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.
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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?