Surprising nobody who's been paying attention, 'The Punisher' and 'Jessica Jones' have now been cancelled at Netflix - effectively ending the Marvel-Netflix partnership that began with 'Daredevil'.
With the cancellation of 'Daredevil', 'Iron Fist', 'Defenders', and 'Luke Cage', it was really on a matter of time before the two remaining series were due to be cancelled.
In a statement delivered to media last night, Netflix confirmed the news, stating the streaming service was "grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning."
The main reason behind the cancellation, it seems, is down to Disney's own rival streaming service, Disney+, coming online in the future. Already, Disney+ is boasting a number of TV series with actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the long-awaited live-action Star Wars TV series, 'The Mandalorian'.
Given how 'The Punisher' et al would basically be competition for these series, it makes sense to have them cancelled sooner rather than later. However, a statement by Marvel Television seemed to place the blame on Netflix's shoulders.
"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. To be continued!"
The final part of the statement does seem to lend some credence to rumours that Disney+ will possibly continue the Marvel-Netflix series on their streaming service. For now, however, it's all over.
Here's Krysten Ritter and Jon Bernthal's reactions on Instagram.
