Over the last few years, Marvel has enjoyed a lucrative partnership with streaming giant Netflix, producing successful shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, which recently crossed over in The Defenders (one of the fastest-watched original series on Netflix). Fans had been hoping that more and more comic book characters would be added to this line-up going forward, but a new report suggests that this is definitely not going to happen.
First off, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Marvel’s upcoming comedy series New Warriors is no longer set to air on Freeform, as was originally announced. Apparently, this is due to scheduling conflicts at the network and while discussing where else the show – starring Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl – could end up, the site disclosed that its “sources” suggest the possible options may be limited. That’s because according to THR, “Disney-owned Marvel is no longer able to sell to outside companies.”
It’s worth pointing out that THR states that Marvel has denied this claim, though we can’t help thinking that the site is onto something here. Several upcoming Marvel projects are set to air on Disney-owned outlets, such as Cloak and Dagger on Freeform and Runaways on Hulu. Likewise, the company is also said to be developing its own streaming service (which THR believes could be New Warriors‘ new home).
What could this mean for the Marvel-Netflix universe, though? Well, don’t worry too much, as Netflix already has the license to the four Defenders (plus the Punisher) that have appeared so far, so we shouldn’t expect them to go anywhere. However, if this report is correct, no new major heroes will be introduced into this corner of the MCU.
That means you can say goodbye to those rumours about Blade or Moon Knight getting their own Netflix series at some point. Still, there’s nothing stopping those characters and many others from finding homes on Disney-owned outlets.
Marvel and Netflix’s next joint endeavor is The Punisher, which arrives on November 17th.
