The Punisher and Jessica Jones Officially Cancelled at Netflix

Jacob Robinson What's on Netflix Avatar
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There you have it folks the final nail in the Marvel Netflix show’s coffin has been hammered in. It’s official that with the cancelation of Marvel’s The Punisher and Jessicas Jones the Marvel TV Verse on Netflix is dead. Here’s the news that broke that confirmed and laid the Marvel shows to rest.

The news broke when an article published by Deadline was released in the morning of the 18th of February. The contents of the article confirmed that Netflix has officially cut ties with the remaining 2 Marvel titles.

The Punisher Season 3 Canceled

Unsurprisingly The Punisher was canceled after a 40% drop in viewing figures for season 2. This drop in viewers can be tributed to the fact that Netflix had already canceled 3 of the 5 Marvel shows prior to the second season’s release. Many fans may have been left with disappointment and felt that watching any subsequent Marvel releases would have been a waste of time considering the impending cancelation that would and has followed The Punisher.

Actor Jon Bernthal expressed his thanks on Instagram for being given the opportunity to play the role of Frank Castle. Bernthal also paid tribute to all armed force members involved in the development of the series. Especially to those that helped train him and his fellow cast members.

 

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To all who have served. All who know loss. All who love and understand Frank and his pain. It has been an honor to walk in his boots. I’m endlessly grateful to the comic fans and the men and women of the Armed Services and law enforcement community who Frank means so much to. Thank you to the USMC and all the wonderful soldiers who trained me. Go Hard. Be safe.

A post shared by Jon Bernthal (@jonnybernthal) on

The Punisher Movie?..

Previously showrunner Steve Lightfoot had remained surprisingly optimistic on the renewal for season 3. According to what was said to Collider by Lightfoot the third season could have begun straight away. Here’s what he had to say:

If they give us the go-ahead, we’re ready to jump in pretty much straight away,” he said. “I’ve got a pretty good idea about what season 3 is, and I’m very excited about it. I’m living optimistically that we’ll get to go again. We finished the show before any of those cancellations happened. People have said to me, ‘How do you feel about where the show ends?’, but I ended the show in a place that I hope just makes people feel like, ‘I can’t wait for season 3’. I still hope that’s the case.

Perhaps a film adaptation of the third season could be on the cards in the future? If Disney can accept the creation of potential R-rated product fans could be treated to a conclusion of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher albeit in a much shorter format. Considering a story has already been written we imagine Jon Bernthal would jump at the chance to reprise the role.


Jessica Jones Season 4 Canceled

Unsurprisingly Jessica Jones has also faced the ax alongside The Punisher. More surprisingly is that Netflix hasn’t waited until the release of Jessica Jones season 3 before announcing the show’s cancelation. Netflix did release a statement regarding the cancelations of both shows. The following was said on The Punisher:

Marvel’s The Punisher will not return for a third season on Netflix. Showrunner Steve Lightfoot, the terrific crew, and an exceptional cast including star Jon Bernthal delivered an acclaimed and compelling series for fans, and we are proud to showcase their work on Netflix for years to come.

Netflix had further to say regarding the future of Jessica Jones:

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 showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, star Krysten Ritter, and the entire cast and crew, for three incredible seasons of this groundbreaking series, which was recognized by the Peabody Awards among many others.

Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones – Copyright Netflix

And finally Netflix said their thanks to Marvel:

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.

How has the cast of Jessica Jones reacted?

Actress Krysten Ritter is yet to release a statement but we can expect something soon.

Currently, none of the other cast members have released a statement.

How will cancelation impact season 3?

Sadly we do believe a pre-emptive cancelation will dramatically affect the viewing figures of season 3. We are fully expecting to see some of the lowest viewing figures to date for the upcoming third season.


The Last Word from Marvel

Head of Marvel’s TV Jeph Loeb released a statement regarding the canceled Marvel shows. He especially thanked the dedication and hard work from all those involved with the creation of the TV series.

Loeb may have also hinted that the future of these characters may not be so bleak after all:

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. 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.” To be continued…!

So who knows we could potentially see these characters utilized in other Marvel titles! An animated series would be great to see.

Are you disappointed with the cancelations of the Marvel shows? Let us know in the comments below.

Written by

Jacob joined What's on Netflix in 2018 as a fulltime writer having worked in numerous other industries until that point. Jacob covers all things Netflix whether that's TV or movies but specializes in covering new anime and K-dramas. Resides in Norwich in the United Kingdom.