"Our goal is to make TV shows that have an annual cadence, that feel like longer-form character studies, like truly great television shows," Brad Winderbaum, the head of Marvel Television, told me on the eve of Daredevil: Born Again season 2's release. I thought he was referring to The Man Without Fear's show – the third season was filming at the time – but I was very, very wrong.
At Marvel's New York Comic Con panel, Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox, backed by Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and a returning Finn Jones (Iron Fist), confirmed that the next season will be the show's last. The audience was not happy. Asked what we can expect from the final episodes, Cox emphatically said: "All I can say is, the #SaveDaredevil campaign will be gearing up for Round Two." A round of cheers followed, but probably too little, too late.
Cox later told GamesRadar+ that the cancellation was not a huge surprise and the cast had a "good sense" the news was coming. However, reports previously revealed that showrunner Dario Scardapane exited the series during post-production, and internet rumours have also claimed the series' ending has been reshot to be more definitive. Surely, the show was meant to go on? I mean, why reintroduce all The Defenders not to use them?
VisionQuest also made up a significant part of the NYCC panel, with the cast stressing that this is the final part of the WandaVision trilogy. Yet, rather than just being a closing chapter to one of Marvel's most successful small-screen ventures, VisionQuest feels like the end of an entire era. Marvel has spent five years pumping out live-action limited series that tied into the big-screen productions, and now, there are no more coming. Marvel's Disney Plus experiment, it seems, has run its course.
"With the Captain America series, with Hawkeye, it really felt like the movies were in your home, and it was a great way to launch Marvel on [Disney Plus]," Winderbaum told me. "We learned, as time went on, the shared universe started to feel like an obligation to people, and that cost us a sense of discovery, especially on the television side.
"It doesn't matter if you can jump in and watch Moon Knight without knowing anything else. There was a sense, because of the preceding decade of the shared universe and the films, that you had to watch everything. It was, frankly, a bit of a misconception, but an understandable one based on the way we were releasing material."
That Daredevil, VisionQuest, and, lest we forget, the cancelled Wonder Man, were conceived before Marvel Television's rebranding in 2024 is telling. The studio's production philosophy has seemingly changed, and with little else on the horizon, Winderbaum appears to be taking the opportunity to clear the decks and start over.
Brave new world
So, what does the future of Marvel Television look like? At the NYCC panel, Winderbaum revealed the answer: Zodiac. Previously alluded to in Wonder Man's cancellation announcement, the new series was confirmed at NYCC, turning many fans' heads.
In the comics, Zodiac is a villainous crime syndicate whose members use Zodiac signs as names. "It's a globetrotting, international espionage show about secrets and lies and betrayals and secret acts of loyalty and an insane cast of characters," Winderbaum told Collider when teasing the series, refusing to elaborate as he wants everyone to watch unspoiled. It's wild that Marvel's only confirmed live-action Disney Plus show after Daredevil is one that centers on characters who wouldn't make the B-list. Only four years ago, the studio released Moon Knight, Ms Marvel, and She-Hulk in a single year.
Considering everything Winderbaum has said about his approach to TV, the pivot toward essentially unknown characters makes sense. He wants ongoing, yearly character studies that don't feel like homework for the wider MCU. What better way to do that than tell an entirely separate story about characters who won't be going anywhere near Spider-Man? The series can go deep without any baggage, and the movies can once again be completely separate beasts from the TV shows, with no need to watch anything prior.
Marvel's Disney Plus experiment, it seems, has run its course.
Intriguingly, Zodiac's logo seems to reference S.H.I.E.L.D., the counterterrorism organisation that helped kickstart The Avengers Initiative and had its own show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which ran for seven seasons. The series was not a colossal ratings hit, but had an enduring fanbase, and frankly, sounds exactly like the sort of TV show Winderbaum wants to make. In other words, Marvel Television's future may look surprisingly like its past. (Though, unlike some speculators, I suspect Zodiac will have zero real ties to the Agents series, to avoid the former series being "homework" for this one.)
Of course, this says nothing of Marvel's animation output. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man season 2, X-Men '97 season 3, and the next three years of Marvel Zombies were all teased during the NYCC panel. Animation is much lower stakes than the live-action series – they have no bearing on the wider MCU – and all three shows have been warmly received by fans. There's no need for a cull. And the budgets are much, much smaller than live-action, which probably helps (though this is House of Mouse money we're talking).
It certainly seems, then, that the NYCC panel was a surprising eulogy for the way Marvel used to work and a brief, telling tease for the future. Zodiac marks a new dawn for live-action Marvel Television. And excitingly, we have very little idea what to expect.
VisionQuest is currently streaming on Disney Plus. Daredevil: Born Again season 3 is expected to release March 2027. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, and our list of all the most exciting new TV shows heading your way.
