Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige On Possible LUKE CAGE And JESSICA JONES Returns

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige On Possible LUKE CAGE And JESSICA JONES Returns

While rumours continue to swirl that we'll see Charlie Cox's Daredevil in Spider-Man 3, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has now addressed the status of characters like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones...

By JoshWilding - Jan 11, 2021 02:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Luke Cage
Source: Deadline

Rumour has it that Spider-Man 3 will bring back Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock after the actor played the Man Without Fear in three seasons of Daredevil and spinoff series The Defenders. It makes sense seeing as Peter Parker will need legal representation after being framed for murder, while the #SaveDaredevil campaign has made it clear how much fans love this version of the character.

What about some of the other iconic Marvel characters who once called Netflix home, though? 

During a recent interview with Deadline to promote WandaVision, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked specifically about whether he has any plans for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. 

"Well, certainly you’ve seen what we announced at Comic-Con a year and half ago and on Disney Investor Day a few weeks ago, so that’s our focus," he said, referring to the big Disney+ announcements from last month. "But I’ve been at Marvel long enough to never say never about anything."

Even if Daredevil isn't in Spider-Man 3, it's hard to imagine we won't see the likes of Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher on the big or small screen again before too long. Feige chooses his word carefully here, though, so perhaps they'll pop up again sooner than expected.

Which of the former Marvel Television characters do you think should be a priority in the MCU?


Click on the "Next" button below for a reminder of the biggest
mistakes Jeph Loeb made while in charge of Marvel Television!

10. Being Scared Of Costumes

Iron-Fist


There was a time when superhero movies seemed to shy away from costumes, as studio execs didn't seem to believe that people would pay to see a film where the leads are covered up in spandex. For some reason, that's a mentality that Jeph Loeb decided to bring to the Marvel TV shows he took charge of across platforms like ABC, Hulu, and Netflix. 

It took Daredevil twelve episodes to get a suit and even then it didn't include his iconic "DD" logo. Iron Fist never suited up in anything more than a hoodie, while Bullseye just wore the Man Without Fear's old costume and Black Bolt never got anything resembling his familiar mask.

They're just a handful of examples, but with those recent set photos for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier proving that even TV shows can pull off costumes that look like they belong on the big screen, there was no excuse for Loeb not to put so many iconic characters - Cloak and Dagger instantly spring to mind - in outfits resembling what their comic book counterparts wear. 
 

9. Pretty Much Everything About The Inhumans

Inhumans


Where do we even begin? When it was revealed that Marvel Television was partnering with IMAX for this series (thereby giving Inhumans a significantly higher budget than other Marvel TV shows), it really did sound like we would get a show similar to what Feige now has planned for Disney+.

Unfortunately, it was a disaster from the very start. Inhumans looked horribly cheap, the cast was mostly made up of nobodies, and to save money, Lockjaw made only sporadic appearances and Medusa's hair was cut off so that she couldn't use her powers. 

It was baffling to say the least. and such a disaster that IMAX scrapped plans for any future collaborations and moved away from promoting TV shows on their screens. Inhumans just didn't work, and Loeb played a huge role in that, especially as he decided to appoint Scott Buck as showrunner...
 

8. Dropping The Ball With Iron Fist

Danny-Rang


Ah, Scott Buck...what a great decision it was by Loeb to put him in charge of not only Inhumans, but Iron Fist as well. While the character's series started off strong, it took pretty much no time at all to fall apart and we spent almost an entire season watching Danny Rand struggle with performance issues as he failed to get that pesky Iron Fist of his working. 

Honestly, it was about as effective as him putting on some brass knuckles to fight people, and there was no real reason why he couldn't have suited up or had full use of his newfound abilities.

Finn Jones did his best with what he had to work with, but nothing much about the series worked and while fans hoped for an improvement in season two, the decision was instead made to take Danny's powers away from him altogether - despite the fact he was finally getting a handle on them. To say Loeb is incapable of spearheading a cohesive story feels like an understatement.
 

7. Too. Many. Episodes

Luke-Cage


This was an issue that plagued the Marvel TV shows on Netflix from day one, as the seasons frequently started out strong before falling apart in the second half. 

Exploring Daredevil's past with Elektra was great until season two sprinted to the finish line and killed her off in an underwhelming fashion. Remember how good Luke Cage's show was before he went to war with the silly looking Diamondback? Simply put, these shows were all too long and Marvel Television clearly didn't know how to tell a story spread across that many chapters. 

By the time they attempted to learn from past mistakes, it was too late, and even The Defenders didn't quite gel across only eight episodes (that crossover remains a major disappointment). 
 

6. Agent Coulson's Resurrection

Coulson


Marvel Studios killed Agent Coulson in one of The Avengers' most shocking moments, but just one year later, he was back among the living. It's possible that Kevin Feige played some role in this, but it's hard to believe that he was happy with the character's resurrection when he was the one who suggested killing the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent off to Joss Whedon in the first place.

Heck, if you're still not convinced, why do you think Captain Marvel ignored the ABC series? Still don't buy Feige's lack of interest in this show? Well, he destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2014.

The explanation for Coulson's return was confusing and silly to say the least, and the fact that he never hunted down Earth's Mightiest Heroes is just plain dumb. Throw in how convoluted things have become with him in recent years and it's fair to say that bringing him back really wasn't the smartest idea, especially when there were so many other ways to delve into S.H.I.E.L.D.
 

5. An Apparent Lack Of Understanding Of These Characters

DD


Loeb spent years writing comics, so how could he get it so wro... oh yeah, he's the guy who had The Blob eat The Wasp and killed off half the Ultimate Universe in one of the worst events of all-time. 

Ultimatum aside, Loeb had a pretty good track record in television (remember that stellar 100th episode of Smallville?) so the fact that The Punisher's origin story became a conspiracy theory and Hellcat was, well, we're still not sure, speaks volumes when it comes to him not getting these characters. He tried to reinvent the wheel and missed the point of what fans love about the MCU.

With Loeb in charge, we were never going to see the versions of heroes like Black Bolt and the Runaways we wanted, and while some reinventions were great (Cottonmouth, for example) the vast majority fell flat. 
 

4. Failing To Work With Marvel Studios

Cap


In fairness, there may be more to this story than meets the eye. Initially, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tied into what was happening on the big screen and even enhanced it in some ways (that was certainly the case with the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier). That didn't last for long, though, and the divide between Marvel Studios and Marvel Television has only widened over the years.

Feige may be to blame for that as well, but Loeb's decision to seemingly go off on a tangent has hurt these small screen stories, particularly those he trapped in a post-Avengers world. 

Not referencing the MCU at all would have been better than constantly referring to that alien attack on New York City, but failing to touch on the Sokovia Accords or the Civil War that tore this shared world apart. Ultimately, trying to take matters into his own hands and create a new shared world linked only loosely to the big screen proved that Loeb simply wasn't capable of being like Feige. 
 

3. Getting Even The Simplest Of Things Wrong

Hand


Seriously, how do you get The Hand wrong? Designed as the big bad of the world the Defenders lived in, this clandestine group of ninjas became a convoluted creation made up of old ladies and businessmen. As a result, the team's final battle against them proved to be a major let down. 

We have to speak in Loeb's defence here, too, as The Kingpin, for example, was a truly great character and it's hard to imagine even Feige delivering a better version of Wilson Fisk on screen. 

However, for every good creation, there are ten bad ones and the likes of Foggy Nelson, Trish Walker, Deathlok, and even the entire Kree race serve as proof of that. Whereas Marvel Studios has taken obscure characters and made them great, Loeb somehow took beloved fan-favourites, reinvented them, and delivered results every bit as terrible as the comic books he wrote.
 

2. An Inability To Create New Shows

Mockingbird


If the old saying about throwing sh*t at the wall to see what sticks is particularly relevant to anyone in Hollywood, it's Jeph Loeb. A Daughters of the Dragon series? Nah, waste money on ordering a pilot revolving around Mockingbird and her irritating ex-husband instead! You know, seeing the Defenders again might be cool, but screw that...give the New Warriors their own failed pilot.

Throw in a number of other projects that got stuck in development hell, and it's fair to say that launching new shows was not Loeb's strong suit. 

Marvel TV Studios scrapped plans for Ghost Rider, more X-Men TV shows no doubt as bad as The Gifted, and that weird new attempt at a supernatural Defenders as soon as Feige took control, and it's not hard to see why. An ideas man Loeb ain't, and while he was no doubt under pressure to continue launching new shows, not giving enough thought to the ones already on the air may have been his downfall and was almost certainly one of the main reasons he's now vacating his post. 
 

1. He Damaged The MCU

Nick


Whereas Feige was able to tell Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter where to go when he tried to push his racist and sexist agendas on the Marvel movies, it seems Loeb either wasn't so lucky...or he just didn't care who signed his cheques. 

Whatever the answer may be, being Perlmutter's lacky meant launching that terrible Inhumans series and telling stories that just didn't fit into Marvel Studios' wider plans. As time passed, it became clear that these shows had no bearing on what happened on the big screen, but bad stories hurt the brand and Marvel as a whole came under fire when the likes of Iron Fist and Jessica Jones went rapidly downhill. 

Whether it's silly versions of the Kree or characters who would have flourished on the big screen but have ultimately been wasted on the small one (we're looking at you, Ben Urich), the existence of these TV shows has, for the most part, been a detriment to the movies - even if it is just to a small extent in the grand scheme of things. 
 
Do you agree with our assessment of Loeb's time as the boss of Marvel Television or are we being too harsh? Let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section below. 
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Kumkani
Kumkani - 1/11/2021, 2:34 AM
We already had an article on this? Come on now.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 1/11/2021, 2:47 AM
@Kumkani
Ya gotta understand, fam...

Mr. Ditkovich is knocking on the door!
dracula
dracula - 1/11/2021, 2:54 AM
@Doomsday8888 - Wonder if in any of the timelines that Doctor Strange saw in Infinity War, did he ever fix that door. Guessing thats the darkest timeline
dracula
dracula - 1/11/2021, 2:44 AM
Really Daredevil would be the only show worth keeping in continuity. The rest were all over the place in quality

Jessica jones turned to crap after season 1

Luke Cage dropped the ball on the second half of season 1 (although season 2 was a big improvement, id say as good as daredevil season 2)

Iron fist was just terrible, was decent in season 2 but really his appearence in luke cage season 2 was the best writing the character got

Punisher id say was on par with Iron Fist season 2 and just kind of stayed there

Defenders, what a let down. Best tv crossover of that year was for sure Crisis On Earth X
SpaceAgent
SpaceAgent - 1/11/2021, 2:53 AM
@dracula - Nah man either everything's canon or non of it is. Plus all of those actors are great and if given the right treatment they would definetly thrive in their respective roles.
Even Finn Jones. ;)
Manmarvel
Manmarvel - 1/11/2021, 3:10 AM
@SpaceAgent - with the multiverse, he can snag whomever he wants and leave everyone else behind. Picking characters out of the X-men, Inhumane, Defenders, Clock and Dagger, Runaways, AoS, ect as he sees fit for the MCU.
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 1/11/2021, 3:20 AM
Just reboot Iron Fist

Don't care about the rest
Kurne
Kurne - 1/11/2021, 3:26 AM
Could just take the Multiverse route so they can pick and choose who they want back. Or, simply based on whoever even wants to come back.

Have the events of the Netflix and ABC shows loosely/weirdly/eh idk canon. You'd have to assume they're similar timelines because of all the shows' heavy emphasis on Phase 1, but with different occurrences along the way to work around recasts or plot/world events that contradict each other.
TheClungerine
TheClungerine - 1/11/2021, 3:27 AM
Bring them back!! Except iron fist 🤣 recast or reboot lol that shit was trash 🗑️

Really would like season 4 of DD 😭
Mugens
Mugens - 1/11/2021, 3:27 AM
I think all the Netflix shows deserve a second life on Disney+ with Feige overseeing everything. Sure the quality of the various seasons were hit and miss, can't lie about that, but as I have said before that was more due to the scripts, not the actors. And yes the only real seriously weak point was Iron Fist, but I'm game to even give that another shot. The more the merrier.
JDL
JDL - 1/11/2021, 4:58 AM
@Mugens - Not legal. Netflix owns those shows until and unless Disney buys them.
CasualAF
CasualAF - 1/11/2021, 5:42 AM
@JDL - The rights to the characters go back to Marvel after Feb 18, 2021. Some of them are already over.
DaHyro
DaHyro - 1/11/2021, 5:47 AM
@JDL - Well, we actually don’t fully know if that’s the case. Disney owns SOME of the distribution rights (they made Blu Rays of some of the shows), so it’s possible we could get the shows themselves one day too.
JDL
JDL - 1/11/2021, 10:51 AM
@CasualAF - Go back and reread the OP's post. He/she wants a continuation of the Netflix shows and that is not possible. Even if Netflix were to grant permission Disney would be totally uninterested since Netflix retains the shows already shot.

Yes the characters come back and yes they could reboot & recast but that would be too unsatisfying to too many people to have a snowballs chance in Hell of succeeding.
JDL
JDL - 1/11/2021, 10:53 AM
@DaHyro - Why do you think Disney made the Blu-Rays or DVD's ? They aren't selling them on their web site.
CasualAF
CasualAF - 1/12/2021, 7:15 AM
@JDL - Oh i wasnt arguing the value of continuing the Netflix series. I was just saying after February Marvel can do whatever they want with their characters per the "Not legal. Netflix owns those shows until and unless Disney buys them." comment.
JDL
JDL - 1/12/2021, 10:03 AM
@CasualAF - They can't do whatever they want if it conflicts with the IP rights that Netflix owns before or after Feb 28.

Like I said reboot and recast and when the backlash hits rebury. YMMV.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 1/11/2021, 6:15 AM
I enjoyed the Netflix Marvel shows. But these are all shows that ran their own independent course and I'll love them for what they were. Feige is certainly not passing up the opportunity to tell his own stories based on these characters and their origins in the MCU.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 1/11/2021, 8:07 AM
Just bring back DareDevil and Punisher from Netflix. Which should include King Pin. All others had a good go but I wouldn’t be disappointed if they recasted Luke Jessica and Danny.
Also would t be upset if they gave Bernthal the role of Wolverine in which I would hope they let someone like Thomas Jane back in the role of Frank Castle.
Ramble over....... till the next one.
Anonymius
Anonymius - 1/25/2021, 1:58 AM
OK, in defence of SOME of the things that Jeph Loeb apparently did:

I liked coulson. He was the best character in agents of shield and it was sad when they killed him off (barring any alternate or robot versions), even if it made no sense why him being alive had to be kept a secret.

Kind of a d**k move to bring up ultimatum, considering what he was going through at the time and how it affected his writing.

and agents of shield did mention civil war (and was the reasoning for why inhumans had to be registered), and even the beginnings of infinity war, even if it did act like the snap never happened.

as for the hand, i believe there were concerns that depiction of the organisation enforced japanese stereotypes, and so they tried to remove those stereotypes and make it more of a multi-national organisation (even if it had no problem depicting irish gangs and hispanic cartels), but without the stereotypes there wasn't much left to use.

also i don't know how much of the creative decisions that happened in the individual shows you can blame on loeb.
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