Jessica Jones and The Punisher have been canceled by Netflix, bringing an end to all five of Marvel and Netflix’s live-action TV series.
“Marvel’s The Punisher will not return for a third season on Netflix,” a Netflix spokesperson told The Verge. “In addition, in reviewing our Marvel programming, we have decided that the upcoming third season will also be the final season for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.”
Both shows will remain on Netflix for subscribers, even as Disney begins to move its original series and films over to its own streaming service, Disney+, which is set to launch this fall. Because Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and The Punisher are also co-owned by Netflix, they won’t be removed.
Jessica Jones and The Punisher’s cancellations shouldn’t be too surprising to those who have been keeping up with the status of other Marvel series on Netflix. Daredevil was canceled in November 2018 after three seasons, Iron Fist was canceled in October 2018 after two seasons, Luke Cage was also canceled last October after two seasons, and The Defenders only ran for one season.
Marvel TV executive, Jeph Loeb, issued a letter to fans about the status of the shows, hinting there was more to come.
“Our Network partner may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters… but you know Marvel better than that,” Loeb wrote. “As Matthew Murdock’s Dad once said, “The measure of a man is not how he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how he gets back up.”
There is a chance that the superhero characters will return with new shows on Hulu or Disney+, but it won’t be the same actors or stories.
