News has been decidedly mixed for the TV business side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The ABC Network's upfront presentations saw the cancellation of the well-reviewed but ratings-challenged Agent Carter and the surprise of the high-profile Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off Most Wanted not being picked up for a series, while S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Chloe Bennett came out swinging with complaints of being ignored by the broader MCU machine. However, the studio's Netflix streaming ventures continue to find success, with Daredevil: Season 2 pulling big numbers and making Jon Bernthal's Punisher popular enough to get the first new series order since the Netflix partnership began.

Now, a new rumor claims that three more Marvel heroes could be joining the platform - a trio that hails from the supernatural side of the House of Ideas canon.

According to a rumor posted to Latino Review, the next three Marvel characters to get the Netflix treatment will be Blade, Moon Knight and Ghost Rider. While all three have been among the most-requested heroes to become part of the MCU in one form or another, if the rumor is true they all fit comfortably into the niche thus far established for Marvel Netflix, in as much as they are darker figures whose stories and motifs may not easily translate to the generally PG-13 rated realm of the bigger budgeted Marvel theatrical films. They also each come with extensive supporting casts and deep mythos, all the better to be explored in a longform streaming series.

Notably, whereas the first wave of Netflix series (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist) shared themes of street-level heroism and martial-arts; these three figures all share in common ties to supernatural and/or horror-themed elements:

BLADE

Wesley Snipes on Blade 4

Blade would be easily the most well-known of the proposed series, having previously been the subject of a series of hit R-rated action films featuring Wesley Snipes beginning in the late 90s - the first of which marked the beginning of Marvel characters' successful push into features, followed by X-Men and Spider-Man. Originally created in the 1970s, the character (whose real name is Eric Brooks) is the son of a woman bitten by a vampire during pregnancy, resulting in Brooks being born a "Daywalker" who has all the super-powers of a vampire but none of their traditional weaknesses; which he uses in tandem with special weaponry and martial-arts training to eradicate the undead as a vampire-hunting vigilante. Rumors of Blade joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe have circulated for over a year, with some suggesting that Snipes had been "in talks" with Marvel the series could focus on the Blade mantle being taken up by a woman - Eric Brooks' own teenage daughter.

GHOST RIDER

Still of Ghost Rider

One of Marvel's most visually-striking figures, a hellfire-powered motorcyclist with a flaming skull for a head, Ghost Rider (traditionally Johnny Blaze, a daredevil stuntman who sold his soul to Satan and has been transformed into the Spirit of Vengeance) was previously played by Nicholas Cage in two feature films after which the rights were reacquired by Marvel. An often unwilling vigilante, Ghost Rider is compelled to seek out and punish the evildoers in whose presence his powers activate; using his cyclist skills and hellfire powers along with the power to force sinners to feel the pain of those they have wronged. The character has often been controversial, as his supernatural mythos draws explicitly on Biblical imagery and themes rather than fantasy or ancient mythology like many others.

MOON KNIGHT

Netflix Moon Knight

By far the most obscure (to mainstream audiences) character to join the Netflix lineup yet, Moon Knight is typically thought of as Marvel's answer to Batman - albeit with an origin story that heavily features magical and mythic elements. He's also one of the few superheroes of Jewish descent, a rabbi's son and former U.S. Marine who is brought back after being left for dead and gifted superhuman abilities by worshipers of the ancient Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Donning a white hooded costume, he takes up superhero work in New York city and puts a new spin on the secret identity game by creating multiple civilian alter-egos of different classes and backgrounds rather than just one. This would be the second time that Moon Knight was mentioned as a candidate for the Marvel Netflix treatment.

The original four Netflix Marvel heroes were put into development together with the goal of unifying them into an Avengers-esque team called The Defenders after each show had aired one season. It is not clear whether a similar plan is intended for these characters, though some will no doubt presume this to be the case given the similarities of their backgrounds and motifs.

Daredevil season 1 & 2 and Jessica Jones season 1 are now available on Netflix. Luke Cage season 1 will arrive on September 30th, 2016. Release dates for Jessica Jones season 2, Iron Fist, and The Defenders on Netflix have not yet been announced.

Source: Latino Review