The recent purge of Marvel‘s Netflix shows continued a couple of weeks ago with the cancellation of Daredevil, and between reports of the continuing popularity of the series, and rumors that Marvel was the one that chose to drop the axe, fans have been in speculation mode lately wondering what the studio could have in mind. And while it remains a popular theory that the various Defenders properties will be showing up again on Disney Plus or Hulu, it could be a long time before we get some confirmation.
According to a new report from Variety, the deal between Marvel Television and Netflix had a clause stipulating that characters from the Defenders shows cannot appear on any non-Netflix series or film until two years after cancellation. It therefore stands to reason that we probably won’t be seeing Daredevil and his streaming platform peers back on our screens until late-2020 at the earliest.
What’s more, with the third season of Jessica Jones not due for release until next year – and a subsequent cancellation looking almost inevitable – we may not be seeing Krysten Ritter in anything else at least until 2021. As for The Punisher, the report goes on to note that the show falls under a different deal from Luke Cage and the rest, making the fate of Frank Castle a little more ambiguous.
Needless to say, for any fan still clinging to the hope of seeing a quick and smooth migration of Daredevil and its fellow Netflix properties to new outlets, this probably won’t be the most welcome of news. Still, seeing how two years sounds like a pretty generous span of time to get some future projects ready for screens big or small, perhaps we can stay optimistic that Marvel will have something lined up for these characters once the required waiting period is over.