Will Disney+ Censor Daredevil & Netflix's Defenders Shows?

With Daredevil and Netflix's other Marvel shows heading to Disney+ in some territories, concerns have grown that the shows could be censored to fit Disney's streaming service. Long before Disney+ launched and began releasing WandaVision, Loki, and more, Netflix was the home for the biggest Marvel content on the small screen. After years of being exclusively available to stream on Netflix, Disney has regained the rights and has plans to bring Netflix's Marvel shows to Disney+. However, the question remains whether or not the Mouse House could change and censor the content of these adult-oriented shows.

The Netflix era of Marvel TV began in 2014 when the two companies agreed to a deal for five shows. This included single-season orders for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and plans for the team-up special The Defenders. Since Marvel owned the rights to these characters, Netflix licensed ownership of the characters to create the shows. At first, it was a fruitful partnership as Daredevil and Jessica Jones earned rave critical reviews in 2015 and secured renewals. Marvel and Netflix even announced The Punisher as a spinoff of Daredevil season 2. It all built to The Defenders crossover event in 2017. While every individual character's show received at least two seasons, Netflix began canceling shows in 2018. It was completely out of the Marvel business when Jessica Jones season 3 ended in 2019.

Nearly three years after Netflix's Marvel shows ended, their rights have now reverted to Disney, resulting in them leaving Netflix at the end of February 2022. It marks an end of an era for Marvel shows made for adults that didn't shy away from violence, language, sex, and various social and political conversations. However, the nature of Daredevil and the Netflix shows also leaves their futures with Disney up in the air. It's brought significant concerns about the family-friendly studio that frowns upon everything from explicit language to smoking could censor the shows, especially if Daredevil and the rest are heading to Disney+.

Daredevil & Netflix's Shows Are Coming To Disney+ (With A Catch)

The news that Daredevil and the other Marvel shows were leaving Netflix came without confirmation of where they would stream next, but Disney+ quickly became the hopeful destination. It has now been confirmed that Disney's streaming service will house Netflix's former Marvel shows, at least in some parts of the world. Canada was the first country to confirm the shows were coming to Disney+. The important distinction here is that Disney+ operates with Star in Canada, just as it does in many international territories. Star is an extra section of Disney+ included internationally that allows Disney to put certain content behind a parental control wall.

While Disney+ Canada has confirmed that the former Netflix shows are coming in March 2022, it is not yet confirmed where they will exist in the streaming service. It is expected that they'll be placed in the Star section of Disney+, as it gives an added layer of insurance that children won't begin watching any of the violence or sex scenes included in the shows without their parent's knowledge. Disney+ Star already houses Hulu's Marvel content like MODOK and Helstrom, so it makes sense that the Netflix Marvel shows as Daredevil will also live behind the parental control section internationally.

Will Netflix's Marvel Shows Return On Disney+ Or Hulu In The US?

However, the question is what will happen to Netflix's Marvel shows in the United States, as Disney+ doesn't have Star domestically due to Disney's stake in Hulu. If Disney follows who they've divided content between Disney+ and Hulu in the US, it seems that the latter will be where Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and so on will stream. This would be a big get for Hulu, although it would also keep these Marvel shows separated from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe titles on Disney+.

Marvel Studios and Disney now have some incentive to get Daredevil and the other Marvel Netflix shows on Disney+. Charlie Cox returned as Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and is expected to be in many other upcoming MCU Disney+ shows. Vincent D'Onofrio also reprised his Daredevil role as Kingpin in Hawkeye. These appearances boosted interest in a show that ended years ago, resulting in Daredevil becoming one of Netflix's most popular shows again. Putting these shows on Disney+ gives fans who haven't seen the Netflix shows an easy path to learning more about Matt Murdock, Wilson Fisk, and others. Disney+ could even promote Daredevil as something viewers should watch after Hawkeye.

It's also possible that the Netflix shows coming to Disney+ in March could be part of a more significant tonal shift for the streaming service. Marvel Studios has Moon Knight beginning at the end of the month, and the series is said to push the boundaries of violence in the MCU. That could give Oscar Isaac's show a tone similar to the Netflix Marvel shows. There are also persistent rumors that Disney plans to add Star to Disney+ domestically. Doing so would open the door for Daredevil and the rest of Netflix's Marvel content to exist there if the House of Ideas still views the programming as being too adult to not have behind a parental control option.

Would Disney+ Censor Daredevil & The Defenders Shows?

All of the Marvel shows that originated from Netflix were made with a TV-MA rating, the TV equivalent of an R-rating for movies. Since Disney+ has not become a home for TV-MA or R-rated content, the concerns about the studio censoring Daredevil and the other shows in the Defenders universe are quite understandable. It isn't just a fear that fans of the shows have, as even creators involved in the series have expressed some concern that Disney could edit or cut certain scenes, bleep certain words, or blur specific images.

Disney+ has a complicated history of censoring specific pieces of content. When the streaming service added Elisabeth Shue's The Adventures of Babysitting, it removed both of its f-bombs by using the PG edit of the PG-13 movie. Disney also was met with backlash for changing Tom Hanks' classic Splash, including the now-viral moment of Daryl Hannah's butt being covered by digitally-lengthened hair. Both of those titles have warnings at the beginning of the movie saying they've been edited for content. However, X-Men: Days of Future Past streams on Disney+ with its one f-bomb and a shot of Hugh Jackman's butt unedited. The latter is a more recent addition to the streaming service and could show a willingness on Disney's part to include explicit language and brief nudity.

It's also worth noting that Marvel's content is already maturing on its own and growing closer to what Netflix's Marvel shows included. Moon Knight is explicitly taking a dark and violent look at superheroes, but even The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had bloody moments of violence, especially with John Walker. With the cinematic universe firmly in the teenage years of its existence, it only makes sense to start maturing with its audience in that fashion. The Netflix Marvel shows can be part of that movement as long as Disney+ doesn't censor them should they ultimately stream there domestically.

Why Disney Shouldn't Censor Daredevil & The Defenders Shows

Daredevil and Marvel Defenders on Netflix

As tempting as it could be for Disney to censor Daredevil and Netflix's Defenders shows, it would be the much smarter move not to alter the shows. It would undoubtedly bring nothing but backlash from fans who have spent the last several years loving the shows as they exist. That is something Disney should want to avoid in a moment like this. The company should want fans excited to watch these popular Marvel titles again but on their streaming service. Censoring them could start boycotts and petitions against them and have fans tell others not to check them out. It's also important to remember that the adult themes and content of Netflix Defenders shows were done for a reason. Disney can reach an adult audience that isn't as catered to on Disney+ through these shows, but censoring them would also certainly hurt the shows.

The studio's potential decision to edit the Netflix Marvel shows would likely be made without their original creators' involvement. This would mean that Disney would forever alter how people view these shows just to have them on Disney+. The original versions would mostly be lost forever, and it would irreverently change the stories and characters each show includes. Would audiences still think Kingpin is as terrifying of a villain without his violent and bloody outbursts? Would Luke Cage's world and exploration of a Black man's life in Harlem work as well if Disney bleeped or replaced every use of the n-word? How can Jessica Jones explore its story of sexuality without showing her sex scenes with Luke Cage? Can The Punisher deal with Frank Castle's trauma without showing his tragic past and deadly vigilante acts? The short answer is no, which is why Disney+ can't censor Daredevil and Netflix's Defenders shows.

More: Every MCU TV Show Ranked Worst To Best (Including Hawkeye)