While nothing is certain yet, a top Hulu executive says the service would be open to possibly reviving Netflix’s canceled Marvel shows. For the longest time, Marvel and Netflix had a pretty harmonious relationship. Shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones functioned as two of Netflix’s premiere originals, and Marvel’s presence on the streaming service provided a clear marquee attraction. That was until October 2018, when Netflix unceremoniously canceled Iron Fist after two seasons, even though season 2 had been seen by most as a marked improvement.
Iron Fist was generally the least-liked among Netflix’s Marvel series, so fans didn’t necessarily panic, at least until Luke Cage was canceled after two seasons the following week. Still, some fans held out hope that the two characters would return in a combined Heroes for Hire series, but those hopes were dashed when Daredevil was itself canceled in late-November. If Daredevil wasn’t safe, clearly the future was looking bleak for every Marvel program streaming on Netflix.
While The Punisher and Jessica Jones have yet to be officially canceled, the writing appears to be on the wall for both, a fact Punisher star Jon Bernthal has even said he’s already made peace with. Disney Plus boss Kevin Mayer said in December that the new streaming platform might eventually revive one or more of Netflix’s canceled Marvel shows, although contracts reportedly prevent that from happening until at least 2020. Now, another Disney-owned streaming player, Hulu, seems to have thrown itself into the running. When asked by The Wrap if Hulu would consider reviving shows like Daredevil or Luke Cage, executive Craig Erwich didn’t rule out the possibility.
Now obviously, Erwich didn’t specifically confirm any plans for Hulu to bring back Netflix’s former Marvel shows, and fans should in no way count on it happening. That said, the fact that he didn’t shut down the possibility speaks volumes, in this particular case. While Disney Plus did previously hint at possibly reviving Netflix’s various Marvel series, considering that service’s reported mandate to keep their content family friendly, Hulu might actually be a much more appropriate venue for people like Frank Castle and Matt Murdock to end up. Nobody wants to see a sanitized version of The Punisher.
“Marvel has a ton of titles we’d be interested in. It kind of just depends on when they’re ready, [and] who, most importantly, is going to be behind these things.”
That said, if Hulu - or Disney Plus for that matter - does someday decide to resurrect Daredevil and the rest of The Defenders, one wonders if the stars of those series will still be available to return. One presumes people like Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, and Mike Colter won’t be struggling to land a job post-Marvel, so there eventually could arise a situation in which Marvel opts to bring one of their canceled Netflix shows back, only to have to recast an important role. For now though, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen remains off duty.
More: The Defenders Is What Killed Netflix’s Marvel Shows
Source: The Wrap
