The end of 2018 took place over a week ago now, but one of the year's biggest TV cancellations just won't stop stinging for some. Daredevil fans decided to make their voices heard recently with a #SaveDaredevil petition campaign meant to convince Marvel and Netflix to bury any and all hatchets in order to get Matt Murdock back in our lives and on our TV screens again. And though it started fairly slowly, the petition has gotten a ton of attention in recent weeks.
As it currently stands at the time of this writing, the Save Daredevil petition at Change.org has been signed by well over 126,000 people, and that number is constantly rising. It's clear that fans are already missing the Man Without Fear, even though Season 3 had technically just debuted in October.
The petition was getting some traction after its creation, simply from superhero-friendly approach, but everyone's radar really tuned in once series star Vincent D'Onofrio gave the campaign a social media share. The actor's powerful return to the role of Wilson Fisk was celebrated by just about everyone, and that same group of people would love to see him return for Season 4. Or perhaps for a Spider-Man movie.
The movement, which joined forces with the previously formed Renew Daredevil campaign, aims to reverse the actions taken by Netflix when it cancelled its most popular Marvel superhero drama. That decision was made in the weeks following the release of Season 3, arguably the most critically acclaimed episodes of any Marvel TV show. Lots of anger and other foul feelings were felt and voiced at the time, and this petition proves that all the animosity wasn't just going to dissipate quietly over the holidays.
The direct goals of the petition are two-fold. One, for the current iteration of Daredevil to continue, with Marvel TV and Netflix working out whatever deal would be necessary in order for that to happen. Or two, for the cast members from Netflix's Marvel shows to be allowed for use in other projects on other platforms.
To be clear, neither option has an overwhelmingly great chance of working out in the long run. The exact details behind Marvel and Netflix's disagreements over the various Defenders' series have not gone public, but the sheer number of rumors involved is a good sign that there were too many problems for easy renewals to have developed. Plus, it's likely a rights and/or a financial issue, which usually means fans' goodwill and dedication fall on deaf ears.
Sadly, similar situations exist for all the various heroes and villains involved with Daredevil and its brethren. Contract details stipulate that Netflix's Marvel characters can't show up in any non-Netflix projects for at least two years beyond their final appearance. So, technically, if everyone who signed this petition just waits long enough, then all wishes could be granted eventually.
All that said, there has never been a better time for cancelled shows to return in one way or another, whether by being saved by a different network/studio or by appearing in a semi-spinoff format. Netflix is usually the one to do the saving in these scenarios anyway, so maybe Jessica Jones will be followed up by a second Defenders season. Or maybe The Punisher Season 2 is really a stealth Daredevil Season 4 that just happens to be totally focused on Frank Castle the whole time.
If you want to see more Daredevil, be sure to sign the petition and keep current for more updates, with some more positive news hopefully on the horizon. In the meantime, Netflix's 2019 schedule is already stocked with awesome shows, as is the midseason premiere schedule.
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