***SPOILER WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home so proceed with caution or turn back now!***
Vincent D’Onofrio recently made his triumphant return to the role of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, on Disney+’s Hawkeye. D’Onofrio originated the role on Netflix’s Daredevil series, but the relationship between the two shows is… murky to say the least.
Daredevil was just one of six Netflix shows based on Marvel properties, along with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher. But while those shows seemed to be set in the same Marvel Cinematic Universe as the popular movie franchise, they were actually produced by Marvel Entertainment, a division not affiliated with Marvel Studios, the makers of the films. While the Netflix shows, along with ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Inhumans, Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger, and Hulu’s Runaways may have referenced the events of the movies, the movies did not return the favor and have ignored all of the shows with the possible exception of ABC’s Agent Carter.
When Disney announced the launch of Disney+, which would offer new shows that would be produced by Marvel Studios and connected to the films, Netflix methodically axed all of its Marvel content, although, at the time, the streamer insisted it was simply because the shows had gotten older and were no longer delivering enough new sign-ups when new seasons dropped. In all fairness, this is why Netflix cancels a lot of its shows, so that’s a plausible explanation.
But Vincent D’Onofrio believes that it was the launch of Disney+ that sealed the fate of Daredevil and the rest.
“I don’t think any of us were okay. I think that we were like, ‘Oh okay, we had a hit show and now it’s gone.’ You know, at the same time the group #SaveDaredevil started to rise, we started to learn the reasons why that happened and so we understood what Marvel was doing because Disney+ coming out.
“You know when you’re in this business a long time like we have all been, it kind of made sense business-wise. What didn’t make sense to us was why we wouldn’t continue that show or the idea of how that worked and how well it worked. Conceptually, I think we were disappointed but I think we all understood what was going on and it was sort of was inevitable.”
To clarify, Netflix still owns the rights to its Marvel shows and it was Netflix’s decision to cancel them in the first place, not Marvel Studios’ or Disney’s. They never had a say in the matter and Netflix could have kept these shows going.
BUT, it’s likely that the launch of Disney+ and new Marvel content that was directly tied to the film franchise was seen as the creation of serious, credible competition and even as a betrayal. Plus it is likely that after three seasons of Daredevil, and two apiece of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Punisher, these shows weren’t attracting a lot of new subscribers, which is all that Netflix really uses to gauge what shows and movies are the most successful.
But Disney and Marvel Studios seem aware that the Netflix shows had a lot of rabid fans. That explains why Vincent D’Onofrio was tapped to return as the Kingpin in Hawkeye as well as Charlie Cox who reprised his role as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s likely that the MCU won’t reference any of the events of the Netflix shows, but it seems that the studios are willing to bring back the fan-favorite actors in the same roles. (Although Finn Jones probably shouldn’t spend too much time waiting by the phone for that call.)
It was left ambiguous whether or not Fisk would return in the future, but what do you think? Do you want to see the cast of the Netflix shows in upcoming MCU projects?
