Disney+ Makes Major Addition to Streaming Library

Disney+ bolstered its Marvel Cinematic Universe library this week with the Defenders show that originally aired on Netflix. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher all left Netflix earlier this month. After about two weeks away, the shows were added to Disney+ on Wednesday, March 16.

Marvel Studios collaborated on the Defenders shows as Netflix original series starting in 2015, years before its parent company Disney launched Disney+, acquired Hulu or generally began doing everything in-house. Now that the licensing deals are up, those shows have been called home to join most of the MCU on Disney+. Of course, fans know that the Defenders shows are darker than many other MCU productions, and do not meet the family-friendliness standards that Disney+ has upheld so far. The streamer has also introduced new parental control features to account for that.

Disney+ has added a new age-gating system to keep younger viewers from watching the Defenders series without permission – either by accident or on purpose. The shows are full of graphic violence, substance abuse and heinous crimes which may hit closer to home than the machinations of a CGI alien dictator. Viewer discretion is definitely advised.

Curiously, even moving the Defenders shows to Disney+ has not officially made them a canonical part of the MCU. According to a report by Yahoo! News, Marvel Studios has still not officially weighed in on whether these shows take place in the same timeline as The Avengers. However, some fans suspect that Marvel is saving the dramatic answer to that question for an upcoming production and that it may be more nuanced than a simple yes or no.

We saw Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Spider-Man: No Way Home back in December, though we didn't see his alter ego Daredevil. Still, this glimpse confirmed that the Defenders stars are up for a comeback. One of the most outspoken Defenders stars, Vincent D'Onofrio, also reprised his role as Kingpin in the Disney+ series Hawkeye last year. Fans think maybe the MCU is holding out for a bigger crossover to confirm whether the Defenders are canon.

There are plenty of good opportunities to do so coming up. The next MCU release will be Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will take some of the multidimensional concepts from No Way Home even further. Some fans theorize that the answer to the Defenders question will be revealed there, and that perhaps those shows took place in a slightly different timeline. This could also be the opportunity to bring the Defenders into the main story.

Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher are all streaming now on Disney+. Parents are advised to check their age restriction preferences if they don't want their young children to stumble into some violent scenes.