Since Charlie Cox donned Matt Murdock's red and black suit in 2015, Marvel's Daredevil has thrived magnificently on Netflix. It flourished on the streaming service's famed binge-watching format and seemed poised to do so for many years to come. With the show's unanticipated cancellation, though, it looks like the Man Without Fear will have to move his billy club elsewhere. But where, exactly?

When Marvel's Iron Fist and Luke Cage were canceled last month, viewers suspected either a new crossover show or a child-friendly equivalent on Disney's upcoming streaming service, Disney+. That should come as no surprise; fans have been gunning for a small screen version of Heroes for Hire since The Defenders first teased Danny and Luke's iconic partnership. The last season of Iron Fist also had viewers aching for a Daughters of the Dragon spinoff starring Marvel Cinematic Universe favorites Colleen Wing and Misty Knight. When Netflix failed to renew its second Marvel show only a week after canceling its first, these spinoffs seemed like the only logical conclusion to a strangely perplexing story.

But after Daredevil was discontinued by Netflix only a week after Season 3 showrunner Erik Oleson submitted his pitch for Season 4, Marvel's motivations became less clear. When considering a crossover show, canceling Iron Fist and Luke Cage made sense, but Daredevil doesn't quite fit in the same mix. While the other shows received lukewarm reviews from critics and fans alike, Daredevil is almost universally acclaimed. For a moment, it seemed the cancellations boiled down to the release of Disney's new streaming service, but the company has announced that all three shows will not be moving to Disney+, and later reports stated that even if Disney wanted to, it has to wait at least two years before starting production on new seasons starring the Netflix heroes.

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Netflix and Marvel were at least perfectly clear on one thing: Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil will live on in future projects -- eventually. If Jessica Jones and The Punisher fall next, they too will likely receive the same treatment. The other Marvel Netflix shows aside, Daredevil is Marvel Television's most bankable character, right beside the Punisher. It's unlikely Matt Murdock will just disappear into the background after fans have already glimpsed the character's potential. So, if Murdock is no longer appearing in any Netflix show, crossover or otherwise, and will not be transferring to Disney+, that leaves only one other option for New York's most controversial attorney once the two-year moratorium is up: the MCU films.

The end of Phase Three with next year's Avengers: Endgame opens up a new world of possibilities for the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Following Thanos' snap, notable Daredevil characters were probably eliminated, and the upcoming Infinity War sequel is expected to be the last roadshow for some of the founding Avengers. With so few Avengers left, the MCU films are going to need all the heroes they can get, and Daredevil -- with all his years of hardened crime-fighting experience -- could easily be one of them.

The New Avenger

Matt Murdock could have joined the movies at any time, but it wouldn't be timely. Whereas before Phase Four he would simply be an addition to an already massive team, after Phase Four he would be a necessity. One of the original Avengers expected to either die or withdraw from superheroing is Captain America, and if Steve Rogers is truly leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the films are going to need another experienced bruiser.

As proudly stated by Stick in The Defenders, Matthew Murdock is the "most naturally skilled fighter" he's ever seen, and Stick, who is Murdock's teacher, serves K'un-Lun -- the same people who birthed and trained the Immortal Iron Fist. As far as hand-to-hand combat goes, Daredevil is the Avengers' best bet at a new resident martial artist.

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Losing Captain America would deal a tremendous blow to the team, as Rogers was not only a talented fighter, but also a born leader. He led the Avengers and the rebels, as well as the Wakandan chapter in Infinity War, to mostly great success. His loss would create a massive power vacuum. The good news is Daredevil is likely still alive and easily the best possible hero to fill that role.

Stick also mentioned in The Defenders that, despite Matt Murdock's distrustful and reclusive nature, he is also a natural leader, adept at strategy and delegation. Daredevil is like Marvel's Batman. He doesn't work well with others, but when he does try, he shines. This could also make for an interesting dynamic between Murdock and the surviving Avengers.

NEXT PAGE: The MCU's Phase Four Will Need Experienced, Well-Trained Leaders

The End of an Era

Matt Murdock has more in common with Steve Rogers than most fans are willing to consider. Both have a strong devotion to peace and justice and are equally talented fighters and leaders, but there's more.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it took the Star-Spangled Man three movies and several crossovers to finally complete his transformation into Captain America, the hero who fights for truth and justice, even if it means engaging the American government -- the very same people he swore to serve back in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Daredevil had the same character arc on Netflix. He began his legal and extralegal career wide-eyed and idealistic, but was eventually broken by the circumstances of his time and the various misfortunes he seemed fated to suffer. In Season 2, he began to doubt and criticize the same legal system he swore to uphold shortly after graduating from Columbia University, even going so far as to operate completely outside of the law in Season 3. In The Defenders, he was disillusioned by the death of Elektra Natchios and his failure to come to terms with Frank Castle's way of fighting crime, and he began the show having retired from vigilantism.

In the final scenes of Daredevil's last season, Murdock spoke before Father Lantom's mourners about how the old priest raised him, teaching him how to become "a true man without fear." When Matt screamed in Wilson Fisk's bloodied face that "you don't get to destroy who I am," while strongly resisting the urge to snap his neck, we knew then and there that Daredevil, after three seasons and one crossover, finally had his hero-defining moment.

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Daredevil himself implied his own complicated character trajectory, and finally his growth, in the same way that Captain America: Civil War fully defined and realized Rogers' identity, culminating in him telling Iron Man he wouldn't stay down, barking, "I can do this all day." Daredevil had the chance to complete his hero's journey in The Defenders, but failed when he wouldn't relieve himself of his traumas and obsessions. The good news is he had his second chance in Season 3 of Daredevil, where he finally learned to let go.

Daredevil has long been painted as a street-level vigilante, incapable of handling supernatural threats or collaborating exclusively with anyone else, but Matt Murdock is as much a superhero as any other, on par with even with the likes of Steve Rogers. Both were augmented by chemical means and are practically more skilled than any other fighter in the Marvel Universe. If little Steve could become an Avenger, there's no reason to think visually-impaired Matty couldn't reach the same heights.

Marvel's Daredevil is currently streaming on Netflix.