Marvel's Netflix television series

Marvel's Netflix television series are a set of interconnected American streaming television series created for the streaming service Netflix, based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios, they are set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledge the continuity of the franchise's films and other television series. Marvel collectively refers to the group of shows as the "Marvel Street-Level Heroes" or "Marvel Knights" series.

A deal between Marvel and Netflix to produce several interconnected series was announced in November 2013, with the individual series Daredevil (2015–2018), Jessica Jones (2015–2019), Luke Cage (2016–2018), and Iron Fist (2017–2018) culminating in the crossover miniseries The Defenders (2017). A spin-off from Daredevil, The Punisher (2017–2019), was ordered in April 2016. The series were all filmed in New York State, forming the state's largest television production commitment with 161 episodes between them. Starring in the series are Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, and Finn Jones as Danny Rand / Iron Fist, who all star together in The Defenders, as well as Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher. Many actors have roles across the different series, including Rosario Dawson who signed a special deal with Marvel to do so.

The series are believed to have generated strong viewership for Netflix, who do not release exact viewership details, and received positive reviews for their casts and darker take on the MCU. There were some common criticisms of the series, such as for their pacing. Netflix had cancelled all of the series by February 2019, as Marvel's parent company Disney was preparing its own streaming service Disney+. Contractually, Marvel must wait two years before they can use the characters without Netflix.

Development
By October 2013, Marvel Television was preparing four drama series and a miniseries, totaling 60 episodes, to present to video on demand services and cable providers, with Netflix, Amazon, and WGN America expressing interest. In November 2013, Marvel's parent company Disney was set to provide Netflix with live-action series based on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage, leading up to a crossover miniseries based on the Defenders. Disney CEO Bob Iger explained that Disney had chosen Netflix to air the shows when they realized that the audience of the streaming service would provide a way to "grow the popularity of the characters".

Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb later stated that Marvel was not "interested in making four pilots and then hoping someday that they could all get together. Netflix really understood what it is we wanted to do. They're very open to directors that might not have that same opportunity in broadcast television. The notion of having all 13 episodes at one time, particularly in serialized storytelling, is very appealing." Loeb also added that the four characters "lent [themselves] to a world" due to their relationships and shared locale of New York City in the comics, but that the individual series would be different form one another because "the characters have different issues, different problems, different feelings about them". Loeb gave as an example the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy (both 2014), on which he said, "I cannot think of two films that are more different in tone" than them, and yet "they feel very Marvel ... like, 'Oh, it is still the same universe that I'm in.'"

Marvel's Joe Quesada confirmed in April 2014 that the Netflix series would be set within the MCU. Loeb explained that "within the Marvel universe there are thousands of heroes of all shapes and sizes, but the Avengers are here to save the universe and Daredevil is here to save the neighborhood ... It does take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's all connected. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we would look up in the sky and see [ Iron Man ]. It's just a different part of New York that we have not yet seen in the Marvel movies." In January 2015, Netflix COO Ted Sarandos said Netflix planned to release a Marvel series approximately a year apart from each other after Daredevil's April 2015 release. A year later, Sarandos noted that the release schedules of the Marvel Netflix series are dependent on the "long production times and long post times. In some cases, when we have characters crossover, it makes it more difficult to manage production. It's not the goal to put out more than one or two [each] year ... The complex one is really The Defenders. The Defenders' production schedule will determine a lot of the season 2 and 3 output of those shows." He also noted on potential spin-offs that "all the characters in the universe could also spin out" into their own series at some point, with Netflix ordering The Punisher, a spin-off from Daredevil, in April 2016.

In May 2015, after starring as Claire Temple in the first season of Daredevil, Rosario Dawson signed with Marvel to return for the second season of the series as part of an "exclusive TV deal" that also allowed her to appear in any other Marvel Netflix series. Dawson went on to appear in all of the series except The Punisher, linking them together similarly to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in the MCU films. Dawson explained that she signed on with Marvel each year for a certain number of episodes, and found out which series the episodes were for closer to the time of filming. Sarandos stated in July 2016 that Netflix was trying to close the gap between releases of Marvel seasons and was considering expanding to new series, but would always prioritize the quality of the shows over having more series and more releases per year. That month, Marvel and Netflix committed to completing production on 135 episodes by the end of 2017, making the deal the largest television production commitment in New York State. Production for the different series engaged 500 local vendors and small businesses for various stages of development and required over 14,000 production-related hires.

Series






Daredevil (2015–2018)
Lawyer-by-day Matt Murdock uses his heightened senses from being blinded as a young boy to fight crime at night on the streets of Hell's Kitchen as Daredevil, juxtaposed with the rise of crime lord Wilson Fisk. Murdock eventually crosses paths with Frank Castle / Punisher, a vigilante with far deadlier methods, and sees the return of his old girlfriend, Elektra Natchios. When Wilson Fisk is released from prison, Murdock must decide between hiding from the world or embracing his life as a hero vigilante.

In December 2013, Marvel announced that Drew Goddard would be the executive producer and showrunner for Daredevil, and would write and direct the first episode, though at the end of May 2014, Goddard would no longer set to be the showrunner for the series and was replaced by Steven S. DeKnight. Goddard, who wrote the first two episodes, remained with the show as an executive producer. A few days later, Charlie Cox was cast as Daredevil. A second season was ordered on April 21, 2015, with Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez taking over as showrunners from DeKnight, who could not return to the series due to a prior commitment. A third season was ordered in July 2016, with Erik Oleson taking over as showrunner of the series in October 2017.

The first season, which debuted in its entirety on April 10, 2015, features references to The Avengers (2012), and mentions Carl "Crusher" Creel, a character from the MCU series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The insignia for the Iron Fist antagonist Steel Serpent is also seen in the season. The second season, which premiered on March 18, 2016, features the motorcycle gang Dogs of Hell, who also appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., along with numerous references to the events of the first season of Jessica Jones. Jon Bernthal co-stars as Frank Castle / Punisher, before headlining his own series, while Michelle Hurd and Carrie-Anne Moss reprise their roles of Samantha Reyes and Jeri Hogarth from Jessica Jones. The third season was released on October 19, 2018.

Jessica Jones (2015–2019)
Former superhero Jessica Jones suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, so she opens her own detective agency to help people. She begins to put her life back together after her encounter with Kilgrave, taking on a new case that makes her reluctantly confront her past.

In November 2013, Melissa Rosenberg was announced as the writer and executive producer of the series, and the following March, Loeb stated that filming would begin after Daredevil. In December 2014, Krysten Ritter was cast as Jessica Jones in the series. A second season was ordered on January 17, 2016, and a third on April 12, 2018. Scott Reynolds joined Rosenberg as co-showrunner for the third season.

The first season, which debuted in its entirety on November 20, 2015, features references to the events and characters of The Avengers, and co-stars Mike Colter as Luke Cage before he headlined his own series. Rosario Dawson reprises her Daredevil role of Claire Temple, as does Royce Johnson in his role of Brett Mahoney. The second season, which was released on March 8, 2018, sees Elden Henson reprise his role of Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, as well as Rob Morgan as Turk Barrett and Tijuana Ricks as Thembi Wallace. The third season was released on June 14, 2019.

Luke Cage (2016–2018)
When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem, and must soon confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city. After clearing his name, Cage becomes a hero and celebrity in Harlem, only to encounter a new threat that makes him confront the line between hero and villain.

Colter reprises his role as Luke Cage in his own series. In March 2014, Loeb stated that the series would begin filming after Iron Fist, being the fourth of the individual series. By March 2015, it was instead slated to be the third of the individual series, beginning production after Jessica Jones. The series was switched with Iron Fist after the positive reception Luke Cage received on Jessica Jones, becoming that series' breakout star and Marvel wanting to "follow the momentum". Also in March, Cheo Hodari Coker was announced as showrunner and executive producer of the series. A second season was ordered on December 3, 2016.

The first season, which premiered on September 30, 2016, features references to The Avengers, the second season of Daredevil, the first season of Jessica Jones, and a flier for Colleen Wing's martial arts class, and mentions Justin Hammer, Wilson Fisk, and Frank Castle. Reprising their roles in the season are Dawson as Temple, Morgan as Barrett, Rachel Taylor as Trish Walker, Stephen Rider as Blake Tower, Parisa Fitz-Henley as Reva Connors, and Danny Johnson as Ben Donovan. The second season, which premiered on June 22, 2018, features a reference to Detective Brigid O'Reilly from the MCU series Cloak & Dagger. Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, and Henson reprise their roles as Danny Rand, Colleen Wing, and Foggy Nelson in the season.

Iron Fist (2017–2018)
Danny Rand returns to New York City, after being missing for fifteen years, to reclaim his family company. However, when a threat emerges, Rand must choose between his family's legacy and his duties as the Iron Fist.

In March 2014, Loeb stated that the series would begin filming after Jessica Jones as the third of the individual series. By March 2015, it was expected to be the fourth of the individual series, entering production following Luke Cage. The series was switched with Luke Cage after the positive reception Luke Cage received on Jessica Jones, becoming that series' breakout star and Marvel wanting to "follow the momentum". In December 2015, Marvel announced that Scott Buck would serve as showrunner and executive producer of the series. In February 2016, Finn Jones was cast as Rand. A second season was revealed to be in development in July 2017, with Raven Metzner announced as the new showrunner for the season, replacing Buck.

The first season, which premiered on March 17, 2017, makes references to the events of The Avengers, the Hulk, Stark Industries, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Seagate Prison, and mentions the Dogs of Hell biker gang, New York Bulletin editor-in-chief Mitchell Ellison and reporter Karen Page, Roxxon Oil, and Midland Circle. Events from the second season of Daredevil are also noted throughout. Reprising their roles in the season are Moss as Hogarth, Dawson as Temple, Wai Ching Ho as Gao, Marquis Rodriguez as Darryl, Tijuana Ricks as Thembi Wallace, and Suzanne H. Smart as Shirley Benson. The second season, which was released on September 7, 2018, sees Simone Missick reprise her role as Misty Knight.

The Defenders (2017)
The superheroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist team-up in New York City.

The Defenders sees Cox, Ritter, Colter, and Jones reprise their roles as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand / Iron Fist, respectively, from the previous television series. In March 2014, Loeb stated that the miniseries would begin filming after Iron Fist. In April 2016, Marvel announced that Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez would act as showrunners for The Defenders. However, by the start of filming in New York City in October 2016, Petrie had left the series as co-showrunner. Filming concluded in March 2017. The eight-episode event premiered on August 18, 2017.

The miniseries also sees many supporting characters from the individual series reprise their roles, including, Deborah Ann Woll, Henson, Scott Glenn, Élodie Yung, Eka Darville, Moss, Taylor, Simone Missick, Jessica Henwick, Dawson, Ho, Ramón Rodríguez, Peter McRobbie, Morgan, Amy Rutberg, Susan Varon, and Nichole Yannetty as Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Stick, Elektra Natchios, Malcolm Ducasse, Jeri Hogarth, Trish Walker, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Claire Temple, Gao, Bakuto, Lantom, Turk Barrett, Marci Stahl, Josie and Nicole, respectively. Midland Circle, which was referenced in previous Netflix series, is revealed to be an operation of the Hand, who bought the building to search for the life substance hidden beneath the property. The miniseries also references the events of The Avengers.

The Punisher (2017–2019)
Frank Castle is haunted and hunted after the murder of his family and becomes a vigilante known in the criminal underworld as "the Punisher", who aims to fight crime by any means necessary.

By January 2016, ahead of the debut of Bernthal as armed vigilante Frank Castle / Punisher in the second season of Daredevil, Netflix was in "very early development" on a spin-off series and was looking for a showrunner. The series would be centered on Bernthal as Castle, and was described as a stand-alone series, outside of the series leading up to The Defenders. Loeb implied that Marvel Television had not instigated the development of the spin-off and were focusing on making "the best 13 episodes of Daredevil season two" at the time, but did say, "I'm never going to discourage a network from looking at one of our characters and encouraging us to do more....If we are lucky enough that through the writing, through the direction, through the actor that people want to see more of that person, terrific." In April 2016, Marvel and Netflix ordered The Punisher, along with confirming Bernthal's involvement and naming Steve Lightfoot as showrunner. Filming began in Brooklyn, New York in October 2016, and concluded in April 2017. A second season was ordered on December 12, 2017.

In the first season, which was released on November 17, 2017, Woll and Morgan reprise their roles as Karen Page and Turk Barrett, respectively. The second season was released on January 18, 2019.

Reception
With the release of the second season of Daredevil, Brian Lowery of Variety felt the Netflix series "have already leapfrogged ABC's forays into the Marvel universe in terms of their appeal, in part by tapping into the avid fan base that supports pay models and doesn't need to be spoon-fed plot points. In the process, they have demonstrated that it's possible to deliver a credible superhero show without a lot of pyrotechnics". Following the release of Jessica Jones, David Priest at c | net wrote that the series rescues "Marvel from itself ... Jessica Jones takes big steps forward in terms of theme, craft and diversity. It's a good story first, and a superhero show second. And for the first time, the MCU seems like it matters." For Paul Tassi and Erik Kain of Forbes, watching the series made them question the MCU, with Kain feeling that the "morally complex, violent, dark world of Jessica Jones has no place in the MCU ... right now, the MCU is holding back shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil, while those shows are contributing absolutely nothing to the MCU." Tassi went so far as to wonder what "the point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe" is, lamenting the lack of major crossovers in the franchise and saying that Jessica Jones is "so far removed from the world of The Avengers, it might as well not be in the same universe at all ... [I] really don't understand the point of [the MCU] if they're going to keep everything within it separated off in these little boxes". Conversely, Eric Francisco of Inverse called Jessica Jones's lack of overt connections to the MCU "the show's chief advantage. Besides demonstrating how physically wide open the MCU's scope really is, Jessica Jones also proves the MCU's thematic durability."

After the release of the first season of Luke Cage, The Atlantic's David Sims highlighted the pacing of Marvel's Netflix series, a common complaint from critics of all the series, stating, "After two seasons of Daredevil, one of Jessica Jones, and now one of Luke Cage, the Netflix model feels fundamentally flawed, encouraging the kind of molasses-slow plotting comic books are designed to eschew. The problem isn't that these shows are bad, necessarily... But they all take far too long to get going, by which point many viewers will have already tuned out." He felt one of the problems was the fact that Netflix does not rely on viewers tuning into a particular series as broadcast series do each week, but rather subscribers who, if they lose interest, "can take as long as they want to catch up... as long as they keep paying their subscription fee every month." The Netflix series are also afforded the opportunity to explore elements in more detail, with Sims noting "A lot of this detail [is] good, but it could have been considerably compressed—none of the Marvel Netflix series, so far, would have lost much by being squeezed into 10 episodes, or even 8. If Netflix shaved the 60-minute running time down quite a bit, it would likely inspire more economical—and better—storytelling from its shows." Sims concluded by saying, "What's most frustrating of all is that Netflix isn't getting rid of this approach anytime soon. Daredevil season three, Jessica Jones season two, Iron Fist, and The Punisher are all on their way, and each will follow the same 13-episode structure... The only respite may come in the form of The Defenders, a planned crossover series... over the course of just eight episodes. Who knows? The show might even surprise viewers and explain its villain's motivations within the first hour. Until then, fans will be stuck needlessly giving over entire days to these series, while others are deterred from watching at all."

In her review for the first season of Iron Fist, Allison Keene of Collider spoke of the Marvel Netflix series' more grounded tone "than what we typically expect from a superhero show (like DC's candy-colored [ Arrowverse ] on The CW)", which misses a key element expected of superhero series: "this be fantastical entertainment". With The Defenders, Jeff Jansen of Entertainment Weekly felt many improvements were made in response to the common complaints the previous seasons received. He said, "The Defenders is far from perfect. But it's an enjoyable superhero adventure distinguished by improvements and innovations that I hope Marvel will carry forward. Shorter seasons. More team-ups. Fewer shows. Start the consolidation by letting go of Iron Fist. If Danny Rand must persist, add him to the other shows and let the stronger players carry him."

Television series
Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos stated in January 2016 that "all the characters in the universe" could receive their own spin-off series, and that July he added that Netflix was open to exploring the MCU beyond the Defenders series, including potential crossovers with ABC's Marvel series. Netflix vice president of original content Cindy Holland reiterated in July 2018 that there were always ongoing discussions regarding creating more spin-offs for characters from their Marvel series. That September, Loeb stated that he would like to make a Daughters of the Dragon series for Netflix, featuring Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing and Simone Missick's Misty Knight.

Feature films
When the Marvel-Netflix deal was announced in November 2013, Iger indicated that if the characters proved popular they could go on to star in feature films. In March 2015, Loeb stated that the series would start out self-contained since "the audience needs to understand who all of these characters are and what the world is before you then start co-mingling". In September 2015, Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige said the films referencing the television series was inevitable, but "the schedules do not always quite match up to make that possible [since] by the time we start doing a movie, they'd be mid-way through a season. By the time our movie comes out, they'd be [starting the next season]."

In April 2016, Marvel Studios revealed that Alfre Woodard would appear in Captain America: Civil War (2016), having already been cast as Mariah Dillard in Luke Cage the previous year. This "raised hopes that Marvel could be uniting its film and Netflix universes", with "one of the first and strongest connections" between the two. However, Civil War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed that Woodard would instead be portraying Miriam Sharpe in the film, explaining that she had been cast on the suggestion of Robert Downey, Jr., and they had not learnt of her casting in Luke Cage until afterwards. This was not the first instance of actors being cast in multiple roles in the MCU, but this casting was called more "significant", and seen by many as a "disappointing" indication of "the growing divide" and "lack of more satisfying cooperation" between Marvel Studios and Marvel Television following the September 2015 corporate reshuffling of Marvel Entertainment that saw Marvel Studios become its own entity under Disney.

Eric Carroll, producer on Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), felt with the introduction of Queens-based Spider-Man to the MCU it "would be really fun" to make mention of the Defenders based in Manhattan, adding, "it's definitely a card I would love to see played, if not sooner rather than later." In January 2017, Vincent D'Onofrio, who portrays Wilson Fisk in Daredevil, said he "would love to switch over to the movies, but I think it's pretty much been said it's not going to happen. Or at least not for a very, very long time." D'Onofrio cited Feige's previous reasoning as well as the fact that the films already had difficulty "bringing big characters in that they have to service in the writing" and adding characters from the television series would be "just too many characters" since the films were "trying to figure out already how to individualize more and at the same time keep The Avengers going". Loeb said in October that the television series do not show Avengers Tower in New York City as the films do because Marvel Television wanted to be "less specific" about their characters' relationships to the tower and indicate that "this could be on any street corner ... where you would not be able to see the tower, even though it exists.

When Feige first announced the crossover film Avengers: Infinity War (2018), he said the opportunity "certainly" exists for characters in the Netflix series to appear in that film, and actors such as Krysten Ritter of Jessica Jones expressed interest in doing this. Daredevil's Charlie Cox revealed that he and other actors with Marvel Television were contractually obliged to appear in a Marvel film if asked. Infinity War co-director Anthony Russo stated that including television characters in Infinity War would be complicated by Marvel Studios and Marvel Television having separate oversight. The "briefest consideration" to including television characters in the film was ultimately made, but the directors stated that it was "practically impossible", and decided to just focus on crossing-over the characters from previous films instead.

Cancellations and future
In October 2018, Netflix canceled Iron Fist, with Deadline Hollywood reporting that Disney was considering reviving the series on its streaming service Disney+. Sarandos confirmed that the series were Netflix's to renew or cancel if they wished, and the company was "super happy with [the other series'] performance so far". Despite this, Luke Cage was canceled by the streamer a week after Iron Fist was. Deadline Hollywood reported there were no plans to revive the series on Disney+ as with Iron Fist. Shortly after, at the end of November 2018, Netflix canceled Daredevil, with Deadline Hollywood again reporting there was the potential for the series to be revived on Disney+. Conversely, The Hollywood Reporter felt it was unlikely the series would be revived on Disney+ and also noted the two other remaining series at the time (Jessica Jones and The Punisher) would remain on Netflix "until they run their course". Variety added that, per the original deal between Marvel and Netflix for the series, the characters cannot appear in any non-Netflix series or films for at least two years following their cancellation. Kevin A. Mayer, chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, noted that, while it had not yet been discussed, it was a possibility that Disney+ could revive the cancelled Netflix series. Netflix canceled both Jessica Jones and The Punisher on February 18, 2019.

Loeb stated in August 2019 that Marvel Television had been "blindsided" by the cancellation of the series which "weren't finished yet", and the company had believed that the situation could be an end for them until they had several new series ordered by Hulu in a similar model to the original Marvel-Netflix deal. Loeb said there were future series being developed by Marvel Television that could be classified as "Marvel Street-Level Heroes" or "Marvel Knights" series just like the Marvel-Netflix series. He added, "however history's going to remember the story, all that's important to us is that we had an opportunity to change television by putting together four heroes, who then joined together in a group".