The Marvel Cinematic Universe is officially losing another pillar of its Disney+ slate. Despite Disney+ series becoming a staple of the MCU's Multiverse Saga slate, Marvel Studios has struggled to get a long-running show off the ground. The studio has launched 15 live-action Disney+ series in Phases 4 to 6, only two of which, Loki and Daredevil: Born Again, earned a second season, while the latter will be the first to reach Season 3 when it returns in March 2027.
The Multiverse Saga is entering its last leg as Phase 6 is well underway with VisionQuest set to premiere on October 14, Avengers: Doomsday coming on December 18, and Secret Wars wrapping everything up on December 17, 2027. After that, Phase 7 and the rumored Mutant Saga are next up with X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther 3, but what's to come on the Disney+ front is a mystery.
While Marvel Television could peel back the curtain on some of its plans at New York Comic-Con in October, bad news has just struck fans of one MCU TV show: yet another Marvel show has reportedly been axed, marking the third to say goodbye this year alone...
Marvel's 3rd Live-Action TV Show of 2026 Just Got Canceled
Wonder Man
Marvel Television's first major cancellation of 2026 landed in July as a true shocker, as Wonder Man Season 2 was officially abandoned at Disney+. The announcement was rather unexpected, since Wonder Man was renewed for Season 2 in March and early development was already underway.
Series star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who was nominated for an Emmy for the Hollywood satire, weighed in on the cancellation with Vanity Fair. The MCU newcomer noted that the decision was "to do with the viewership numbers," and the studio concluded that it "didn't make sense for business."
The decision to cancel Wonder Man seemingly came from high up at Disney, as co-creator Destin Daniel Cretton told The Wrap that "if it were up to [Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige]" the show would continue. It appears that it was the folks at Disney+, not Marvel Television, who were unhappy with the numbers.
Spider-Noir
Having premiered its eight-episode bingeable season in May, Sony Pictures TV's Spider-Noir is officially a one-and-done at Amazon Prime Video. The Nicolas Cage-fronted detective noir epic was canceled after Season 1, as Deadline reported that its "respectable but not outsized viewership," coupled with a "high cost" rumored to be $400 million, ultimately ruled out a renewal.
Despite Spider-Noir's cancellation, Prime Video and Sony Pictures TV are pushing ahead on a partnership for more live-action Spider-Man shows, with at least four new blockbusters in the works, only one or two of which will move forward.
The cancellation doesn't seem to have moved Cage, who made his TV debut on Spider-Noir and told Deadline that he feels "one season is perfect." The actor has already set up his next TV venture, as he is jumping ship from Amazon Prime Video to HBO to star in True Detective Season 5:
"For me, one season is perfect, having said what I wanted to say with this dangerous, innovative, pop-art Spider-Man. Onwards, upwards, inwards."
Fortunately, Cage will still voice Spider-Man Noir one last time as he is returning to team up with Miles Morales in 2027's Beyond the Spider-Verse, although the animated and live-action Variants are believed to be different people altogether.
Daredevil: Born Again
Just two months after Wonder Man and weeks after Spider-Noir, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively confirmed that Daredevil: Born Again is ending next. While the Netflix reboot is said to be in the "final stages" of post-production for Season 3, Born Again won't go beyond that, and there will be no Season 4.
Furthermore, THR noted that showrunner Dario Scardapane has left Born Again during Season 3's post-production. It's unclear whether the cancellation or any behind-the-scenes drama prompted his exit, as his contract had lapsed and wasn't renewed anyway, paving the way for someone else to land the ship.
Data from Luminate revealed that Born Again Season 2 lost half of Season 1's viewership, and Season 1 had already failed to reach Nielsen's Top 10 during its entire run. As such, canceling the Daredevil revival may have been a viewership decision, with Season 3 going ahead to wrap up its storyline, as production was already underway before the sophomore season even premiered.
It isn't just Scardapane's contract that reportedly lapsed with Season 3; Nexus Point News revealed that Charlie Cox and Vincent D' Onofrio's agreements would also be concluded and need to be renegotiated for a potential Season 4. The financial side of so many major contractual renewals may also have been a factor in canceling the TV-MA Disney+ series altogether, as well as its viewership.
Born Again's three-season final total will match the original Netflix show, albeit with 14 fewer episodes due to its shorter episode counts. This season will be the biggest crossover yet for Marvel Television's Defenders Saga reboot, as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist are officially reuniting to wrap things up.
It's unclear what the cancellation means for Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin going forward. Many will be hopeful that Born Again ending will free up their schedules for a theatrical MCU appearance, possibly in Spider-Man 5, to deliver the street-level web-slinging crossover fans have been hoping for.
How Marvel Studios' Disney+ Strategy Is Changing Going Forward
In the same breath that THR reported that Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is ending, the trade alleviated some fears about Marvel Television's future. Not only did THR claim that the studio "continually has three to five live-action shows in development," but one has already been greenlit to move forward.
The greenlit project is reportedly a spy thriller called Zodiac (likely a working title), which could be the procedural, story-of-the-week-type Disney+ show that Jeff Sneider claimed Marvel Television is creating on The Hot Mic in August.
That may not be the only show in the pipeline at Marvel Television, as Murphy's Multiverse revealed that, alongside Zodiac, the studio is moving the codenamed Slumber Party into production next year with an option for more seasons.
While Slumber Party's youthful working title is likely the Young Avengers crossover show that has been long rumored, Zodiac comes with far more mystery. The spy thriller could be the Jessica Jones revival that was teased last year to be coming "sooner than you think," perhaps including other Defenders characters, like her husband, Luke Cage, for an X-Files-esque procedural show within the MCU.
Alternatively, the procedural format could be an interesting match for the rumored Mutant Saga, as the X-Men reboot and other movies bring mutants to the forefront. The Marvel universe is packed with mutant characters, many of whom there will never be room for in the X-Men franchise; a mutant-of-the-week format could make room for many of these lesser-known superpowered people to be explored.
That marks a major pivot for the MCU's Disney+ strategy, which once leant heavily on serialized limited series that effectively chopped a long movie into six parts. Even more recently, the studio set out to focus on multi-season shows out of Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man, but now, it appears that Marvel Television is eager to head into Phase 7 and the MCU's third saga with a clean slate.
Marvel Television may be eager to find just two to three shows that can release new seasons annually for a longer period, similar to ABC's Agents of SHIELD. Of course, whatever the future holds on the live-action front, these shows will exist alongside Marvel Animation staples like X-Men '97, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and, if Season 2 goes well, Marvel Zombies.
