Were you upset by Netflix recently canceling basically all the Marvel series? I was. Each of the series had their high points, as well as their low points, but as a whole they were quality, entertaining Marvel deliverables. I think we can all agree there was a ton of potential just trashed. Why did Marvel expend a heap of time and energy to hash out this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) just to give up on it? We are also losing some of the great ancillary characters in the MCU and promising storylines, as well. So, how does Marvel deal with this? Where do they go next?
We can all shed a tear for the Daredevils and Luke Cages of the MCU, but in the long term I don't think we should be concerned about losing those characters for good. My concerns lie with the other fascinating characters that helped drive the main characters thru their trials and tribulations. What happens to Foggy Nelson and his law career? Or Colleen Wing who has had the most entertaining fight scenes in Iron Fist... I guess those are gone. By far the best story line was the showdown between Luke Cage and Misty Knight who were on a collision course trying to figure out what it means to be a "good guy" in the MCU. Misty Knight has been a background staple in the comics for years and had a great character presence in the Netflix series. Misty Knight's first appearance was in Marvel Premiere #21, from 1975, which is a rare book in upper grades with only 15 copies graded in 9.8 and a Fair Market Value (FMV) of $650. I was excited to speculate about season 3 of Luke Cage and how it was going to go... but I guess we will never know...or will we?
I don't believe we are going to see these characters wiped by the Thanos snap. I believe we are going to see a revamp of many of these characters following Phase 4 for Marvel. Think of it like a relaunch using the Ultimate Marvel titles, as the comics did in the 2000's. Maybe Misty Knight and Colleen Wing start a new show as Daughters of the Dragon, in tandem with a Heroes for Hire show that groups Luke Care and Iron Fist, or even a new-age Defenders type of deal. All sounds great...however, due to a stipulation between Netflix and Marvel, they cannot legally use the characters until 2 years after the series is cancelled. By that time, Marvel may have changed its mind on these characters and their importance to the MCU. Even worse, there may be an "out of sight, out of mind" consequence for benching these characters for 2 years and then trying to re-introduce them. Luke Cage may be an afterthought as Marvel develops additional characters. With Season 2 of The Punisher just announce on Netflix, it is really murky what the path forward will be for Marvel outside of the flagship movie offerings.
The main takeaway has to be this: Marvel is unpredictable and we should not rule anything out. Dead characters return all the time...alternate realities, what ifs, and timelines are all possible. Could Marvel be convinced that resetting everything and going Ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe (UMCU.....I guess? I just made this up) may be the way forward and what is best for the brand?
How are you feeling about the cancellation of the Netflix Marvel properties? Are you hoping Disney and Marvel create more series based super-hero content? Admit it, you are desperately waiting for a Great Lakes Avengers show. Drop you comments and join the conversation.
