Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ and ‘Luke Cage’ Cancelled

In today’s world, it appears streaming services like Netflix and Hulu rule the entertainment industry. Providing their customers with access to an assortment of television shows and movies, the success they have garnered has allowed them to create their own original content. Wanting to reap some of the profits, Marvel and Netflix agreed upon a licensing deal in 2011 to create innovative content based on popular comic book characters Iron Fist, Daredevil, Luke Cage, The Punisher, and Jessica Jones. Embedded with plot lines derived from their respective comic books, as well as amazing cinematography and direction, these shows have been generally met with critical and commercial praise.

Although positively received by critics and fans alike, Netflix decided to pull the plug on both Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Many surmise that their cancellations were due in part to low traction on social media platforms, specifically Instagram, while others point to the lackluster reception of Iron Fist and the creative differences that plagued the production of Luke Cage’s season three . Or, it could be the potential threat Disney’s proposed streaming service imposes on Netflix’s capital gain. Receiving the rights of Star Wars and Marvel from previous licensing deals,

Disney’s  streaming service Disney Play is following the model instituted by its competitors. It will offer original content, as well as theatrically released titles. If the goal is to make money, it is reasonable to assume that they
need to offer content that can not be found elsewhere. Whatever the reason, avid fans of Marvel’s theatrical endeavors are predictably saddened by the news.

Luke Cage was about a ordinary black man from Harlem who acquires superhuman powers due to a sabotaged experiment. He uses his newly acquired superpowers to take down corrupt figures that plague Harlem’s streets, all the while empowering the common man. The effort that was put in to adapting th

He was played by the somewhat unknown actor Mike Colter, who also appeared in Marvel’s The Defenders and Jessica Jones. The show’s surprisingly raving reviews had intrigued many new audience members, not just fans of the comic books.

Iron Fist, on the other hand, is about a young boy named Danny Rand who gets stranded in the mountains after his parents are killed in a plane crash. For the next fifteen years, he lives with monks, who grant him the mystic power of the Iron Fist. He returns to America, where his surprising revival causes internal issues within his father’s company, as well as his friends.

Concerning the show’s cancellations, avid audience member Luke Waldrop, believes that, from a business standpoint, it was a “brilliant decision on Disney’s part.” Although sad to see it go, he knows that it was smart for Disney to slowly purge Marvel content from other streaming services in preparation for Disney’s new service Disney Play. From a fan’s perspective, however, he is “absolutely livid” at the fact that they are taking them away. Waldrop has watched every episode of the two shows and hates that he will have to possibly pay another monthly fee to continue watching these shows.

Jarel White, another enthusiast of Netflix-Marvel’s content merger was incredibly saddened upon hearing the news of Luke Cage’s dismissal. Says White, “Luke Cage is an icon. He’s a hero in the Black community. Not seeing a lot of black superheroes on both the big and small screen is disheartening, but Cage gave us hope. And now he’s gone. Cage will always represent the common man, and his struggle to be better than what other’s perceive of him. The show was a statement; that a black man can carry content of this magnitude.”

It remains to be seen on whether Marvel’s Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher are next on the chopping block.