“Daredevil” has been canceled by Netflix after three season, as the streamer continues to cull its Marvel series offerings.
The first of Netflix’s live-action Marvel adaptations, “Daredevil” first premiered in 2015 with Charlie Cox starring as Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who moonlights as a crime-fighting vigilante. The show’s most-recent third season debuted on the platform last month to largely positive reviews.
Netflix’s move to cancel the series comes just over a month after “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage” — two of the other series in the streamer’s “Marvel’s Defenders” franchise — were both axed from Netflix’s line-up.
“Marvel’s Daredevil will not return for a fourth season on Netflix,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. “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.”
As with the cancellations of “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage,” Netflix hinted that the character of Daredevil could live on in some other capacity: “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,” the statement continued.
The move to reduce the number of Marvel Television series on Netflix appears to signal the end of the studio’s relationship with the streaming giant at a time when Marvel’s parent company Disney is gearing up to launch a rival streaming service of its own.
Marvel Studios has already announced plans to create a number of projects for the upcoming Disney+, including at least one limited series spinoff of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise.
The only Marvel series remaining on Netflix are “The Punisher” and “Jessica Jones,” which have already been renewed for their second and third seasons, respectively. No premiere dates for either show have been announced.
Erik Oleson served as showrunner and executive producer on “Daredevil.” In addition to Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll, Joanne Whalley, Wilson Bethel and Jay Ali also starred.