Marvel may have promised more adventures for Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, but those adventures aren’t going to be anytime soon. There is reportedly a two-year moratorium on using the characters for non-Netflix series, even for Disney+.
According to Variety, the original deal for the Marvel Netflix shows was said to include a clause preventing the characters of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones from showing up in “any non-Netflix series or film for at least two years after cancellation.” Disney+, despite being owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the parent company of Marvel Television, does not appear to be exempt from the contract.
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Many are considering this the final nail in the coffin for the current iteration of the shows. While there was certainly a significant amount of time between the second and third seasons of Daredevil, waiting until late 2020 to restart Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist on Disney’s streaming service seems unlikely at best. Jessica Jones is scheduled to air its third (and most likely final) season on Netflix sometime in 2019, and would be unavailable until 2021 at the earliest.
Given the time and the talent of the actors and creative teams involved, the odds of everyone from the Marvel Netflix shows being available and willing to restart production for Disney+ seems all but an impossibility. And that’s before considering the alleged rift between the television and movie sides of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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The Jon Bernthal-starring The Punisher, debuting its second season in January, is said to be exempt from the two-year restriction as it was a spin-off and not part of the original deal. The show's fate remains up in the air, though it seems unlikely that Disney+ would pick it up as well.