Daredevil and Warrior Nun were both cancelled by Netflix but then later revived for future runs on different venues following massive fan campaigns. But while the news that those shows would be continuing came as a great relief to the people who put so much effort into saving them, recent events suggest things aren’t going quite as planned. Daredevil has gone through a complete shakeup at Disney+ while it is currently unclear what direction Warrior Nun will go with its revival.
Daredevil: Born Again Is Experiencing Premature Pains
Daredevil was a hit at Netflix and possibly could have gone into a fourth season at that streamer if not for corporate politics. Disney execs wanted the show to stick with its thirteen-episode runs, while Netflix wanted shorter seasons. Also, Disney was in the process of starting up its own streaming service which would be in direct competition with Netflix. In addition, viewership for the show had dropped, though it was still one of the most-watched originals on the service. All of this led to the cancellation announcement (along with the other MCU shows Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher) and a fan campaign started up immediately to save the show. That effort spanned the globe and continued for years as Disney waited for the rights to revert back to them. And when that did happen, they announced Daredevil: Born Again which would bring back Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio to the roles of Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
With this revival, though, there was trouble brewing right away as it was referred to as a “soft reboot” and not all of the original cast members would be returning. Matt Murdock then showed up on the She-Hulk series and seemed much less of the grim character we knew from the Netflix series as that show followed a more comedic formula. And it turned out that was the same direction that the new Daredevil series was taking, more of a legal comedy with a de-emphasis on the Daredevil character. About half of the episodes were completed when MCU boss Kevin Feige got a look at them and was not happy. He has since dismissed pretty much the entire crew and will try to salvage the footage that has been shot while bringing in new writers and directors to move the show in a different direction.
Disney and Marvel execs have no one to blame but themselves because they never should have tinkered with the formula of the original series. It was a hit and inspired the devotion of so many fans because it was an excellent series that did justice to the character. But it was also a more mature-themed show that did not fit as well on the family-friendly Disney+ service, and the changes were probably partly a means to line up better with the other MCU shows available from that streamer. But they should have targeted it for Hulu where they could have revived all of the former Netflix MCU shows. Perhaps the current shakeup will provide the course correction needed and move it closer to the look and feel of the first three seasons (bringing back Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson would certainly help). And this is also an opportunity for the fans to speak out and let Disney execs know that they want the show to stick with the original premise. Because if the Mouse House and Marvel continue to screw around with it, the revival may not last long even though a second season is allegedly already planned.
The Warrior Nun Revival May Not Be What Fans Wanted
Warrior Nun returned to Netflix for its second season in Fall 2022 and pulled good viewership as it spent three weeks in that streamer’s Top 5 for English Language shows. But Netflix was in cancelling mode at that time and decided it was not interested in keeping the show going for a third season. That immediately sparked a global fan campaign, and the show’s creator Simon Barry added his support to the efforts to save the series. After months of lobbying for the show, an announcement came that three movies would be produced to continue the story of Warrior Nun. Details on those films were very sparse, though, and since then the revival has experienced some added twists and turns.
It was unclear where the movies would be made available and now it appears that key members of the creative team from the series will not be onboard. The WarriorNunSaved.com website put up a mysterious announcement (which turned out to just be a competition for a halo design), and when fans checked in with Simon Barry he said he knew nothing about it and that he had not been asked to participate in the movies. It has since come out that producers David Hayter and Amy Berg will not be onboard either. This has caused a stir among the fans and cast some doubt on the direction the revival will take (you can read more about that situation at this link).
To my knowledge, it has not even been confirmed at this point that the cast of the show will be returning. Netflix likely still holds the rights to the first two seasons, and it is possible they are not allowing a continuation of that version. The creator of the original comics Ben Dunn is involved with the movies, and perhaps those could follow the complete reboot route or possibly a soft reboot similar to what Marvel planned with Daredevil. Those are just assumptions, though, and I have no confirmations at this point. But the fact is that much of the original creative team from the series may not be involved, so the movies could follow a very different direction. And this certainly offers an opportunity for fans to unite and make it clear they want the original show back with the creative team in place.
All of this comes down to corporate politics and execs not really understanding the audience that tunes into their shows. Both Daredevil and Warrior Nun were hits in their original forms (even if company leaders might not agree) and the fans who fought for them want them to continue in the same direction. If those involved with the revivals continue to tinker with them and deliver something that varies notably from the original shows, it may just lead to them ending too soon once again.
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