It was a huge deal in April 2013 when it was first announced that Netflix had reached a deal with Marvel Studios to adapt Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist for streaming, with the four solo shows set to culminate in a Defenders crossover event.
Even though the big screen adventures of Iron Man and the gang had just reached the apex of their popularity following the release of The Avengers the previous summer, Marvel still weren’t in a position to create episodic projects that possessed the same sort of blockbuster sheen, so it made sense from both a creative and business perspective.
However, once Disney decided to enter the streaming wars with a platform of its own, the entire Netflix lineup of Marvel favorites were canceled one by one. Although we could have guessed the reasons as to why, Vincent D’Onofrio confirmed to Marvel News Desk that Daredevil was a victim of the Mouse House and MCU’s own ambition.
“I don’t think any of us were okay. I think that we were like, ‘Oh okay, we had a hit show and now it’s gone.’ But shortly after that, at same time the #SaveDaredevil groups started to rise, the cast, most of us I believe, but I know Charlie (Cox) and I for sure, and Deborah (Ann Woll), I think we started to learn the reasons why that happened. So we understood what Marvel was doing because Disney Plus coming out.
When you’re in this business a long time like we have all been, it kind of made sense business-wise. What didn’t make sense to us was why we wouldn’t continue that show or the idea of how that worked and how well it worked. Conceptually, I think we were disappointed but I think we all understood what was going on and it sort of was inevitable. In this business you learn to accept things because you know its a business in the end and there’s nothing you can really do about it.”
At least the actor made his long-awaited return to the fray in Hawkeye, while Charlie Cox popped up for a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home to reintroduce the two Netflix veterans into the canonical MCU, and there’s going to be plenty more to come from both of them in the future.
