Netflix boss says Marvel was "thrifty" about its Defenders shows: "We wanted to make great television; they wanted to make money"

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has reflected on the streamer's Marvel shows – and some behind the scenes struggles.

Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all streamed on Netflix, along with the crossover show Defenders. Now, of course, Marvel TV's home is Disney Plus.

"I think they are. I mean, I don’t know because they don’t release any numbers," Sarandos told Variety when asked if he thought Disney Plus's Marvel TV shows are successful.

"On our shows, we were dealing with the old Marvel television regime, which operated independently at Disney," he continued. "And they were thrifty. And every time we wanted to make the shows bigger or better, we had to bang on them. Our incentives were not well aligned. We wanted to make great television; they wanted to make money. I thought we could make money with great television."

He added of what he learned: "You want to work with people whose incentives are aligned with yours. When people are producing for you, they’re trying to produce as cheaply as possible. My incentive is to make it as great as possible. That’s a lesson that I take forever. As producers, whatever [Marvel] didn’t spend, they kept. So every time we wanted to add something to the show to make it better, it was a fistfight."

The Netflix Marvel characters are slowly making their way to the MCU: Daredevil has shown up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, and now his own show Daredevil: Born Again, while Kingpin appeared in Hawkeye and Echo, and Punisher has returned in Born Again and will soon be getting his own special.

Jessica Jones actor Krysten Ritter has also shared she'd be keen for a Marvel return, but time will tell if we'll ever see her back in the leather jacket.

Next up for Marvel is Thunderbolts*, while Netflix has the likes of Wednesday season 2, Squid Game season 3, and Stranger Things season 5 on the way.

You can keep up to date on Born Again with our Daredevil: Born Again release schedule, or check out our Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review for our spoiler-free verdict on the entire show.