Marvel Netflix Shows Heading to Disney+ Canada; What Does That Mean for US Streaming?
Earlier this month, we learned that the six Marvel series that originally aired on Netflix would be leaving the streaming service on March 1.
While the US streaming fates of “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Punisher,” and the team-up miniseries “The Defenders” still haven’t officially been announced, a press release from Disney+’s Canadian platform confirms that the street-level superhero shows will debut on the service north of the border on March 16.
With this announcement, the question turns stateside as to whether the American version of Disney+ will follow suit, or if they will stick to their more family-friendly focus. The Netflix Marvel series — which were produced by Marvel TV before it was absorbed by the more powerful Marvel Studios — had a much darker, adult, and violent tone, which doesn’t always square with the types of content that Disney is promoting on its signature streaming service.
While the previous MCU and Star Wars shows that have aired on the platform contain plenty of violence, it is handled with a softer touch than it was on Netflix, allowing the colors and choreography to tell the stories of the battles. However, the Defenders’ shows present their action with a much more brutal, bloody, and real-world take, perhaps making them unpalatable for parents who subscribed to Disney+ because of the relative “safeness” of its streaming content. The Netflix series also tend to include far more sexually suggestive — and at times explicit — content than what would normally be considered acceptable on Disney+.
With Disney now owning 66.6% of Hulu — NBC’s stake in the platform now in doubt — it would make sense to bring the more mature Marvel series to the company’s more adult-friendly streamer. And, should this move happen, with the Disney Bundle, subscribers will be able to access all of the Marvel TV content whether it is on Hulu or Disney+.
Perhaps providing more smoke to the Hulu fire, it was reported last week that a new Punisher series is in the works from Marvel. The show, which centers on a bereaved vigilante who has no qualms with killing anyone who gets between him and justice, will air on Hulu in the United States and Star+ internationally.
With the expiration of the Netflix streaming deal, it was only a matter of time before Disney brought these heroes and their shows back home, and while we still might have to wait a little bit longer to find out which home that will be, it seems pretty certain that Matt Murdoch and company won’t be missing from your friendly, neighborhood streaming site for too long.
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