This week, Disney made the surprise announcement that it will move several of the Marvel Live-Action TV series onto the Disney Plus Streaming Service. Those titles, some of which were originally marketed as “Netflix Originals,” include Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, The Punisher, The Defenders, and huge fan favorite, Daredevil. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., on the other hand, was being shown on the Walt Disney Company subsidiary ABC (American Broadcasting Company), and for a limited time on Netflix after the entire release of a whole season of the series.
Marvel Live Action TV Shows Head to Disney Plus
A “last day to watch on February 28” notice began popping up last month on Netflix on users’ screens for those respective titles. The next obvious questions would be to ask: “Where are these titles going to go?” and “When are we going to see those titles again?”
Questions, rumors, and speculation online were put to rest when Disney made the official announcement on March 1st, 2022 that all of these titles were going to be available to watch on the Disney Plus streaming service, this year, on March 16. Therefore, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, The Defenders, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be adding to the already expansive library and collection of the entire Disney catalog. Also, they will be added to the Marvel-related content to other countries outside of the U.S. such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The following statement was made by Michael Paull, President of Disney Streaming:
“Disney+ has served as the home for some of the most beloved brands in the industry, and the addition of these live-action shows brings more from the Marvel brand together, all in one place. We have experienced great success with an expanded content offering on Disney+ across our global markets and are excited to continue that here in the U.S. as well by offering our consumers not only great content with the new Marvel additions, but also a set of features that help ensure a viewing experience most suitable for them and their family.” — Michael Paull, President of Disney Streaming
Updates to Disney+ Parental Controls
In addition to the announcement of the titles coming to Disney Plus, the streaming service will be updating the Disney Plus application to also prompt subscribers in the U.S. to update their parental controls and enter a pin in order to access the newly added titles. For those who have not seen titles such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher, having parental controls and establishing a pin to being able to watch those shows makes sense as the type of content and its rating is directed mainly towards a mature audience. Furthermore, they will be able to gain some insight and expanded knowledge into the characters from their respective series. Each of those shows was given a TV-MA rating. In contrast, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was given a TV-PG rating.
Final Thoughts
It’s very exciting that Disney and Marvel fans will finally be able to watch and gain access to these series all in one place instead of having to access other streaming services. Simply put, it’s nice to see Marvel characters under one umbrella. However, this will also have fans discussing the implications this brings to each of their characters and what plans Disney may have for them in the future. If anything, fans already had a lot of hype regarding the appearance of …SPOILER ALERT!!! Vincent D’Onofrio’s return as Wilson Fisk in Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series streaming on Disney+ and the very much talked about appearance of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, in Spider-Man No Way Home.
