Usually, with very successful original shows, Netflix retains the rights to them. Netflix created them, after all, so there usually aren’t any licensing issues that would allow another streamer to house them, the way a broadcast show like Suits may switch platforms once a licensing agreement is over. Curiously, two of the best Netflix original shows ever made have suffered that exact fate, and they’re no longer on the streaming service that claimed them as originals.
Daredevil And Jessica Jones Were Two Of Netflix’s Best Original Series
Two of the best Netflix original shows were actually Marvel shows: Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Both Daredevil and Jessica Jones followed superheroes from Marvel Comics in grittier, more grounded crime thriller shows. Daredevil saw Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) balance his life as a lawyer with his superhero campaign to take down the Kingpin, while Jessica Jones saw her (Krysten Ritter) fight against Kilgrave (David Tenant).
There were other Marvel shows on Netflix, like Luke Cage, The Punisher, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, but Daredevil and Jessica Jones were the real show-stealers. Both of them presented such an interesting blend of superpowers with gritty realism, both were mired in this endlessly compelling sense of moral ambiguity, and they would have worked as great crime thrillers on their own without the Marvel branding.
The proof of how good Jessica Jones and Daredevil are is in the pudding. Jessica Jones has an average score in the 80s on Rotten Tomatoes, while Daredevil has scores in the 90s. These shows were huge hits with critics and fans alike, and they’ve managed to stay just as entertaining today as they were a decade ago. Unfortunately, if you haven’t seen them yet, you can’t watch them on Netflix anymore.
Why Netflix’s Marvel Shows Left The Streaming Service
Despite how good Netflix’s Marvel shows were, especially Daredevil and Jessica Jones, they eventually left the streaming service in February 2022. Though they were branded as Netflix originals, the Marvel shows were actually leased to the streamer by Disney, which owns Marvel (via Vanity Fair). In 2022, the leasing agreement expired, and the streaming rights reverted to Disney.
There was another stipulation in that leasing agreement, however. Netflix included a clause that prevented any of the characters from its shows, meaning Daredevil, The Punisher, and the rest, from appearing in any non-Netflix movie or show. Since Netflix canceled Daredevil in 2018, ostensibly to “end on a high note” but more likely due to declining viewership, Matt Murdock was then able to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.
The Defenders Are Finally Reuniting On Disney+
There is good news for fans of Netflix’s Marvel shows, however: the Defenders are probably reuniting on Disney+ in teh coming months. Matt Murdock and Frank Castle have already reappeared in Daredevil: Born Again, and Jessica Jones was in the trailer for Born Again season 2. There have also been new teases that Luke Cage and Iron Fist could also return in Born Again, such as an interview from Luke Cage star Mike Colter (via MovieWeb).
Daredevil & The Defenders Complete Timeline: What Order To Watch
The Netflix Marvel shows are more important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than ever, and here is the correct order to watch every one of them.
It now seems that Disney is ramping up to do a full-blown Defenders reunion in Daredevil: Born Again season 2. While it may not be on Netflix anymore, these great shows are at least continuing on Disney+ and not leaving fans of the various superheroes unfulfilled. It’s a shame that shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones aren’t accessible to Netflix subscribers anymore, but fans of the franchise can still experience these stories.
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January 16, 2007
- founders
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Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph