Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Defenders

  • Disney+ Will Add 4K Upgrade for ‘Daredevil’, ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Luke Cage’ and More Soon

    Disney+ Will Add 4K Upgrade for ‘Daredevil’, ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Luke Cage’ and More Soon

    After a long wait, the now titled Defenders Saga has found its way home to Disney+. The various Netflix series including Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher have gotten added to the Disney-owned streaming service in select countries. Yet, many may have noticed that they’re only restricted to HD/SDR. Well, it turns out that Disney+ will add 4K and UHD versions at a later date, as revealed in a tweet by the Disney+ Help Twitter account on an inquiry.

    They might’ve considered some limitations in providing the amount of content they did. In addition to the Defender Saga, certain markets also got Agents of SHIELD on Disney+ which adds around seven seasons’ worth of content. With such a massive addition to the library, the 4K UHD version may have overloaded the server. It’s safe to assume that they’ll release the updates through batches moving forward, but don’t worry, you’ll get access to them.

    It’s still uncertain about their international plans moving forward, as some markets like my own have not received the series just yet. So, there’s still a lack of an official word on when the rest of the world can expect the Netflix projects, as Agents of SHIELD was already available since the streaming service launched. We’ll see if the coming weeks come with updates on their addition.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Daredevil’ & Co.’s Addition to Disney+ Draws Criticism of Supposedly Destroying the Disney Brand

    ‘Daredevil’ & Co.’s Addition to Disney+ Draws Criticism of Supposedly Destroying the Disney Brand

    Disney+ made quite the headlines when they announced that shows like Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and more from the Netflix era are making their way to the streaming service. While these projects have an older demographic, the service will include parental control. Mature content isn’t new to the service, as specific markets include it through the Star branding, but it seems that this move has gotten the attention of the Parents Television Council, who have slammed Disney for their decision. Its President Tim Winter had made the following statement:

    For more than 98 years, the Walt Disney Company has been synonymous with the words Family Friendly, and I can think of no other corporation in American history that has been built more squarely on the backs – and on the wallets – of parents and families. The company’s eponymous platform Disney Plus logically marketed itself as a family-friendly streaming service, and parents have placed their trust in Disney to deliver just that

    Tim Winter

    He goes on to make false comparisons, such as Disney World “adding live striptease performances in Fantasyland” to make its point. Parental control is also mentioned, but they believe that the mere existence of R-rated content violates the trust of families. It’s curious considering that What If…? actively promoted episodes featuring zombies that are also killed throughout the episode.

    There is no need for Disney Plus to compete with the explicit content on other streaming platforms. Disney is already at a competitive advantage with a streaming platform that is the safest one out there for families. Its foray into TV-MA-rated fare will forever tarnish its family-friendly crown

    While many could argue that the addition of more mature content only benefits their growing market by also offering something for older parts of the family to enjoy the content. Who knows if they might add additional elements into allowing a more family-friendly setup for users of the streaming service, similar to Netflix’s Kids function. We’ll see how or even if Disney reacts to this statement at some point and how they might tackle the concerns.

    Source: Variety

  • BREAKING: Netflix’s Marvel Show Heading to Disney+ in March

    BREAKING: Netflix’s Marvel Show Heading to Disney+ in March

    We’ve been waiting for any sign of what the future has in store for Netflix’s Marvel series. Without a warning, Netflix suddenly included the information that the shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and more will leave the service by the end of February. Well, it seems we finally got an update, as an e-mail is making the rounds, as shared by @shayhbaz, where it’s revealed that the shows are heading to Disney+ on March 16th.

    It’s quite the surprising reveal without much fanfare given how iconic these franchises are. So far, the e-mail has only been sent to Canadian outlets, which could open up the possibility of them landing on Diseny+ through the Star branding, which is currently absent in the United States. At this point, no official word has come down from Disney about their U.S. plans. Still, it would make sense that they’d find their permanent home on the Marvel-filled library of the streamer. Hopefully, they won’t start censoring elements of these stories to fit the branding image, but with Moon Knight on the horizon, they may consider finally aging up their main demographic moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • Netflix’s Marvel Show Rights Returned Back to Disney

    Netflix’s Marvel Show Rights Returned Back to Disney

    Just earlier today, we’ve noticed that something was different about Netflix’s Marvel shows. Some of the shows included the message that Daredevil, Jessica Jones, The Punisher, and the other shows produced together with Marvel TV would be leaving the service on February 28th. EW has gone on to confirm that they are indeed leaving the service, but it was Insider that offered some insight into why this sudden change happened.

    Insider was informed by an insider that the rights to the series have returned to Disney. Looking back, while Netflix was streaming the series as originals, they were technically ABC Studios productions – a subsidiary of Disney’s. As such, they were only the distributor and may have supported some of the production financially. Starting in 2018, all shows were canceled as what seemed like a rebuttal to Disney working on their own streaming service.

    Some of the actors have started making their return to the MCU with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio‘s recent appearances. There are even rumors that Krysten Ritter might also make her return as Jessica Jones but there’s silence on the rest of the cast. So, we’ll see if the shows end up being integrated into the MCU or become Marvel TV Legacy projects. There’s no word if they’ll release on Disney+ or even Hulu, but it seems very likely. For now, we’ll have to wait until March to see what exactly the future has in store for these projects.

    Source: EW, Insider

  • ‘Daredevil’ and Other Marvel Shows May Be Leaving Netflix Soon

    ‘Daredevil’ and Other Marvel Shows May Be Leaving Netflix Soon

    Is Marvel’s era on Netflix ending? In a rather curious observation, many are reporting that the original Netflix shows based on Marvel properties, such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and more are seemingly going to leave the platform by the end of the month. Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed that when they start a new episode it includes a “The show is available until” marker in the top left corner. It seems that the series might be leaving the service soon.

    However, there have been different dates noted such as the 1st of March and our own test including the 28th of February. As such, there’s a chance it might be a bug but its inclusion only on the Marvel shows is curious. Here’s a screenshot when we checked out an episode of Daredevil on the German/Austrian account that includes the February date. the only oddity was how it popped up briefly and quickly vanished.

    @BRMarvel also shared screenshots that were shared from Europe and Latin America further hinting that the series won’t be available in those locations.

    The timing of course stands out as Daredevil actors Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio recently made their return in the roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Disney+’s Hawkeye series respectively. So, if they do leave the service there’s a chance that they could find their home on Disney+. What makes that stand out is that the locations they are missing offer the Starz branding, where more adult content is offered to subscribers.

    So, they could become original productions if Marvel is trying to resurrect the franchises, especially with rumors that Daredevil is getting a new project over at Marvel Studios. Of course, there’s a chance this is also simply a bug on the side of Netflix, but we haven’t seen it appear with other original shows. We’ll have to see if an official announcement follows shortly.

    Source: Netflix, Twitter

  • Recast, Reboot, Retire or Reprise: What’s the Right Choice for Other Marvel Netflix Characters

    Recast, Reboot, Retire or Reprise: What’s the Right Choice for Other Marvel Netflix Characters

    With Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprising their respective roles as Kingpin and Matt Murdock this week and rumors swirling that other cast members from the Netflix Defenders-verse series might join them, we decided to take a look at who should come back and who should be left behind. Note that this is not all-encompassing and that there’s no real metric here, much less any consistency. Sometimes we want the actor and not the role; other times we want the role but not the actor; other times we want neither. To make it easy, we cast a verdict on each character: recast the role, reboot the character with the same actor, retire the character or have the same actor reprise the same role. Because the world is hard, sometimes had to pick more than one.

    The Big 4

    Each of the following actors led at least 2 seasons of a solo series on Netflix as well as popping up in either Defenders or another series.

    • Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle
      Whether or not Marvel Studios plans on using the Punisher in the near future is certainly a great topic for debate, but that debate is for another day. The topic here is whether or not Bernthal is the man for the job should they chose to bring the character into the MCU and, fortunately, there’s not much of debate to be had. As he almost always does, Bernthal inhabited the role of Castle in a way that many actors just couldn’t do. If we are going to see the Punisher again, it has to be Bernthal.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Mike Colter as Luke Cage
      Colter is a case of Netflix missing the mark on why they cast the character. Colter is a solid actor. His work on CBS’s Evil has been excellent; however, he seems to be, in general, more comfortable in roles that require a more subdued persona and, to me, that’s just not Luke Cage. If Cage is coming back, the actor has to have BIG energy and charisma. The man lead the New Avengers and as much as I love Colter, I can’t see him effectively convincing Dr. Strange, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel that they should be following his orders.
      Verdict: Recast
    • Finn Jones as Danny Rand
      In a shared universe that includes Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, there’s simply no place for Jones as the Iron Fist. While part of the problem with the character was the way he was written (Rand should be able to kick multiple asses all the time without ever having to use the Iron Fist), it’s impossible to give Jones a pass. He notably didn’t want to train and he’s also just not that great of an actor. If they give Rand another chance, it has to be with another actor.
      Verdict: Recast
    • Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones
      Ritter’s situation is nearly the opposite of Colter’s in that the role of Jones fits her specific talents incredibly well. She looks the part and believably acts the part. While the series ended on a really poor note, Ritter’s time as the character would make it incredibly hard to imagine someone else in the role.
      Verdict: Reprise

    The Supporting Cast

    Simone Missick: Actress, Misty Knight in Netflix's Luke Cage | Howard Magazine

    Each of these characters played a major, supporting role in at least one season of the Defenders-verse series.

    • Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich
      After giving one of the best performances in Season 1 of Daredevil, Curtis-Hall didn’t get a chance to come back in the role because, well, Kingpin killed off the character. One of the best cases we can make for why the Netflix series should not be canon is so Curtis-Hall can return in a role that could expand beyond Daredevil’s stories and into the greater MCU.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Rosario Dawson as Clarie Temple
      Keep the actress, ditch the character. Dawson is lights out in pretty much everything she does. Fans would love to see her jump into a bigger role like Mahershala Ali, who starred in Luke Cage, was able to do. Sorry, Claire, you stay behind, but bring Rosario into the MCU in a new role.
      Verdict: Retire
    • Scott Glenn as Stick
      One of the most unforgivable offenses made by Netflix over the course of their Defenders-verse series was their portrayal of the Hand. As Charles V. has said over and over again, “it’s really hard to screw up undead ninjas”, but they did it. If there’s one Daredevil-centric thing they could fix that would really spice up the whole MCU, it’s the Hand. And if the Hand is back, Stick should be back and if we’re getting Stick, it’s gotta be Scott Glenn.
      Verdict: Reboot
    • Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
      Foggy is such an important part of the story of Matt Murdock that he absolutely must be involved in whatever stories are told going forward. Henson, however, never seemed the right fit and it’s almost certain a recast would land better with fans.
      Verdict: Recast
    • Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing
      Henwick was one of the brightest stars over the two seasons of Iron Fist. It was recently revealed that she had to pass on a role in Shang-Chi in order to land her role in the upcoming Matrix sequel, so obviously Marvel Studios is keen to work with her again. Henwick should absolutely be in the MCU. Whether that’s as Collen Wing or in another role is the question. Should she enter into the MCU in another role, that would really make it hard to consider Iron Fist “canon”, however. There is certainly a great Daughters of the Dragon story to be tole with Wing and Misty Kinght, should they want to keep Henwick in a version of the same role.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Simone Missick as Misty Knight
      Speaking of…Missick was dynamite as Misty Knight, bringing some of the charisma to Luke Cage that Colter did not. Seeing Missick return as Knight, perhaps to team up with Sam Wilson as she has recently in the comics would be fantastic.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Debra Ann Woll as Karen Page
      The vote here is no, but not for the reasons you might think. Woll was great as Karen Page. She was better than great. But as the story of Matt Murdock/Daredevil moves on, Marvel Studios would be wise to move away from the dark, Frank Miller inspired arcs that we integral to the Netflix series and adapt some other authors’ work. Modern day runs by Charles Soule and Mark Waid would top the list and wouldn’t require more of Page, a character whose continued story would only continue to drag Matt through Hell.
      Verdict: Retire
    • Elodie Yung as Elektra
      Yung checked all the boxes as Elektra: sleek, sexy, dangerous and talented. If they should choose to do another story with the Hand or just with Elektra, it’d be hard to find someone who both looked and played the part as well as Yung. Bring her back!
      Verdict: Reprise

    The Villains

    David Tennant Would Love Purple Man to be in an Avengers Movie
    • Wilson Bethel as Bullseye
      Bethel’s time as Bullseye was just getting started when the plug was pulled on the Defenders-verse. He gave a great portrayal and would be fully capable of holding his own on screen again with Cox. Bring back Bullseye and bring back Bethel.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Alice Eve as Typhoid Mary
      Eve seemed like an out of place casting at the time, but she did fine in the role. Moving forward, however, it seems appropriate to have an entirely different version of the character and I don’t think anyone would be upset to see a new actress in the role.
      Verdict: Reboot and Recast
    • Bob Gunton as Leland Owlsley
      Love Gunton, but he was playing the comic book Owl in the same way that Fra Fee is playing comic book Kazi, which is to say not at all. There is certainly room for the Owl in this newly carved out corner of organized crime in the MCU, but not for this version. A younger actor and totally different characterization are in order.
      Verdict: Reboot and Recast
    • Theo Rossi as “Shades” Alvarez
      You might think that with all the characters and actors we didn’t include on the list, that Rossi is a surprise. He might be but his son, Victor Alvarez, could join the MCU’s other young heroes down the road. Rossi was creepy and slimy in the role. It would only be a bit part if he came back, so let’s see him back so we can get to his much more important offspring.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • David Tennant as Purple Man
      Tennant joins D’Onofrio and Ali in the trinity of great Defender-verse performances as villains. Ali has moved into the MCU in larger role as Blade. D’Onofrio is back. It might be a stretch to bring Purple Man into the current MCU unless the want to do the big Breakout arc from New Avengers, but getting Tennant back on board in that role or any other would be fantastic.
      Verdict: Reprise
    • Wil Traval as Nuke
      Nope. Give us a real Nuke in a future Cap movie. Scrap the actor and forget the character ever existed.
      Verdict: Reboot and Recast
    • Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna
      Zurer was fire as Vanessa. Both the actress and the character were amazing. However, the MCU’s Kingpin isn’t going to have 13 hours of time to tell a bunch of personal stories, so unfortunately, unless we get a Kingpin series, neither Zurer or Vanessa need to make the jump.
      Verdict: Retire

    Make sure to sound off in the comments on who you’d like to see reprise their roles and who you think should be left behind.

  • How Marvel Studios Can (Re)introduce The Defenders Into the MCU

    How Marvel Studios Can (Re)introduce The Defenders Into the MCU

    Marvel’s Netflix venture gave fans some of the most interesting programmings for Marvel TV. From the gritty, suspense, and dark themes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher to the Superhero Street vibes in Luke Cage & Iron Fist, Marvel’s Netflix had something for everyone. On top of it all, the casting in these shows was phenomenal. They embodied these characters, and it was the interactions that sold us on their chemistry. Charlie Cox‘s Daredevil with Jon Bernthal‘s Punisher gave life to a very memorable showdown in Daredevil‘s second season. Krysten Ritter‘s Jessica Jones and Mike Colter‘s Luke Cage shared some incredible chemistry during their time together. In their attempt to recreate the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula on a smaller scale, these Netflix shows created a tiny world set within a larger universe.

    Since their respective cancellations in 2018, people have been waiting for Marvel Studios to bring them back. So now, after years of waiting, all of Marvel’s Netflix rights have reverted to Disney and Marvel. Now, we have to wonder what will follow now that Marvel has all of these characters at their disposal. So, Kevin Feige has a slew of choices ahead of him. How do you introduce these characters into the MCU? Do you recast them or try a soft reboot? Can you continue their stories from their time on Netflix, or would they require new backstories? These are all essential questions moving forward. If only we had a precedent as to what we can expect. Luckily, we can.

     

    Daredevil

     

    Daredevil is a perfect candidate to stick with long-form storytelling. I do believe that he needs to have his first appearance in the MCU in another franchise. We know that Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Matt Murdock in the upcoming Spider-Man threequel, which will release at the end of this year. How exactly that will play out remains to be seen, but given how Spider-Man: Far From Home ended in 2019, chances are Peter Parker is going to need one hell of a lawyer. The dynamic duo of Nelson and Murdock are perfect candidates to tackle this case.

    If you ask me what I’d adapt for this series, I believe Daredevil: Gang War by Frank Miller and Tom DeFalco would be a fantastic story for a future show. You would already have Matt Murdock established in the MCU as Daredevil, and it would also be a brilliant way to reintroduce Wilson Fisk. In this particular run, he retired in Japan with his wife, Vanessa. She had grown sick of Fisk’s life of crime, but they are forced back due to his wife getting kidnapped by a former rival gang. It could explain Kingpin’s absence in the MCU, and I have an excuse to say that I want Vincent D’Onofrio back as Kingpin.

     

    Jessica Jones

     

    Following a similar introduction pattern of Daredevil, there are rumors that Jessica Jones could make her appearance in the upcoming She-Hulk series. Like before, we have no idea how she might play into the story. I am working on a theory of what role she might have in She-Hulk, but that still needs some time in the oven as a potential Theory Thursday piece.

    Story-wise, I liked Jessica Jones: Blind Spot by Kelly Thompson, and it is a story that would be the perfect choice for her MCU introduction. It is a murder mystery thriller, where Jessica Jones is the prime suspect in a murder. Her regret haunts her, as she failed to help her years ago. Not only would it showcase Jessica’s investigative abilities, but also uniquely retell her origin. The murderer could tease her alongside the audience with bits and pieces of her past. The viewers get immersed in the murder mystery and allow them to piece together Jessica’s origin.  

     

    Heroes for Hire (Luke Cage/Iron Fist)

    The fact that we never got the chance to see Mike Colter and Finn Jones truly embrace the dynamic Heroes for Hire duo is criminal. A buddy cop series similar to the styles of Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour, and 21 Jump Street is how I could see these two pull appear in the MCU. And I would keep their origins the same way and have it play out like in the comics. Luke Cage was exonerated, so both of them meet at a party and get into a fistfight. Afterward, they both become great friends by the end of it. It also would allow viewers to truly explore Iron Fist’s vast history from the comics with Cage as the straight man trying to figure out all the craziness that starts to haunt them.

     

    The Punisher

    Say what you want about The Punisher, but Jon Bernthal‘s portrayal of the character was incredible in Daredevil and his spinoff show. In the comics, Frank Castle always appeared as a secondary character or even as an antagonist. He got into fights with the likes of Spider-Man and, of course, Daredevil before being given his comic run. Netflix replicated the formula by making him appear in the second season of Daredevil. He had a recurring role before being given a spinoff. My money’s on Marvel Studios doing the same thing. Castle will appear in another franchise before being given his show. And there are several places he could appear in if you consider Castle’s military background.

    He could be a former ally to Col. James Rhodes and have a brief cameo appearance in the upcoming Armor Wars series. There is also the chance that he could make his MCU debut in the Moon Knight series. Their interactions in the comics have been iconic. I am not sure what story to give Punisher’s new MCU series because I’m unfamiliar with his comic runs. What I do know is that the show should be similar to the Netflix counterpart. We will explore Castle’s motives before he becomes the Punisher. It shouldn’t shy away from the dark and gritty, which would still be possible to showcase on Disney+.

  • ‘JESSICA JONES’ and ‘PUNISHER’ Rights Return to Marvel Studios

    ‘JESSICA JONES’ and ‘PUNISHER’ Rights Return to Marvel Studios

    Two years after their final seasons dropped on Netflix, Jessica Jones and Frank Castle have now returned home to Marvel Studios. The reversion means that Marvel Studios finally has full control of all their so-called street-level heroes. A multi-year deal with Netflix had previously been holding the live-action rights to the characters in the streaming service’s clutches and prevented Marvel Studios from using them in any projects produced before the contract ran out. The details of the agreement between the two mega-corporations meant fans would have to wait two full years after each show’s cancellation before they could hope to see their favorite protagonist’s names in any Marvel Studios announcements. Jones, a super-powered private eye played by Krysten Ritter, was one of four Marvel heroes revealed to be getting their own series on Netflix in 2013, alongside Daredevil, Iron Fist, and comic book love interest, Luke Cage. The first season of her show was a surprise hit for Netflix, and led to the creation of two more solo outings. Jon Bernthal‘s Frank Castle, better known to viewers as The Punisher, debuted in the second season of Daredevil before his popularity led to the production of a spin-off. Two seasons were made before that series met its own untimely demise.

    Image result for marvel jessica jones

    The four Marvel-Netflix projects, which converged in a team-up mini-series known as The Defenders, were incredibly popular among comic fans. It came as a shock to many when Netflix began to systematically cancel the projects in 2018. The moves by Netflix came shortly after Disney pulled the curtain back on it’s own rival streaming service, Disney+, which led subscribers to believe the cancellations may have been made out of spite. However, statistics released in the time since show a steady decline in viewership for many of the shows, which probably didn’t help their case in staying alive. Nevertheless, with all five major players having now come back to Marvel Studios, their most vocal advocates have made it known they want to see them on the small, or silver, screen once more. With Charlie Cox set to appear in the upcoming Spider-Man threequel, only time will tell if Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have any plans to incorporate other characters into the future of the MCU, but for the first time in almost a decade, the ball is entirely in their court.

  • Marvel TV and the Recasting Dilemma

    Marvel TV and the Recasting Dilemma

    2020 marks the 5th year since the Marvel-Netflix universe debuted with Daredevil. The year also coincides with the “reverting” of the character rights to Marvel, 2 years after the first set of shows were canceled abruptly. Because of this and rumors of Kevin Feige having an interest in bringing back some cast members like Charlie Cox, loyal fans of the shows are optimistic in seeing these characters played by the same actors in potential movie appearances moving forward.

    It’s the age-old question among MCU fans since the inception of Marvel Television with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. back in 2013 that keeps coming back: when are these characters going to appear in the films? After all, they’re deeply beloved among fans and the actors themselves have it in their contracts to appear in films if the opportunity arose. But in the 11 years of the MCU, this question has never been outright addressed by the powers that be. Kevin Feige has either dodged or politely answered fluff to every hard-hitting Marvel TV question asked. For example in 2015, when asked point-blank about any movie appearances, he said:

    Into the movies? No. Well…. Right now, what Jeph Loeb and the TV guys are doing is focusing on those shows. And certainly with Daredevil coming out last night and being so well received. The next one’s already in production and the one after that has been announced. So I think they’re doing quite well for themselves in that medium. We’ve certainly had discussions on where down the line, who could show up where. But I think they’ve been very smart in saying, “Let us establish this here first.” They’re off to a very good start.

    That’s just one of the handful of fluff answers the mastermind of the MCU has given to the press. If you count him purposefully avoiding any Marvel TV answers in a Reddit AMA a couple of years back, his feelings on the matter are telling. During the 2015 same press tour for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Joss Whedon candidly, albeit jokingly, spoke about the film division’s true feelings about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saying, “I think actually the movie people were a little bit cross about the TV show. They were sort of like ‘Well you can have this but not this. And this but not that.’ It’s complicated enough as it is without me adding another layer of complication.” Just last December, when all these brand spanking new Disney+ shows were getting announced, Kevin Feige shadily affirmed that it would be the first time TV content would interlink with the MCU.

    Of course, diehards have always known why it’s always been like this; the feud between Kevin Feige and his former boss and overlord of Marvel Television, Ike Perlmutter, that made collaboration between the two divisions near-impossible. But that all changed several months ago when the current iteration of Marvel Television was disbanded following those Netflix cancelations. Right then and there, Disney announced that Kevin Feige was being promoted to Chief Creative Officer for Marvel Entertainment, practically making his rival Ike’s position obsolete in the company. The announcement’s fine print stated that all creative decisions for any property – be it in comics, animation, TV, or film – would go through Feige. This was, in many ways, the biggest status quo change for the Marvel Studios system. All of a sudden, the keys to Marvel TV’s future were now handed to Kevin Feige.

    As all the Marvel Netflix characters await their return into the hands of the MCU’s showrunner, two new questions beg to be raised. Should the characters be rebooted from scratch or should they live on with continued stories in the MCU?

    Believe it or not, the answer is a very complicated one and starts with the man himself, Kevin Feige. It shouldn’t come as a surprise now, following the billion-dollar success the Infinity Saga became, that Kevin Feige loves being able to do what he wants. His system at Marvel Studios has always prided itself on having the freedom to go bold and big whenever and wherever regardless of the cost. Marvel TV’s creative decisions, however, have remained separate from Feige’s purview and a lot of them haven’t been exactly great.

    An amazing character like Iron Fist made his live-action debut in a show that was nothing short of lackluster. Iron Fist‘s second season was an undeniable improvement but the first season’s stench dwarfed the corrections they made that it was too little, too late. Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher all started out as very strong shows but slowly diminished in quality as their stories progressed. Even the highly-publicized Defenders team-up show that was the epicenter of Marvel’s multimillion deal with Netflix failed to live up to its hype despite having all the tools to make it great. And in light of reports of Jeph Loeb’s racist mandates that derailed the creative process for these shows, the whole thing seems like one wasted opportunity after another. It’s honestly a miracle that Daredevil managed to stay consistently solid amidst all that.

    With hundreds of hours of content, these shows have already established their own set of rules and canon. Even though the canon initially revolved around the events of the first Avengers movie or the Incident, they’ve pretty much taken their own steps to where they wanted this corner of the Marvel universe to go. This might not lineup with Kevin Feige’s idea of a Marvel street-level universe, especially now that street-level properties like Moon Knight and Blade have been greenlit. Kevin Feige likely has his own idea of K’un L’un and Shou Lao, his own take on Frank MIller‘s iconic Hand/Bullseye/Elektra saga, his own version of Luke Cage that is primed for the Avengers, and his own vision of how he wants these characters to be. It’s hard to imagine any interest from Kevin Feige in continuing and tieing into stories that he had no hand in shaping.

    People have brought up the idea of doing a soft reboot i.e. continue with the cast but start from scratch. This makes more sense than straight-up continuing the established Marvel-Netflix status quo; the fans win by getting to see their favorite actors play their favorite characters and Marvel Studios gets a fresh start on where to take them. However, going this route has its own set of problems. Netflix is, by and large, a competitor of Disney, especially now that the House of Mouse has its own streaming service. Even though the live-action “rights” of all the Defenders characters revert to Disney this year, that doesn’t preclude Netflix from airing all the existing Defenders shows, which they legally own.

    To continue the cast puts Disney in a tough spot. Say they bring back Charlie Cox as Daredevil or Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin in a new Daredevil film. It’ll be the shit because both of them are absolutely great in that role. You go out of the theater and say to yourself, “That movie was amazing. Charlie and Vincent were killer. I sure would love to see more of them together.” Well, guess what? You can see them together in the comfort of your own home. Just queue up the show on Netflix and enjoy 39 hours of Charlie and Vincent at your behest.

    Therein lies the biggest problem with continuing the cast. To continue this iteration of Daredevil will inevitably drive audiences to check out Charlie Cox’s other appearances as Daredevil and where else will they find more of that but on Netflix, Disney’s #1 competitor in the streaming wars? “But the fans! Disney has got to listen to the fans!” Fans are great and play a big part in why these things get made but at the end of the day, it’s corporate interests that drive the decision making. Remember, this is Disney we’re talking about. There’s a reason why they refuse to even give Universal the time of the day even if its to make a highly-demanded Hulk solo film. There’s a reason why the Sony-Spidey talks broke down last year. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Disney becomes cool with its content driving audiences to Netflix.

    Logistically and fiscally, it’s more sensical to just completely start from scratch. Get a new face to play all these characters and tell the stories you want right from the beginning. Avoid the trouble of turning audiences towards your competitor. Get rid of the baggage of having a pre-established canon. Yes, losing the cast members, who’ve done exemplary work on these shows, will sting hard but it’s the easiest way to move forward.

    Ultimately, the one guaranteed silver lining here is that these characters will live on no matter what. Regardless of the cast returning or not, we’re a hundred percent going to see the Marvel Studios version of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones down the road under Marvel Studios. The Netflix shows may have clocked in longer than all the MCU films combined but there’s actually a lot in the comics the shows didn’t get to explore. A lot of that had to do with budgetary constraints, so the creative teams had to opt for a more grounded, real-world gritty tone. While that’s not a bad thing, it’s important to remember that these stories are based on source material that’s grand and exciting. Dragons exist! Sorcery exists! Demonic ninjas exist! A villain called Stilt-Man has hydraulic legs! Daredevil should be able to traverse high-rise buildings like he would in the comics. Danny Rand needs to fight an actual dragon. With the budget Marvel Studios invests in their projects, these things are all possible now.

    As for the other defunct Marvel TV shows, they’re in a slightly better position than the Netflix shows. For one, they don’t have the competitor problem the Netflix shows pose since ABC, Freeform, and Hulu are all under the Mouse House. Now that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has ended and in light of rumors of a S.W.O.R.D. Disney+ show happening, Chloe Bennet reprising her role as Quake is certainly a possibility. It’s logistically a lot easier to soft reboot someone like Quake and incorporate her into the MCU without worrying about helping the competitor. If anything, a film appearance might boost the syndication deals ABC has with international networks. Of course, it’ll be a matter of Marvel Studios being interested in that idea. But judging from stuff that’s been said, it’s clear that the fan demand to see the Marvel TV actors appear in the films might not be as mutual as some people think. However, stranger things have happened. We all at one point thought that neither Spider-Man nor the X-Men would ever make it to the MCU. Yet here we are.