netflix and Marvel made about the “Luke Cage” cancellation.
When “Iron Fist” was canceled, the announcement offered the rosy promise that “While the series on Netflix has ended, the immortal Iron Fist will live on.” I assumed that meant Marvel and Netflix were hinting at the possibility of a new phase of this TVverse focused on team-up concepts like “Daughters of the Dragon” with Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and Misty Knight (Simone Missick), and “Heroes for Hire” with Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand (Finn Jones).
Likewise, my first impulse when I heard the “Luke Cage” news was that they definitely must be moving in that direction. But there was no similar assurance accompanying that announcement that Luke and friends will stick around in this universe in some capacity. Just thanks to the fans for their support.
Was it strictly a ratings issue? Impossible to say, as Netflix famously doesn’t make member viewership numbers public. I personally can’t help but think this has something to do with Disney’s own streaming service getting ready to start up next year. Especially with talk of Scarlet Witch and Loki series for that new service. Maybe Disney wants to end this collaboration with Netflix and try again with their own thing. Maybe it intends to carry these shows over to that service.
Of course, Disney/Marvel could just as easily be eyeing a gradual fresh start, especially since the Netflix corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been increasingly distant from the movies. Most notably, Thanos’ finger snap has had no affect on any of the shows that came out after he wiped out half the universe. It wouldn’t be impossible to simply roll out completely new versions of these characters and make like their Netflix versions don’t share the same universe.
Of course there’s a lot we don’t know and may never know. Representatives for Marvel Television and Netflix didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap. The only thing we know for sure is that we’ve got too many questions right now, and no real answers.
For what it’s worth, “Daredevil” in season 3 is easily the best that show has ever been, so it’s totally worth watching in the meantime, even if you’re worrying about the future of the Netflix Marvel-verse. And that’s all I really know about all this right now.
Every Marvel Comics Live-Action TV Show Ranked, from 'Incredible Hulk' to 'Daredevil'
The recent high-profile shows on Netflix, ABC and FX aren't the first ones Marvel has taken to the small screen. Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Blade and even knock-off-ish X-Men had a go before the current golden age. Here are all the Marvel shows, ranked from goofiest pajama costumes to best character-driven dramas.
18. “The Amazing Spider-Man” (1977-79) A 1977 attempt at a live-action “Spider-Man” is a fun throwback -- but in a purely ironic way because Peter Parker’s wall-crawling "special effects" are pretty cringe-worthy. Watching Spider-Man fight guys using extremely hokey choreography gives the whole thing a pretty goofy vibe.
17. “Spidey Super Stories” (1974-77) Spider-Man takes on some super-boring villains. He goes up against The Prankster (a school principal who keeps pranking his students) and The Spoiler (who just likes to everyday things for people) in these goofy sketches in PBS’ “The Electric Company.” Worth a few minutes of watching on YouTube.
16. "Mutant X" (2001-04) Delightfully 2001 in every way, the syndicated “Mutant X” is the knock-off "X-Men" TV show with a low budget a lot of people probably wanted. With obviously pulled punches and early CGI, “Mutant X” scratches an itch for a brand of superhero show that’s completely rooted in the world of 20 years ago.
15. "The Inhumans" (2017-current)
Nobody seemed able to get over bad wigs and CGI of "The Inhumans" when it first started, and the show didn't improve much from there. Thin plots and boring characters make this the least interesting of all the modern Marvel shows.
14. “Blade: The Series” (2006) Spike TV took the successful “Blade” movies and made a TV show. It’s a decent precursor to the grittier Marvel takes that would later show up on Netflix. Violent, blood-splattered vampire hunting couldn’t hold an audience in 2006, though.
13. “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (2013-current) For much of its run, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has been more or less answering the question, “Hey, what are the normal people up to?” That can be pretty engaging, although keeping the show up with the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity on a budget sometimes reigns it in.
12. "The Defenders" (2017) After four separate, individual series, Netflix and Marvel unite Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage and the Iron Fist to save New York in "The Defenders." The culmination of several series' stories and the combination of all four different personalities makes "The Defenders" a lot of fun, but the short series winds up confusing and a bit anti-climactic in its final few episodes.
11. "The Incredible Hulk" (1977-82) Green Lou Ferrigno helped carry “The Incredible Hulk” through five seasons. The formula of David Banner wandering around America, getting into adventures and helping people, is pretty standard for TV. But there’s plenty of wrong-doers to trigger the Hulk’s rage and get him involved — for justice.
10. “Spider-Man” (1978-79)
A pretty deep departure from the Marvel Comics stories, the Japanese take on “Spider-Man” is worth a look just for the way Spider-man pushes a button on a bracelet that shoots out his suit. This version fully understands to folly of trying to make a serious Spider-Man thing in the '70s and goes gleefully the other way with plenty of self-awareness.
9. "The Runaways" (2017-current)
Hulu's first Marvel offering takes a different tack than its other shows. Focusing on a diverse group of teenagers, it's much more about a mystery concerning the parents -- who might, in fact, be evil -- than a bunch of people punching each other.
8. “Agent Carter” (2015-16)
TV gives Marvel the chance to dig into smaller side stories adjacent to its movies. “Agent Carter” takes that idea to its logical extent, turning out a period show led by a woman and Captain America pal. It gets to explore minor characters pretty intimately, while adding depth to the world when it comes time to turn on an “Avengers” movie.
7. "The Gifted" (2017-present)
Spinning off from the realm of "The X-Men," "The Gifted" starts out as a pretty standard superhero story. But with a family angle, some interesting and involving characters, and story topics that go beyond the usual "X-Men" fugitive angle, "The Gifted" is evolving into an interesting new take on the "X-Men" idea.
6. “Luke Cage” (2016-current)
Giving a different perspective on superheroes than anything that’s come before it, Netflix’s “Luke Cage” adds breadth to the MCU that shows how deep and interesting it can be. It’s also very aware of its time and place in culture and doesn’t shy away from the issues inherent in focusing on a bulletproof black man.
5. “Daredevil” (2015-current)
The first of Netflix and more down-to-earth superhero TV shows that take place in shadow of the Marvel Cinematic Universe does a great job of making Daredevil seem like a mostly regular dude. It’s also full of great, visceral fight scenes that pack an intensity that CGI can’t really achieve. And season 3 took the series to a whole new level, elevating it from simply fun to watch to legitimately good.
4. "Iron Fist" (2017-2018) The first season was really, really rough in every way, but season 2 was a whole different animal. It's fun and adventurous in a way none of these other shows are -- basically masterful trash.
3. “Jessica Jones” (2016-current)
Another lower-key superhero story, “Jessica Jones” brings heroes and villains down to their very human flaws. The way it taps into and explores feminist themes gives a whole different take on the idea of superpowers in the Marvel universe.
2. “Legion” (2017-current)
Visually gorgeous, this slow-burn look at one of the “X-Men” universe’s most powerful mutants does, so far, a phenomenal job of exploring its anti-hero. The focus on the mystery of David’s sanity digs deep into what it’s like, and how to cope, with being a mutant in a way that’s very different from other “X-Men” takes.
1. "The Punisher" (2017-current)
The best of the Netflix Marvel shows so far is "The Punisher." Following the exploits of former soldier Frank Castle, it spends most of its time concerned with a bunch of characters struggling to deal with their own personal tragedies. It also has some of the better action scenes Marvel has yet put in its Netflix series.
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There have been more shows based on Marvel Comics than you probably know
The recent high-profile shows on Netflix, ABC and FX aren't the first ones Marvel has taken to the small screen. Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Blade and even knock-off-ish X-Men had a go before the current golden age. Here are all the Marvel shows, ranked from goofiest pajama costumes to best character-driven dramas.
