A new report indicates that Marvel Studios will no longer invest in live-action TV series. Marvel Studios began diversifying the MCU’s portfolio during the Multiverse Saga by producing a plethora of live-action shows to bolster Disney+’s content offerings. The studio received some negativity over the volume and quality of shows on offer, and the MCU has since shifted its focus back to film projects, with a few lingering live-action series still in the pipeline.
Marvel Studios has one major live-action TV release on its slate for 2026: VisionQuest, the last of the WandaVision trilogy. But beyond this, it seems live-action TV will no longer be a priority for the studio. Collider reports that Marvel plans to significantly cut back on live-action Disney+ shows after the release of VisionQuest. The major exception isDaredevil: Born AgainSeason 3, which has already been filmed.
Collider’s report also notes that potential miniseries under the Marvel Presents and Marvel Spotlight banners won’t be affected. Examples of shows in these categories include Echo and Wonder Man. This news comes shortly after Marvel renewed Wonder Man for a second season, only to unexpectedly reverse its decision and cancel it with no explanation.
Marvel’s live-action TV strategy came fully into effect in the Multiverse Saga, with Phase 4 bringing the release of seven new series: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Phase 5 featured a similar volume of content, with six live-action shows, including Secret Invasion, LokiSeason 2, Echo, Agatha All Along, Daredevil: Born Again,and Ironheart.
In the midst of this, Disney underwent a regime change with the return of Bob Iger as CEO, where he decreed that Marvel Studios would “reduce output and focus more on quality.”The impact of this has been evident in the MCU’s sixth phase, which features only three live-action series: Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, and VisionQuest. It should be noted that Star Wars is also experiencing a similar cutback in live-action TV.
However, this hasn’t eliminated Marvel’s TV output altogether, with animated series continuing to thrive at the studio, and likely to do so in the future. Marvel Studios Animation’s first release, What If…?, gained three seasons, becoming one of the only multi-series shows from Marvel at the time. Since then, X-Men ’97, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, and Eyes of Wakanda have all found success.
Given that this report only indicates cutbacks on the live-action side, it seems like the future of these shows, several of which have new seasons in the works, is still safe.
As it stands, VisionQuest is due to release on Disney+ on October 14, and Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is expected to return in Spring 2027. Beyond that, it’s unclear what Marvel’s TV live-action slate will be in the wake of this news.
What Does the Future of the MCU Look Like Without Live-Action TV?
The news that Marvel Studios is cutting back on live-action television isn’t all that surprising, given the steadily reduced output of recent years. While MCU fans appreciated shows like WandaVision and Loki, which featured major Avengers characters, many still had concerns about quality and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the copious amount of MCU content.
While VisionQuest will seemingly signal the last of this era of live-action TV fronted by a major MCU star, it does raise the question of what happens to Daredevil: Born Again post-Season 3.
The MCU’s Marvel Netflix reboot plan appeared to be going well, with fans invested in the return of the characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Punisher,and Luke Cage. Marvel had begun spinning off characters into their own specials, like The Punisher: One Last Kill, and integrating them into MCU films, such as with Jon Bernthal’s appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Marvel had also invested heavily in Daredevil: Born Again, working through re-shoots to get the first season off the ground, and renewing Seasons 2 and 3 early. Whether a Season 4 is still on the table after this live-action TV cutback remains to be seen. Even without a full season, Marvel may opt to keep the Defenders universe alive on streaming through Special Presentations or Marvel Spotlight series.
Outside of Daredevil: Born Again, it seems that shows reportedly in development, like Nova, Strange Academy, and Champions, could be on the chopping block now as the studio reduces its live-action output. Marvel Television will definitely live on on Disney+ through its animation side, but whether this will be the right decision for the MCU as it heads into another new Saga remains to be seen.
