Marvel’s Daredevil has been cancelled on Netflix, and fans aren't happy

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“We are tremendously proud of the show’s last and final season and although it’s painful for the fans, we feel it best to close this chapter on a high note.”

“We’re thankful to our partners at Marvel, showrunner Erik Oleson, the show’s writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox as Daredevil himself, and we’re grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years.”

The news comes just a month after Daredevil’s third season began streaming on Netflix, and follows close on the heels of similar cancellations for Iron Fist and Luke Cage. However, in Daredevil’s case many fans had hoped there were still plans for a fourth run for the blind martial-arts master, especially when showrunner Erik Oleson suggested he was pitching for more episodes just a few weeks ago.

Yet it turns out even Daredevil wasn’t safe - and it’s fair to say that many fans of the series were pretty distraught to hear of its cancellation.

As to why the series was cancelled, well, that’s a bit of a mystery. Netflix don’t release viewing figures for their streaming series so it’s hard to know what the ratings for Daredevil were like, but given the cancellation it may have been that there was a bit of a drop in fans tuning in.

Alternatively, this cancellation (and that of Luke Cage and Iron Fist) could be in some way related to Disney’s upcoming streaming service Disney+, where the House of Mouse will be pushing their own streaming series (including one starring Tom Hiddleston’s Loki).

Maybe Netflix didn’t fancy continuing to feature characters that belonged to a new rival, or maybe Disney themselves are trying to regain their Intellectual Property so they can use characters like Daredevil on their own platform – it’s hard to say.

Adding some weight to that second idea, though, is another comment made by Netflix in their statement, suggesting that while Daredevil may be leaving Netflix he might not be handing in his red bodysuit permanently

“While the series on Netflix has ended, the three existing seasons will remain on the service for years to come, while the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel.”

Whether these “future projects” mean Cox’s version of the character (and the show as a whole) will move to Disney+ or whether it means Marvel will reboot the character for either TV or film appearances is unclear – it could even just mean that Daredevil will still crop up in Marvel comics, unrelated to Marvel’s live-action projects.

Still, whatever the truth, Marvel’s Daredevil as we know it is gone – and among the mourning fans, stars of the series including Deborah Ann Woll (who played Karen Page since the first episode) and former showrunner Steven DeKnight also paid their respects.

Now, only Jessica Jones and The Punisher remain of Netflix’s once-thriving superhero stable. No pressure…

Marvel’s Daredevil seasons 1-3 are streaming on Netflix now

This article was originally published on 30 November 2018