It's a real strange time to be a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On one hand, the excitement is building towards Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars - both of which hope to conclude the Multiverse Saga on a strong note - and then there is the uncertainty surrounding the TV landscape. Although Marvel Studios came out of the gate swinging with multiple Disney Plus shows when it launched that aforementioned saga, oversaturation and lacklustre storytelling on some of them undercut the whole movement.
The result of that was a lot of miniseries - some critically-acclaimed, some critically-reviled - and the odd live-action series that managed to produce two or three seasons. We also got a thriving Marvel Animation department that successfully revived X-Men: The Animated Series in the form of X-Men '97, as well as producing other projects like What if...?, Marvel Zombies, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Eyes of Wakanda - most of which have run for more than one season.
Unfortunately, the longest-running live-action show has now been cancelled. Daredevil: Born Again's upcoming third season will now be its last, which feels like the final nail in the coffin for the Marvel TV era (even though there are plans for it to exist in some format beyond the Multiverse Saga). That's largely because it's not the only show that Marvel Studios has abandoned.
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again will officially end after three seasons. Stop me if you've heard that one before!
It's true: The Devil of Hell's Kitchen is all-too familiar with this process. Three seasons of a beloved show only to have his run expectedly cut short by a decision that reflected a larger business decision. In 2018, it was the original Daredevil show coming to an end as a result of Netflix and Marvel parting ways and, now, it's down to Marvel Studios' own decision to move away from regular programming due to how it diluted the MCU franchise throughout the Multiverse Saga.
Although Born Again had a rocky start, the Daredevil revival earned critical acclaim throughout its second season for successfully matching the tone and overall presentation of the original series. The series has focused on longtime enemies Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk being thrown together once again as the infamous Kingpin became mayor of New York City, with Daredevil vowing to stop him.
As the second season wrapped that arc up, there was excitement to see where a third season would go. Although we're all very grateful that we're going to get that, it's a shame that it will now have to juggle that with wrapping more storylines up... for good this time.
Wonder Man
Another strange case here, Wonder Man managed to do the unthinkable and earn itself a second season, placing it in that rare category of live-action MCU shows to return for a sophomore outing (joining Loki and Daredevil: Born Again). And then it all went away as Marvel Studios reversed course and unrenewed the show before production could even begin.
Here's the strange thing: Wonder Man technically didn't need a second season - it was designed as a miniseries and had a satisfying ending - it was the positive response, Emmy buzz, and overall adoration of the project that made the studio think twice. But then they thought third, and cancelled it before cameras started rolling on that second season. And, in doing so, they made a huge shambles of the whole thing, drawing attention to the show's cancellation when it very easily could have just lingered in uncertainty like the majority of the other MCU shows.
Wonder Man was a critical darling, earning acclaim for offering up something very different from an MCU project. Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) was an aspiring actor who wanted to make it in Hollywood while also being a secret superhero - a journey that led him to cross paths with Trevor Slattery (with Sir Ben Kingsley reprising the role once again). The pair's unlikely chemistry as a chaotic double act made the series an absolute delight.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye was part of the original batch of Marvel Studios Disney Plus shows, earning acclaim and appreciation for spotlighting Clint Barton and successfully setting Kate Bishop up to take over the Hawkeye mantle. It was also one of the most-watched MCU shows, rounding out a very successful year for the franchise's Disney Plus debut. It was so successful, in fact, that the studio actually wanted to bring it back for another season.
After the miniseries era began running out of steam, Marvel Studios formed Marvel Television with a plan to drop the one-and-done approach and produce more ongoing, multi-season TV shows. That also involved revisiting the more successful shows and seeing if another season might be possible. Hawkeye was one of the most likely options, with multiple reports claiming that it was in the works.
However, over the course of the past year it has become clear that it won't be happening. Star Jeremy Renner revealed that he turned it down after Marvel Studios only offered him half of his season 1 salary to reprise his role as Clint Barton in a sophomore outing, stating that he wants to make it happen so he hopes they work it out. However, producer Andrew Guest revealed a few months later that it was no longer in development, telling The Direct:
"There was talk at a certain point about… we did explore creatively what Season 2 of Hawkeye might be if we were able to do it. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out in terms of Marvel and all the various pieces that need to come together, but I loved working on Hawkeye."
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. And even if it did all work out at some point, with Marvel Studios' clear decision to move on from the current Marvel TV era before the Multiverse Saga concludes (so that it can go back to prioritizing live-action movies and animated TV shows instead) makes Hawkeye season 2 very unlikely at this point. And considering how much of a surprise the first season was, that's a darn shame.
Daredevil: Born Again season 3 arrives on Disney Plus in March 2027.
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