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'Daredevil' Was Netflix's Fourth Biggest Show – So Why Was It Canceled?

Daredevil cancellation
By Chris Evangelista/

The strange saga that is the Daredevil cancelation continues. A new report reveals that Daredevil was canceled despite being the fourth-biggest show on Netflix. And still another report claims that it wasn't Netflix who pulled the plug on the superhero series – it was Marvel themselves. Just what in the name of Hell's Kitchen is going on here?

As you'll recall, word came last week that Daredevil was joining the canceled ranks of Netflix Marvel shows Luke Cage and Iron Fist, leaving only Jessica Jones and The Punisher. When the cancelation revelation arrived, a statement claimed Daredevil would live on in some form, leading many to speculate that the show would end up on Disney's new streaming service, Disney+:

"Marvel is extremely grateful to the huge audience that loved Marvel's Daredevil. From the moment of young Matt's first act of heroism to the birth of Page, Murdock, & Nelson, it has been an unbelievable journey. We are incredibly proud of the amazing showrunners and writers starting with Drew Goddard and Steven DeKnight, Marco Ramirez and Doug Petrie and Erik Oleson, Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Vincent D'Onofrio and our casts who brought our characters to life with such excellence, and every one of the fantastic crews in NYC. We look forward to more adventures with the Man without Fear in the future."

Now, the Daredevil cancellation grows more curious in the wake of two different reports. First, Entertainment Weekly delved into the story, and discovered that Daredevil was the fourth-biggest show on Netflix:

According to the data, Narcos (presumably including the latest edition, Narcos: Mexico) was on top with 36 million "demand expressions," followed by the recently launched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (34 million) and then — rather surprisingly given it's been a year since its last season — Stranger Things (31 million) and then Daredevil (30 million). Narcos: Mexico, by and by, just received a season 2 renewal.

Why would Netflix cancel one of their most popular shows? We previously reported that viewership for the latest seasons of Iron Fist and Luke Cage was down, which makes their cancelations slightly understandable. But if Daredevil was really doing so well, Netflix giving it the boot is curious.

Here's the thing: maybe Netflix didn't give it the boot at all. Steven Weintraub, Editor-In-Chief of Collider, tweeted out an interesting rumor regarding the situation:

As Weintraub states, he was unable to get a second source on this info, so it can only be chalked-up as a rumor. Still, this coupled with the EW report strongly indicates that this might not have been a Netflix decision. If Marvel really did pull the plug themselves, this suggests that maybe they're planning on moving the show over to Disney+ in some form. In the end, though, we have no real answers. Only questions. But something about this situation doesn't add up.

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