Netflix's Daredevil was the most popular Marvel series on the streaming service, but it was ultimately canceled after three seasons. The series followed the story of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock as he tried to protect Hell's Kitchen as the titular hero against Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin. Cox is joined by a stellar ensemble that includes Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson.
The series had a successful run from 2015-2018, with the third season closing out Murdock's chapter under the Netflix banner. Daredevil's cancellation earned a mixed reception from fans and even critics, fueling online discussion on social media and fan campaigns such as #SaveDaredevil.
Despite being canceled, there have been rumors that some of Daredevil's cast will make the jump into the MCU. This was further solidified by D'Onofrio's appearance in Hawkeye and ultimately, Cox's surprise arrival as a "really good lawyer" in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Now, as Daredevil's characters are slowly being integrated into the larger MCU, a new interview has shed some light on the show's cancellation on Netflix.
Why Was Netflix's Daredevil Cancelled?
Daredevil actor Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays Kingpin, sat down with the Marvel News Desk podcast to talk about his experience and reaction to the Marvel show's cancellation on Netflix.
As transcribed by Murphy's Multiverse, the Marvel actor first admitted that they weren't okay with the cancellation, but they eventually understood why it happened since Disney+ was the main reason behind its stoppage:
"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.' You know, at the same time the group #SaveDaredevil started to rise, we started to learn the reasons why that happened and so we understood what Marvel was doing because Disney+ coming out."
The Kingpin actor then discussed the roller coaster of emotions that the cast and crew experienced after receiving the news, saying that they were "disappointed" while accepting that "it's a business" at the end of the day:
"You know 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 was sort of was inevitable. In this business you learn to accept things because you know it's a business in the end and there’s nothing you can really do about it."
Daredevil is Back in the MCU (Officially)
Vincent D'Onofrio's latest comments essentially confirm that Disney+ served as the main reason behind the end of the line for Netflix's Marvel shows, not just for Daredevil. In a way, this makes sense, since Marvel Studios and Disney have a goal of placing all their content in one place.
The actor's remark about being disappointed due to the unfortunate cancellation is understandable, especially considering the fact that the show earned positive reception from fans and critics. At the end of the day, D'Onofrio knew that the writing was on the wall, as the higher-ups at Marvel has to make the right decisions for the business as a whole.
And then the return finally happened for both Charlie Cox and D'Onofrio in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye respectively. Despite that, the show's cancellation still leads to the debate surrounding Daredevil's ties to the MCU.
The confusion is understandable since Hawkeye and No Way Home didn't flat out confirm if the events of Daredevil are still canon. While this will further be explored in future MCU projects, D'Onofrio's previous confirmation that his Kingpin in the Jeremy Renner-led series is still the same one from Daredevil should serve as a good starting point.
Hawkeye is now streaming on Disney+, while Daredevil is currently playing on Netflix.
