The rights to Daredevil recently reverted back to Marvel from Netflix, making #SaveDaredevil trend on Twitter over the weekend. The superhero vigilante known as Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) had a show on Netflix for three seasons. It aired from 2015-2018 and developed a devoted fanbase. Daredevil was a member of the Defenders, a group including Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones, all of whom had Netflix series of their own. Despite positive critical reception to many of the Marvel shows, all were cancelled by Netflix quite suddenly, including Daredevil in November 2018.
The cancellations came as Disney geared up for a streaming service of its own, Disney+, which will house its upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe shows. After Daredevil's cancellation, many expressed hope it could be revived on Disney+. However, due to Marvel's original deal with Netflix, characters from any of the Defenders shows were prohibited from appearing on a non-Netflix streaming service for two years after their cancellations. As Daredevil was cancelled on November 29, 2018, the show could be revived by Marvel as of this weekend.
On Sunday, this news caused #SaveDaredevil to begin trending on Twitter, with MCU actor Clark Gregg, Daredevil star Vincent D'Onofrio, and others joining the fight. Check out a selection of tweets below:
The last tweet in particular highlights one concern fans have: when Marvel inevitably uses the Daredevil characters again it will recast rather than utilize stars of the Netflix show. This is certainly possible, as the studio may want a clean break from its association with Netflix. However, fans bringing back the #SaveDaredevil hashtag specifically proves their commitment is to the show and its cast more than the characters. Bringing Daredevil back would be an easy way to generate goodwill with viewers and positive publicity for Marvel.
Additionally, the move could bring in a whole new set of subscribers, potentially for Disney+. For those intimated by the interconnectedness of the MCU, the Defenders shows offered a neat alternative requiring less of a time commitment. They were also far gritter than the Disney+ MCU shows are likely to be, again offering something different for subscribers. However, it's also worth noting Daredevil's darker tone could work against it as well, at least on Disney+. Disney has gone to great lengths to make the streaming service family-friendly. Though it's not what Daredevil fans want to hear, the show may not be a good fit there. Luckily, Disney owns fellow streamer Hulu as well. This could work in Daredevil's favor, though it's hard to know for sure at this time.
Source: Various (see above)