Netflix canceled 。 Marvel's Luke Cage 。on Friday, just one week after canceling Marvel's Iron Fist. With new seasons of Jessica Jones and 。 The Punisher。in the pipeline, a fresh Season 3 debut for。 Daredevil 。, and no plans to resurrect。 The Defenders。, could this be the end of Netflix and Marvel's game-changing TV partnership?

Marvel's Daredevil。first premiered on Netflix in the spring of 2015, surprising television critics and comic book fans alike. The words "dark" and "gritty" were on repeat – the shadowy aesthetic and relentless fight choreography stunned viewers in the best way.。 Jessica Jones 
。Jessica Jones 。 debuted that fall, the first female superhero headlining any Marvel or DC screen property, before。Supergirl
。 ,Wonder Woman 。 , or。 Captain Marvel。

came into our lives.。 Bringing in Jessica Jones and then greenlighting。Luke Cage 。 for the fall of 2016 set up the Netflix/Marvel universe; much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these heroes would have their standalone properties, their origin stories, their own villains and demons and values. But as with the MCU, there was a larger plan in place, the last piece of which came along in 2017 with。The Defenders。

The Defenders。

.。 Perhaps the deluge of Netflix/Marvel shows during that time set up a denouement for the franchise. We were averaging three shows a year, which is no small commitment for a viewer – it's one thing to get that many films in a year, but another entirely to digest nearly 40 episodes of television drama. 。Consider that。 Consider that。Spider-Man: Homecoming。 ,Thor: Ragnarok。 ,Black Panther。 ,Avengers: Infinity War 。

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 。 By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.。Thanks for signing up!。 Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones), Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) in 'The Defenders.'Credit: sarah shatz/netflix 。It's also been said since as early as。 It's also been said since as early as 。Jessica Jones。 ' debut season that 13 episodes is just too long for these shows.。Luke Cage 。 Season 1 struggled significantly in the back half, as did。Daredevil。

Season 2 without the Punisher.。 Iron Fist。remains an outlier; many were so put off by the premise and its problematic whitewashing that they didn't even bother, or couldn't get on board with the character even after trying. Iron Fist himself sticks out like a sore thumb in
。 The Defenders 。The Defenders。

, petulant and self-important but inexplicably the hill upon which they are expected to fight and die.。 Ironically, Luke Cage 。 's Iron Fist crossover was one of the season's strongest episodes, and certainly the most palatable Danny Rand has ever been as a character. It merits asking whether the logical followup to。Defenders。 wasn't just transitioning the Netflix/Marvel universe into crossover shows instead of standalones, difficult though they are to plan and execute.。The Iron Fist/Luke Cage alliance strengthened both characters in a way that 。 The Iron Fist/Luke Cage alliance strengthened both characters in a way that。The Defenders
。

should have – indeed, in a way that 。

Defenders。 did strengthen Jessica Jones and Matt Murdock. The newer Netflix/Marvel shows still feel rushed compared to the pacing and detail of
 。Daredevil 。