Why The Defenders Season 2 Won't Happen At Netflix

When Marvel released The Avengers in 2012, the cinematic world changed. The company brought together years of work and plenty of heroes to fight against a common enemy, and it was rewarded for its efforts with critical acclaim and a huge box office haul. Five years later, Marvel tried to do the same thing on a smaller scale with their Netflix miniseries The Defenders, which united Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to face off against The Hand.

By all accounts, The Defenders should have been a massive success. Marvel had enjoyed good reviews for most of its previous standalone series, and they even managed to recruit Sigourney Weaver as their villain. However, the series wound up getting a mixed reception from fans and critics, and it failed to attract the type of buzz that a team-up of that magnitude should have enjoyed. After the series' lackluster debut, many fans were left questioning if the show would ever get a second season.

The answer looks like "no," and there are a number of potentially insurmountable reasons. Here's why Marvel is unlikely to make another season of The Defenders.

Netflix has kept mum on the reasons their shows get renewed or canceled, but it's hard to imagine that viewership doesn't at least play a part. That could be a problem for The Defenders, which reportedly posted the lowest ratings for any of the Marvel Netflix series to date — not exactly what you'd hope for what was supposed to be a huge team-up.

According to analytics firm Jumpshot, the show was the least-watched of Netflix's Marvel series within its first 30 days on the streaming platform. The show received just 17 percent of the viewership that the most-watched, Daredevil season two, received in its first 30 days — and also had the largest week-to-week drop in viewership.

It is worth noting that Netflix doesn't release official data and has sometimes accused outside firms of coming up with inaccurate numbers. (The Defenders was listed in their official ranking of the series most binged within the first 24 hours, hinting that it may be a bit more popular than some reports indicate.)

Still, it's a worrisome sign that analytics seem to show a lack of viewership for the series. Team-ups are supposed to bring in more viewers than standalones, uniting fans of each of the heroes for what should be a ratings bonanza. If the viewers aren't there, there might not be much of a reason to order a second season. 

Marvel's standalone series each have their own distinct vibe. Daredevil is a gritty crime drama that deals in the darkness lurking around New York City at night; Jessica Jones, meanwhile, is an equally dark show that takes on issues like sexual assault and PTSD. The show's protagonists couldn't be more different, with Jessica's hard-drinking persona clashing with Matt's strong morals and religion.

Jessica Jones does share a bit more in common with Luke Cage, mostly thanks to Luke's appearance on Jessica's standalone series before launching his own show. Still, despite the fact that the two are love interests in the comics, they each have their own distinct world, with Luke Cage's depiction of Harlem's underground showing a totally different side of NYC.

Then, of course, there's Iron Fist, which traveled to the richer areas of the city where the other shows rarely ventured. Iron Fist also showed a more magical side of the world, which was an element not featured in the other shows. Bringing together the four heroes meant trying to mishmash four completely different tones, which was done with varying success throughout The Defenders. The shows are all so distinct that it might, ultimately, simply be easier to keep them separate.  

Unlike the rest of Marvel's Netflix series, The Defenders only had eight episodes instead of the usual 13, despite the fact that the series could have used the extra time to balance its characters and storylines. According to showrunner Marco Ramirez, the reduced episode count was due to scheduling issues with the cast — specifically Ritter and Colter, who had to be free to shoot the second seasons of their standalone shows.

"The eight-episode structure was, creatively, what I thought would work," Ramirez said. However, the logistical issues also played a part, and led to them sticking with the lesser count even when they could have done more. "So by the end of production, we all felt like we could shoot another couple of these," he explained. "But we had to release [Ritter and Colter] back to their own shows." 

Marvel is still working on expanding the character's standalone series, making new seasons of Iron Fist and Daredevil. Some of the universe's supporting characters have also been tapped to move over to The Punisher, making for even more of a scheduling hurdle.

The Defenders brought all of the MCU's heroes together for the first time, but now that they know each other, there's the potential to get them back together without having to do a full crossover again. Smaller crossovers are easier logistically, and provide a chance to bring some buzz to a standalone show without having to deal with the hurdles of putting together a full series.

Marvel has already started down this path in a minor sense, bringing on Foggy (Elden Henson) for a brief cameo in Jessica Jones season two. Danny is also set to pop over for Luke Cage season two, while Simone Missick's Misty Knight has signed on to appear in Iron Fist's second season. There's also always more potential for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage to meet up, considering their romantic history.

Continuing to do smaller crossovers could be a smarter move for Marvel in the long run. Although people who only watch one of the standalone shows might not have tuned into The Defenders, if Daredevil were to pop up on an episode of Jessica Jones, they may realize they like the character and go watch his standalone series (and maybe eventually catch The Defenders as well).