'Defenders' Season 2 Cancelled? Those Heroes Still Won't Appear in the MCU

Even after the Avengers clash with Thanos again in Avengers: Endgame, you shouldn’t expect new movies starring Marvel/Netflix TV heroes and villains like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Kingpin.

In a report published by Variety on Wednesday, a previously unknown detail surrounding Marvel’s deal with Netflix surfaced. It turns out the original agreement included a clause that prevents Marvel characters from appearing in any capacity without Netflix’s involvement for at least two years after cancellation.

This means that characters from canceled shows like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist (including Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin) cannot appear in any Marvel production outside Netflix — including films — until at least 2020. And you can’t really expect these actors to free up their schedule two years from now for what’s basically a “maybe” from Marvel.

Jessica Jones, currently in production for Season 3, is expected to join the rest of the Marvel Canceled Universe in the near future, putting that particular character’s return date for 2021 at the earliest.

A big question mark, however, is The Punisher, a Marvel/Netflix series that was not part of the original agreement. It is currently unknown what sort of future Punisher will have after its Season 2 premiere, which is expected this January.

There are still no confirmed premiere dates for Jessica Jones Season 3 or The Punisher Season 2.

Related video: Rewatch the adrenaline-fueled trailer for Season 1 of Marvel’s The Punisher.