Marvel Studios has regained the live-action rights to the Punisher and the Jessica Jones. The rights to these characters were held by Netflix after the company cancelled their shows in 2019, but they have now returned to Marvel.
As reported by ComicBook, Marvel Studios can now use the Punisher and Jessica Jones in its movies and series. The Netflix series were the last of several Marvel shows that Netflix produced since 2017, which also included Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. All of these series were eventually cancelled by the streaming giant.
The Netflix shows were initially part of the MCU, but references to the wider universe became increasingly infrequent as they continued. While it’s not known if Marvel will use any of these characters or the actors in the MCU again, Daredevil actor Charlie Cox was recently seen on the set of the upcoming third Spider-Man movie. Of course, the Spider-Man films have their own complicated rights situation, with the films co-produced by Marvel and Sony, which owns the live-action rights to the character.
Disney+ is now exclusively the home of live-action Marvel shows. Marvel Television closed down last year, and its final series, the supernaturally-themed Hulu show Helstrom, was cancelled in December after a single season. The first MCU show on Disney+ was WandaVision, which premiered in January, with Falcon and the Winter Soldier set to follow in March.
Beyond that, upcoming Marvel shows include Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and the crossover event Secret Invasion. Many of these were officially confirmed at the Disney Investor Day event in December.
