Daredevil Cancelled by Netflix

In news sure to sadden all comic book fans, Netflix cancelled Marvel’s Daredevil earlier this week. Set in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil centered around the adventures of Matt Murdock, a blind attorney who is gifted with heightened senses after an accident as a child. The show was the first Marvel series on Netflix, running for three seasons from 2015 to 2018. Daredevil’s cancellation comes just a few weeks after the cancellations of two other Marvel properties on the network, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, both of which ran for two seasons. Insiders at Deadline Hollywood cite the cancellations of the three series as evidence of a strained relationship between Marvel and Netflix, hinting that Jessica Jones and The Punisher, the only two Marvel series remaining on the platform, might end after the completion of their upcoming seasons.

Fans of the series have taken to social media to express their unhappiness with Netflix’s decision. A fan campaign to save the series actually started earlier this month in an effort to convince Netflix to keep the show. Showrunner Erik Oleson even tweeted that he had pitched plans for season four of the series to Netflix executives. The stars of the show have also taken to social media to express their emotions on the cancellation. Deborah Ann Woll, who plays journalist Karen Page in the series, said that she was saddened to see the end of the story of Matt Murdock and was grateful for the friends she made during the series’ production. Meanwhile, Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays the villainous Kingpin, tweeted that he didn’t think the show’s cancellation is the end for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

Many fans of the show share D’Onofrio’s optimism, hoping that another network or streaming platform will pickup Daredevil. By far the favorite for most fans is the upcoming service Disney+, which is set to launch next year. Disney+ already has two Marvel shows in development, one centering around the Avenger Scarlet Witch and the other centering around Loki, Thor’s brother. Enthusiasm for this idea was buoyed by a statement released by Marvel earlier this week. In addition to thanking the show’s fans and creative team, Marvel promised that Matt Murdock would return for future adventures. It remains to be seen if this continuation would follow the continuity of the Netflix series or start a brand new story.