I Need the Netflix MCU on Disney+ Sooner Rather Than Later

My quarantine goal back in 2020 was to make my way through the Netflix Marvel shows. I had started them when they were airing and got behind, and then felt overwhelmed, so when they were canceled, I figured I had some time. I should have known better, but then the rumors started to pop up about the heroes moving into the Disney side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even when Matt Murdock showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Wilson Fisk showed up in Hawkeye, I still figured I had time.

I was foolish, because they announced that the entire Netflix Marvel series would be leaving Netflix at the end of February, and as it currently stands, I have one more episode of Luke Cage season 2 and then four other full seasons to finish before I have caught up. I guess it’s my fault for taking my time in working through all of the shows.

But the series are, unfortunately, trying to find a new home, and with the Disney umbrella protecting them, there are some options for where they could go. It could be a Hulu drop (where things like The Runaways and Helstrom lived), or they could head to Disney+ (which would make the most sense given what we saw in Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home). But the fact that we have no idea where the shows are going in less than 5 days is a cause for concern, especially for someone like me, who is in the middle of them.

When is the question …

As it currently stands, there are rumors of when the shows will end up on Disney+. Screen Rant‘s Rob Keyes revealed that the Netflix shows will be added to Canada’s Disney+ midway through March, which isn’t that bad. I would have a little two-week vacation from Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem.

That’s fine, I guess. Having those two weeks without my nighttime friends is fine. But I also don’t want this to turn into a “They’re back!” months from now. And I don’t think it would make sense for Marvel to delay their, transition either.

I am not alone in this watch-through. Right now, shows like Daredevil have moved back into the Netflix top list because fans are turning to them after Charlie Cox made his appearance in No Way Home and Vincent D’Onofrio made it clear that the version of Kingpin in Hawkeye was the same from the show. People want to know all that they can.

But if Disney is moving these shows to Disney+ that quickly, it also brings up another question for me: Can we see these characters popping up more in the MCU as a whole?

The future of the Defenders

We’ve had a series of rumors about the stars of The Defenders heading to other Disney properties. Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones is rumored to show up in She-Hulk, and who knows where we can find Kingpin or Matt Murdock next. But there is also the question of the rest of the Netflix universe. Will they get their chance to come back?

I know that Danny Rand isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I loved the world of Iron Fist and would like to see the return of characters like Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing and Ward Meachum and yes, even Danny Rand. Jon Bernthal has talked about returning as Frank Castle and Mike Colter has talked about not having closure on Luke Cage’s storyline yet. I think most of these actors would return to the roles if asked, and why not have Disney continue the storyline of the Defenders so that we can see these heroes pop up in New York-based Marvel stories?

Comics work so well because a lot of them are intertwined. We have brief moments where a character will pop up but then not come back, or Spider-Man will need help and call on Daredevil to assist him, since they’re both based in the city. It happens, and I want the MCU to start to do more of that, and it can start with having a series like the Defenders continue on Disney+.

And, selfishly, I need them to announce where the Netflix heroes are going so I can finish the last four seasons I have to get through.

(image: Marvel Entertainment)