When Netflix pulled the plug on Marvel's Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, many concluded that The Punisher and Jessica Jones were up next. Now, with Punisher's second season mere weeks old, Netflix has officially finished what it started. As of now, Variety reports that both remaining Marvel series have been canceled. Luckily, fans will still get one more season of Jessica Jones, which will release later on this year.
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The news is not exactly surprising, given that Netflix appeared to be cleaning house of all things Marvel. Such a decision likely has to do with the arrival of Disney's own Disney+ streaming service, which has already announced a few upcoming Marvel properties, including Loki and Scarlet Witch. While it's possible that The Defenders and Frank Castle may once again rear their heads on Disney+, there's an unfortunate caveat - the Netflix deal apparently prevents any of the characters from appearing in a non-Netflix deal for two years.
Netflix issued a lengthy statement on the cancellations, as follows:
“Showrunner Steve Lightfoot, the terrific crew, and exceptional cast including star Jon Bernthal, delivered an acclaimed and compelling series for fans, and we are proud to showcase their work on Netflix for years to come. In addition, in reviewing our Marvel programming, we have decided that the upcoming third season will also be the final season for Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones.’ We are grateful to showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, star Krysten Ritter and the entire cast and crew, for three incredible seasons of this groundbreaking series, which was recognized by the Peabody Awards among many others. We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.”