It’s finally happening! Everyone has been wondering what would come next after news that Marvel’s Netflix series and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would leave the streaming service at the end of February. Now we know that the wildly successful shows will find a new home — with the rest of Marvel’s content — on Disney+.
On March 16, Disney+ will add more Marvel live-action series titles to its expansive content offering in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand with the addition of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher, plus Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the U.S., giving fans access to more from the Marvel collection, all in one place.
With the addition of these titles, Disney+ will concurrently release an update to its Parental Controls in the U.S. that will prompt all subscribers to update their settings. After acquiring such titles, this update is the logical next step for the streaming service because they have higher ratings than PG-13. This distinction could be helpful in anticipation of Moon Knight‘s arrival later this month, which is expected to be violent.
“Disney+ has served as the home for some of the most beloved brands in the industry, and the addition of these live-action shows brings more from the Marvel brand together, all in one place,” said Michael Paull, President of Disney Streaming.
“We have experienced great success with an expanded content offering on Disney+ across our global markets and are excited to continue that here in the U.S. as well by offering our consumers not only great content with the new Marvel additions, but also a set of features that help ensure a viewing experience most suitable for them and their family.”
These Marvel series will also be available across all other Disney+ markets later this year. But what does this mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now? Well, we have our theories, and all of them lead us to believe everything is canon. Is this the reality? Probably not, but we’re choosing to be optimistic.
We know that Charlie Cox made his return to the MCU as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but we don’t know if that’s a Variant (defined by Loki) or the same Matt from Daredevil. Similarly, we don’t know if Vincent D’Onofrio plays the same Kingpin from Daredevil in Hawkeye. So it’s more likely that Marvel Studios will reveal that in where it places the Netflix series in its Disney+ catalog.
For example, right now, the Agent Carter one-shot is a part of the MCU timeline, but the Agent Carter series is under “Marvel Series and Specials.” So, there’s a great chance Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will fall under the latter’s umbrella, too, despite both series having strong ties to the MCU’s timeline. But what about the Defenders’ shows?
They may receive their own category with that very title. Then again, that could change once Moon Knight drops. It’s a popular fan theory that Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle will appear alongside Oscar Isaac in that series because of their characters’ interactions in the comics. Similarly, fans want Krysten Ritter to return as Jessica Jones for (at the very least) a cameo on the upcoming She-Hulk.
Even if the Defenders series and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are initially in categories divorced from the MCU, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could collapse them all. At the moment, all of Fox’s X-Men films are under “Marel Legacy Movies,” but we know Sir Patrick Stewart will appear in the Doctor Strange sequel as some version of Professor X. So if the multiverse collapses or expands, who’s to say everything isn’t canon even if it doesn’t exist within the main MCU timeline?
It could explain Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s later seasons. It could answer Hawkeye‘s question of Mockingbird being a moniker and not just Bobby Morse’s or only Laura Barton’s alias. It could rope in Deadpool before his eventual third film is produced as a part of the MCU. Finally, it could mean the X-Men exist within Marvel’s universe, but the MCU will have to do some work to bring them into the main timeline.
It will be chaotic, but it’ll always be a lot of fun — even if it is confusing. Why should we wonder what’s canon and what isn’t when Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, What If…?, and Doctor Stange in the Multiverse of Madness prove anything is possible? Plus, Moon Knight is next up on the MCU’s timeline, and it’s all about embracing the chaos. Let’s go with that!
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What do you think about this Marvel news? Do you have any theories? Let us know in the comments below!
Marvel’s live-action Netflix series and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will start streaming on Disney+ on March 16!
