Marvel Shows Canceled On Netflix Can’t Appear Elsewhere For At Least 2 Years

Following the shocking announcement that Netflix was canceling such popular shows as Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, Marvel fans were hit with another devastating blow in the form of the details of the contract Netflix had with the shows.

As reported by Comic Book, the announcement of their cancelations came just as their new seasons were premiering on the streaming service, and many quickly put their hopes in Disney+ or Hulu to pick the Marvel shows up. But even if either Disney+ or Hulu has any interest in doing so, there is a major proviso on them.

Unfortunately, it seems that the deal struck between Marvel Television and Netflix before the three series were picked up by the streaming service means that the characters are not allowed to appear elsewhere after their cancelation for a minimum of two years. This means that Daredevil fans will have to wait until the end of 2020 at the very earliest before the character will grace their screens again, and lead actor Charlie Cox may not be pulling on the red suit when it does.

After the cancelation announcements were made, neither Marvel nor Disney commented on whether they intended to revive or reboot the characters, but it seems they’ll have plenty of time to do that.

“A lot of us really expected to keep going, and I certainly did,” said Cox. “The truth is, I felt like we had a lot of stories to tell, and although I understand [the cancelation], I’m very saddened by that. It’s just how business works. But also, these characters mean a lot to people. It’s weird to think there’s a chance I won’t be playing Matt Murdock ever again. That’s a bizarre feeling, because that character has been such a huge part of my life for the last four and a half years.”

Marvel fans are now fearing for the fate of Jessica Jones as well. Although the series hasn’t been canceled by Netflix, the third season also hasn’t premiered yet, and is only scheduled to do so in 2019. It is thought that the Marvel series will suffer the same fate as others, and if that’s the case, the series will only be able to return on a different network at the earliest in 2021.

That means that Disney+ or Hulu would also have to have The Defenders put on hold or have them fighting crime without Jessica Jones if they want to start the project.

It’s unclear if The Punisher will suffer a cancelation after its second season, or even if it is subject to the same two-year deal post-cancelation.