Netflix cancels Daredevil, third Marvel series in two months

Charlie Cox stars in Daredevil on Netflix. Photo / Supplied

Another Marvel show has been axed by Netflix, the third in less than two months.

Daredevil will not return for a fourth season, the streaming giant confirmed.

The cancellation comes on the heels of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, which were both canned in October.

Two remaining Marvel series on the Netflix, Jessica Jones and The Punisher, both still have forthcoming seasons in the works.

Daredevil recently premiered its third season, in October, to renewed critical acclaim after a lacklustre season two.

Fans and critics felt the series had found its creative juice again under the direction of new showrunner Erik Oleson.

Netflix does not release ratings or viewership numbers, so fans and the industry can only speculate as to whether that was a factor.

But anecdotally, and by Google search trends, Daredevil was the most popular of the six Marvel-Netflix collaborations.

(L-R) Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, and Elden Henson. Photo / Getty Images

Fans can at least take solace in the fact the third season of Daredevil wrapped up most outstanding storylines, unlike Luke Cage and Iron Fist which were both axed after seasons that ended on cliffhangers.

Daredevil was the first of the five shows, later expanded to six to include spin-off The Punisher, to debut on the service in 2015, followed by Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher.

Jessica Jones' third season is due to hit the service in 2019 but showrunner Melissa Rosenberg had already confirmed she is due to depart the series after its third season, having signed an overall deal with Warner Bros.

The raft of cancellations comes at a time when Disney, which owns Marvel Entertainment, is gearing up to launch its own rival streaming service, apparently called Disney+.

It has already been announced that Disney films currently on Netflix, will come off the service and will exclusively be available on Disney's service.

Disney will also develop its own Marvel TV shows for its streaming platform, including one starring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the mischievous god from the Thor franchise.

Reportedly, tensions were high between Netflix and Disney over negotiations for a Luke Cage season three, with scripts all but completed, when Netflix decided to pull the pin.

Netflix assured fans the existing seasons of the Marvel shows would remain on the service for years to come.