Netflix Was Responsible For 'Daredevil' Cancellation, Not Marvel

Here we are yet again, asking the question: who cancelled Daredevil? There have been conflicting reports, to say the least. Some claim that it was Marvel's decision, while others say Netflix pulled the plug. But now, cast member Amy Rutberg is doubling-down on the idea that Netflix made the decision, much to everyone's surprise. The question remains, though: why?

As you probably know by now, Netflix has been going down the line and cancelling their Marvel shows. First Iron Fist, then Luke Cage, and then most surprising of all, Daredevil. After Daredevil's cancellation, rumors began popping up saying that this was a Marvel decision – likely to pave the way for Daredevil and company to head to Disney+. But then word came that no cancelled Marvel Netflix shows could make the leap to Disney+ for at least two years, due to contractual reasons. Rumors continued to swirl – did Marvel make the decision to cancel the show, or Netflix? According to reports, Daredevil was the fourth biggest show on Netflix – if that's true, why would Netflix shut it down?

We may never know the "why", but the "who" is becoming clearer every day. Amy Rutberg, who played Marci Stahl on the series, claims the cancellation was 100% Netflix's decision. "My contacts at Marvel were very surprised," Rutberg said to Inverse. "Any of the rumors that it was a Marvel decision are wrong, I think it was purely a Netflix decision. That comes from personal conversations with people high up at Marvel. They were surprised... We had heard rumors we would start production [on Season 4] as early as February 2019. It's a little unusual to be that far ahead in the planning and cancel the show, which makes me think Netflix was laboring over whether or not to cancel it. My guess was it was not an easy decision."

It's worth noting that Ruthberg had a very minor role on the series, so it's not clear just how much insider info she'd have. But I'm betting she's correct, and that this ultimately was Netflix's choice. I'll be damned if I know why, though. The closest we've come to an explanation is the report that Netflix wanted to shorten episodes to reduce the budget. Perhaps in the end, Netflix decided it would be better to cut their losses entirely.

Even so, it remains slightly odd that Netflix would end the show altogether. Maybe some day they'll tell us why.