The independent television series created by Marvel Studios and Netflix will soon be streaming on Disney Plus, home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows. Fans will be able to watch shows including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher, and The Defenders on the streaming platform. The sudden switch, however, has fans contemplating what this means for the future of the MCU and these characters. Is this the studio’s way of slowly integrating them into the larger universe?

The conversation isn’t surprising, considering Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock from Daredevil made a not-so-surprising cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Ever since the fan-favorite character was officially brought into the MCU, fans have been convinced that the remaining characters from the independent Netflix shows will eventually make an appearance in the MCU, and the series moving to Disney Plus has them feeling suspicious.

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Before Spider-Man: No Way Home even premiered, fan theories were making the rounds about Murdock’s involvement in the plot. Keen-eyed fans claimed to have seen Cox on the sets of the extremely popular film, whereas others tried to spot him in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. Even though the actor denied his involvement in the film, fans were sure that they would get to meet their beloved Daredevil on the big screen.

Charlie Cox Daredevil Spider-Man No Way Home

Cox’s stint in Spider-Man: No Way Home was quite brief, but still impressive. He appears in his lawyer avatar Murdock to provide legal advice to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker after his true identity has been revealed, and he is being framed for killing Mysterio. The scene left fans cheering for one of their favorite characters, when all Cox did was catch a brick and claim to be a “very good lawyer.”

Fans loved that Cox’s Murdock was now part of the MCU as it meant that they would get to see more of him in future projects. As a lawyer, he could assist many other heroes with any legal matters, and then transform into his Daredevil avatar to possibly help them fight crime. There were suddenly endless possibilities for further crossovers moving forward.

Charlie Cox as Daredevil in a basement

What made the situation even better was Vincent D'Onofrio returning to reprise his role as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, in the Disney Plus series Hawkeye. Both Fisk and Murdock appeared in the MCU around the same time, with Spider-Man: No Way Home releasing on December 17, 2021 and Kingpin debuting in Hawkeye on December 15. It was almost as if the studio had planned their appearances, to ensure that both characters from Netflix’s Daredevil got their respective introductions simultaneously.

It is already known that both Murdock and Fisk will make an appearance in future MCU projects, after Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed Cox as the MCU’s Daredevil. The last time the two characters went up against each other was in Daredevil and fans are now looking forward to the hero reuniting with his arch nemesis in the MCU. While Daredevil was one of the best independent Marvel series, it would be interesting to see Murdock’s journey change now that the characters are part of the larger universe reigned by the beloved Avengers.

Daredevil Charlie Cox Vincent D'Onofrio Kingpin

Speaking of which, Disney Plus is now home to all MCU content. Considering Daredevil is joining the lineup, and with Murdock and Kingpin already introduced in separate MCU projects, it is only natural for fans to assume that the remaining independent Netflix series are being moved for a similar cause. Granted that Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones or Mike Colter’s Luke Cage have not been brought into the MCU fold just yet, the move to Disney Plus could mean a similar fate for their characters, too. It is only natural for fans to jump to conclusions, and for the studio to keep mum about the whole situation.

Daredevil was the first independent Marvel series to premiere on Netflix, with the first episode airing in April 2015. It started a whole new trend, and established Netflix’s very own Marvel Universe. The streamer went on to produce five more Marvel shows, which were all interconnected in one way or another. Some characters were part of crossover episodes, such as Colter’s Cage appearing in Jessica Jones and Cox’s Daredevil crosses paths with Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.

The Defenders Shot Cropped

The ultimate crossover occurred when Netflix released The Defenders, which brought together Cox’s Murdock, Ritter’s Jones, Colter’s Cage, and Finn Jones’ Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. Several other integral characters from the various independent series made an appearance as well. Unfortunately, the series was not received well by fans, with many disappointed with the plot line. It was among the least-watched Marvel series on Netflix, and was not picked up for another season.

Despite their varying levels of success, the independent Marvel shows were all designed to be as comic book accurate as possible. Each series had its own set of followers, who were disappointed when the studio decided to cancel the shows and end the heroes’ independent journeys. This was probably because the studio had bigger plans to launch Phase 4 of the MCU and bring a lot more content to the small screen.

The Defenders poster

In 2021, the studio released five series on Disney Plus, including WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, and Hawkeye, with each plot rooted into the MCU. While the independent series may have been appreciated on their own, the new content released as part of Phase 4 has received a lot more positive feedback, and fans have enjoyed watching the MCU timeline moving forward in a weekly format.

The Netflix series, on the other hand, had no impact on the future of the MCU, which could be why they weren’t received as well. Perhaps Marvel could bring life back into the independent series after they have moved to their new home. Having them stream on Disney Plus instead of Netflix could mean that the studio has plans to either reinstate the series sometime in the future, or perhaps even introduce some of the characters into the larger MCU. Or maybe it is just their way of bringing all their content in one place, and never thinking about those characters again. Only time will tell what direction they go in. For now, Marvel is keeping the heroes close.

Daredevil and other Marvel independent series will stream on Disney Plus on March 16, 2022.

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