LUKE CAGE Star Mike Colter Discusses The Show's Cancelation And The Chances Of It Returning

While fans are hoping that Disney+ will save shows like Daredevil and Luke Cage, the star of the latter, Mike Colter, has now shared his thoughts on the cancellation and why fan support may not help...

By JoshWilding - Jan 03, 2019 01:01 PM EST

Filed Under: Luke Cage

Luke Cage was cancelled last year alongside Daredevil and Iron Fist, and we're now waiting with bated breath to see just how much longer it will be until The Punisher and Jessica Jones receive a similar fate. Mike Colter made his debut as Power Man in the latter and has now described hearing the news that the show won't be back for a third season as "bittersweet."

"It kinda did catch me off guard," he continued. "I don't think I was as shocked as most people were because I was a little closer to it. There were some things, some tell tale signs, that were not quite feeling right for me."

"Although we had an internal pick up, amongst a certain amount of people who were close to the project, and we were moving forward with the writing and writing the group writers room, et cetera. There was a lot of stalling. There was a lot of things that didn't feel quite right. Then, deadlines. One deadline would come and it would go. Another deadline would come, it would go."

"There were some things that started to feel a little odd," Colter revealed. "So, when it happened, I was like, 'Eh.' It wasn't that much of a shock. But yeah, still shock."

As for what might come next for Luke Cage, it doesn't sound like there's anything we can do to ensure the show has a future because while Colter appreciates the support from fans, it's ultimately a decision which will be made by both Marvel and a network or streaming service willing to pick it up.

"I don't know that it's something that fans can do, necessarily. I think it's a real network/studio thing. I think it'll resolve itself, one way or the other. There just needs to be some time. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's it. But I don't think the fans... as much as the fans -- the outpouring of the fans is very touching and well received and it'd be appreciated -- I don't think it's gonna make anything happen, but it's nice to know that. I think, ultimately, if it comes back, it'll probably come back because of the fans demand for it. I don't think that their work is going in vain. It just may not happen as soon as they want it to."

With Disney+ expected to launch new shows set firmly in the MCU, it's doubtful that they will want to touch these characters and we recently learned that Netflix may have exclusive rights on each of them for at least two years after they aired. With that in mind, this era of stories for The Defenders could very well be at an end just as it was getting started.

What does the future hold in store for The Defenders? Click on the
"View List" button below for everything we know so far!

Heroes For Hire?

A specific reason wasn't given for Iron Fist's cancellation but we can probably blame it on poor reviews and low viewership. In the case of Luke Cage, though, it's been said that it boiled down to creative differences behind the scenes and Marvel not taking the series in a direction that Netflix was happy with.

Could all of that have something to do with Netflix wanting to pair these two up for a Heroes for Hire series? Given where the characters are right now, bringing them together will be a challenge but it could work and would ensure that their stories could continue.

Fans have been saying for years now that they want Heroes for Hire so if combining Iron Fist and Luke Cage to make that show is an option, it could be one all parties involved will be happy with. Unfortunately, if Netflix doesn't feel they work individually, why would they spend money putting what they view as two failures together?

A Possible Future On Disney's Streaming Service

Disney can't just take these characters from Netflix for its own streaming service but now that their shows are cancelled, they can do whatever they want with them. While the first couple of seasons of Luke Cage and Iron Fist would remain on Netflix, Disney must know that people won't ever ditch the streaming service for theirs because of the different content; if anything, they'll want both.

So, with the solo shows easy enough to find, Disney could easily launch its own version of Heroes for Hire or even deliver third seasons for both characters, a smart way to attract Marvel fans away from Netflix (Daredevil was the main reason I signed up back in 2015 and I'm sure the same is the case for a lot of fans).

Here's an exciting option for you: what if Disney decides to put these characters in the hands of Marvel Studios so Kevin Feige and company can tell some stories with them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper? That would be incredible but whether or not he would want to handle what are essentially second-hand goods is hard to say.

No More Defenders

When Iron Fist was cancelled, it was said that the character would live on elsewhere and while Heroes for Hire was the series most fans immediately started dreaming up, what about The Defenders?

Unfortunately, all the signs are pointing to that show having been cancelled after the disappointing first season which failed to take advantage of the premise and dropped the ball on The Hand in a big way. As a result, there's no way we'll see the team reassemble in the near future so that pretty much closes the door on bringing them back there.

Luke Cage could show up in Jessica Jones but that would feel very forced now that he's a "crime lord" and while Iron Fist has often been an ally to Daredevil, I don't see Marvel wanting to complicate things by throwing that mythology into the Man Without Fear's mix.

Luke Cage And Iron Fist As Supporting Characters?

As I mentioned above, this certainly isn't the best option but it ould be the only one that works for Iron Fist and Luke Cage assuming Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher aren't cancelled by Netflix.

We could see Frank Castle take aim at Luke in a future season of the latter if he believes that he really has turned bad, while Iron Fist might be able to squeeze his way into Jessica Jones if he hires her to help him track down Orson Randall. In terms of Daredevil, I'm not sure either of their stories would fit into his world in a way that wouldn't feel incredibly forced and convoluted.

The fact is, neither of them are meant to be supporting characters but short of a third season for them both or a team-up of some sort, there's no other way for the heroes to remain part of this world.

A Big Screen Reboot

This probably isn't even remotely likely (at least not in the next five to ten years) but assuming we're witnessing the beginning of the end for this iteration of The Defenders, then the door could be open to Marvel Studios rebooting them for the big screen somewhere down the line.

Daredevil has a huge amount of cinematic potential as does a Heroes for Hire movie and I could definitely picture Jessica Jones showing up as a supporting character in a movie somewhere. As with any reboot, Kevin Feige and company would have to give it some time before delivering fresh versions of the heroes but there's nothing to say they have to stay on television.

Personally, I think Charlie Cox's Daredevil is particularly worthy of his own movie but seeing as Kevin Feige doesn't really seem to have much interest in the Man Without Fear (he was willing to let Fox keep him in exchange for Galactus and Silver Surfer back in 2012), this may be wishful thinking.

The Beginning Of The End?

I mentioned the beginning of the end for these heroes in the previous slide and, sadly, that may be what we're witnessing. Disney has made no secret of the fact that they're looking to create a Netflix beater and while I'm not sure they'll achieve that (even with Fox's content, there's a lot of great TV shows and movies they won't have), they're going to hurt the streaming giant in a big way.

Disney is pulling its content from Netflix and a lot of people will choose to pay to see something like a Star Wars TV show over more Stranger Things any day of the week.

As a result, Netflix cancelling these Marvel shows could be a way of punishing Disney and it honestly wouldn't be at all surprising if we see no more of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher after their respective upcoming seasons. On the plus side, as crappy a prospect as that may be, at least the Man Without Fear ended up going out on a high with season three.

Daughters Of The Dragon

A number of reliable sources have claimed that Netflix won't be giving the green light to any future Marvel TV shows but what if Iron Fist and Luke Cage were cancelled because they see greater potential in supporting characters Colleen Wing and Misty Knight?

Fans are demanding more diversity in superhero adaptations and putting the spotlight on these two strong female breakout leads (both of whom happen to be women of colour) would be a great move by Netflix and one which would undoubtedly be welcomed.

The only potential problem here is that Marvel would be tempted to shoehorn Iron Fist and Luke Cage into proceedings, something which could backfire in a number of different ways. Still, a Daughters of the Dragon TV show would definitely be worth watching.

Future Spinoffs Could Be Dead

As I said, we've heard rumblings that no more Marvel TV shows are coming to Netflix and that probably means all those spinoffs we've been banking on are well and truly dead. To be fair, it's not like a huge number of them have been rumoured to be in the works beyond Daughters of the Dragon and Heroes for Hire but if those shows do happen, it probably won't be via this platform, sadly.

Can Daredevil Save The Defenders?

Maybe? Daredevil season three was superb and quite possibly one of the best Marvel Comics adaptations ever. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and fans have responded to it really positively, so that may be enough to save at least some of these shows on Netflix.

The problem is, the marketing campaign for the show was abysmal and it's hard to escape the feeling that Netflix wanted it to fail.

We didn't learn when it would debut until the last minute and aside from a few trailers and posters, Netflix didn't do much to promote it at all. Here in the UK, I can't turn the TV on without seeing a commercial for that Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot but where's Daredevil? It took me ten minutes to even find it with their algorithm last Friday!

Still, if any show can save The Defenders, it's undoubtedly this one.

Comic Book Continuations

There's no guarantee that this will happen but it could if we're lucky. If Marvel decides that Luke Cage and Iron Fist's stories really are over, there's nothing stopping them allowing the comic book division to launch limited series' which wrap up their respective tales with Luke's return to being a hero and Danny's transformation into the Iron Fist from the comics after finding Orson Randall.

Sure, it wouldn't be as satisfying as actual TV shows but it's not a bad option, especially if Marvel enlists the showrunners and writers who worked on these heroes on the small screen!

We have seen this sort of thing happen in the past and while I'm sure it's not a huge priority for Marvel, if they can keep releasing those terrible Marvel Cinematic Universe prequel stories, then surely they can do something with the Netflix characters whose shows have been scrapped...

LUKE CAGE Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker Reveals Episode Titles For Netflix's Scrapped Season 3

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94 Comments

1 2 3

L0RDbuckethead - 1/3/2019, 2:03 PM

Shame. I really liked Colter in the role.

Maybe we'll see another incarnation of the Defenders on Disney+ (with new actors) a few years down the line.

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 1/3/2019, 2:16 PM

I really liked S2 of Cage. Could have been just an episode or two shorter though. Also, Cage kinda turns into a dick at the end which was odd.

HeavyMetal4Life - 1/3/2019, 2:17 PM

@THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - "Also, Cage kinda turns into a dick at the end which was odd."

He had embraced his darkness and become what he had fought. Which was going to be explored in season 3.

HeavyMetal4Life - 1/3/2019, 2:17 PM

WakandanQueen - 1/3/2019, 2:17 PM

Season 2 was soooo great.

KWilly - 1/3/2019, 2:22 PM

Seems like a good dude. From the little I've seen of Luke Cage, he did a great job. Who knows, maybe The MCU could find a role for him down the... Oh.

Nevermind.

HeavyMetal4Life - 1/3/2019, 2:27 PM

“They are very high-quality shows,” Disney’s Kevin Mayer told The Hollywood Reporter. Mayer, the chairman of the company’s direct-to-consumer and international division, continued, “We haven’t yet discussed that, but I would say that’s a possibility.”

Anyways, regardless of what happens in the future, season 2 was great and it gave us one of the best Marvel TV villains yet.

GhostDog - 1/3/2019, 2:28 PM

RIP

Remember when they first teased this scene

1 2 3

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LUKE CAGE Star Mike Colter Discusses The Show's Cancelation And The Chances Of It Returning

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