Why Luke Cage Just Got Cancelled
With Iron Fist also getting the chop, The Defenders are down to two.
Out of nowhere (though looking at the series' general reception, it's not THAT much of a surprise), Netflix have canned Luke Cage.
The news comes just a week after Marvel fans were informed that Iron Fist would also not see a renewal. Together these cancellations scupper further Defenders plans and put a sizeable dent in Marvel's TV universe, though you have to imagine Cage's Mike Colter and Iron Fist's Finn Jones could appear in the still-alive-for-now Daredevil or Jessica Jones.
As for the reason why, Deadline posited in a recent article that it might be because of the age old “creative differences” schtick, as sources indicate scripts were delivered to Netflix, only for this to be the result.
However, if you look at the cost to make, the cost of licensing the character and the overall mooted potential of the Defenders (seeing as it was never considered to be getting a second outing), it might simply be a case of diminishing returns.
Either way, Marvel's TV efforts - though starting out immaculately with Daredevil and Jessica Jones - now appear so much weaker. Those two heroes are still going strong, but from The Inhumans being cancelled to Cloak & Dagger's inability to catch on, plus both Luke Cage and Iron Fist getting the chop, either it means a more focused future is coming, or Marvel's TV efforts are on the downward curve.