Warning: Massive spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War. Please back away quietly and come back later once you've seen the film!
Well, damn. As you'll likely know by now, the ending of Avengers: Infinity War has left the MCU with some mighty big questions to answer once Avengers 4 rolls around next year. The superhero team up that saw the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and many of their friends join in the fight to keep Thanos from eliminating half of all life from the universe left the remaining heroes dazed and confused as the screen went to black. That's right, the remaining heroes; and, there aren't that many of them, because once Thanos completed the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped his fingers, a whopping 12 heroes turned to dust right before our very eyes. But, remember that that's not the only result of Thanos winning, as half of everyone in the universe also turned to dust after he snapped his giant purple fingers. Unfortunately, this could have some huge consequences for the Marvel shows that populate Netflix.
Until now, it's been very easy for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher to coexist with the Marvel films without dealing too much with what happens in those movies. Most of the shows have briefly mentioned the big alien battle that took place in The Avengers, mostly because that fight happened in New York and all the Netflix shows are set in the Empire State as well. Other than that, and the occasional mention of one hero or another, since none of the Netflix heroes were involved in that fight, there really was nothing else to say on the matter. But, with the ending of Infinity War, half of life on Earth is literally dust right now. This means that if the Netflix shows ever plan to air seasons that take place after The Thanos Snap, those shows will need to address what happened big time.
Think about it. It doesn't even matter that Daredevil and the others weren't present at any of the fronts where the big screen heroes battled Thanos and his armies; anyone who was alive prior to the snap could have been dusted post-snap. Considering how many big names faded away at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the likelihood that all the Netflix heroes are still alive is a very remote possibility. Beyond that, what are the real chances that all of their friends and allies survived? Jeri Hogarth, Karen Page, Micro, Misty Knight, Claire Temple, Colleen Wing, Malcolm Ducasse...I could go on, but you get my point. Why would all of these people still be alive to fight another day?
Aside from these obvious issues, the Marvel Netflix shows simply cannot avoid the sheer chaos that would have erupted post-snap at some point. Even if every hero, ally and villain known to each series miraculously survived, millions of other people didn't. As Infinity War even showed us, there were probably a ton of people driving cars, flying planes and piloting boats who got dusted. Not to mention all the surgeons in the middle of operations, farmers tending their fields, construction workers moving heavy building equipment and so on. Also, Hell's Kitchen, Harlem and the surrounding areas (and, the world as a whole) will be missing a lot of people who make sure things get done. Will electricity and clean, running water continue to flow in all areas without someone to oversee those processes at least some of the time? By that same token, will our cell phones and the internet still work? Will grocery stores still have stocked shelves? Will those left be able to gas up their cars as easily as they once could?
These are all things that I think need to be covered by Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher. Not immediately, since I doubt anyone who's currently working on new seasons of those shows was fully aware of the impact the ending of Avengers: Infinity War would have on the entire world, but those shows can't avoid dealing with the complications brought on by The Thanos Snap forever. In my mind, they each get their next season to not talk about it, but then, some folks need to start disappearing (yes, even characters we know and like) and some major chaos needs to reign down that the heroes will have to deal with. Because, let's be honest, just keeping order in a situation like this would be tough, especially since they can't count on backup from a full police force or military anymore.
Having said that, though, I don't expect (or want) all the shows to handle the Thanos fallout the same way. Maybe the end of the next season of Daredevil will see people turning to dust during the final fight. Meanwhile, Jessica's detective work dries up in the midst of so many people getting dusted, so she takes to the streets to try and keep order. Danny Rand could disappear, but somehow the Iron Fist powers get transferred to Colleen. All that really matters is that each Marvel Netflix show finds a way to have the characters deal with the largest event in the MCU to date. If they don't, it will be a bit difficult to take the five shows seriously as they move forward.
