Netflix has canceled Daredevil after three seasons. Iron Fist and Luke Cage recently received the same fate too, leaving only Jessica Jones and The Punisher as the only surviving remnants of the once-mighty Marvel Netflix franchise.

This begs the question: Is Marvel Netflix truly dead?

It might not be if Disney has anything to say about that. With the House of Mouse’s very own Disney+ streaming service launching next year, it’s certainly possible and even likely that what was once the Marvel Netflix franchise will be able to continue in some way.

Speaking with Deadline, Netflix stated that “While the series on Netflix has ended, the three existing seasons will remain on the service for years to come, while the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel.”

That definitely sounds like a Daredevil movie reboot could become a reality once again. The Man Without Fear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), anyone?

However, if Disney+ does pick up Daredevil (and the other canceled Marvel Netflix shows) from where it left off, we probably can’t expect it to be as mature (dark and gritty) as it is now.

Case in point; when Disney acquired Star Wars, the phenomenal Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series was canceled and we received the not-so-good Star Wars: Rebels in its place. Despite all that, Disney did make amends by reviving The Clone Wars for a new season.

Anything can happen to the former Marvel Netflix franchise now. If I’m being honest, I would really like a soft reboot; retaining the characters but changing the series formula.

Matt Murdock may not have seen this coming, but I can say that I did. The Marvel Netflix formula was getting stale. The failures of Iron Fist Season 1 and The Defenders was only further proof that a franchise is only as strong as its weakest link.

In my opinion, Marvel Netflix has always been afraid of showcasing too much of its comics roots, like it’s ashamed of its comic-book origins. The dark and gritty tone only really works for Daredevil and The Punisher (and to a certain extent, Jessica Jones).

I’m not saying that it has to adopt the lighter tone of DC Comics’ CW Arrowverse or even the MCU, but it could have benefitted from taking more inspiration from its source material instead of taking liberties with its current ‘less is more’ approach.

RIP the Marvel Netflix universe, and let’s hope the eventual replacement will be as good or even better than it is.

We never did get to see Daredevil’s accursed arch-nemesis in action.