Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones, known collectively as The Defenders, will no longer be available on Netflix starting March 1, 2022. There is no word yet on where the popular shows can be streamed after that.
Daredevil appeared on Netflix in 2015 and was quickly joined by Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The success of Marvel Studios movies over the past decade made these shows a smart investment and the successful run of all the series only proves that fact, so learning of the streamer's decision to end streaming of the popular shows comes as a surprise to many.
If attempting to stream any of The Defenders series today, viewers are met with a message from Netflix explaining, "this show is available until March 1st." With the extreme and long-lasting popularity of Marvel superheroes, this short message has raised eyebrows. There is no comment from Netflix so far on why they will no longer stream the series or where they will be available after Netflix removes them. Considering the success of Marvel in general and these series in particular, it is unlikely the shows are ending when they leave Netflix. Recent appearances of Daredevil's Charlie Cox in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Kingpin actor Vincent D’Onofrio's recent appearance in Hawkeye suggests that Marvel Studios is still very interested in the characters and their stories.
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger's comments earlier this month may hold some clue as to why the popular series are leaving Netflix. Iger recently equated licensing films to Netflix to selling "nuclear weapons technology" to the enemy and watching them use them against you. In 2019, Disney launched its own streaming platform, Disney Plus, and Iger recently called the shift "a tremendous success" for the company. It is a possibility the success of Disney's own platform is the reason for the series leaving Netflix.
While nothing is confirmed yet, many speculate The Defenders will be available on Disney Plus after the end of their run on Netflix. It seems a safe bet, especially taking into account the recent comments by the company's former CEO. Now that Disney Plus is a confirmed success, with over 80 million subscribers, it no longer makes sense to allow the competition to stream any of its content, especially not anything involving Marvel superheroes. However, the series were developed to be Netflix exclusives, so it is uncertain how the former agreements between the two companies may impact the future of the popular shows.
Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones are available to stream exclusively on Netflix until March 1, 2022.
Source: Games Radar