The final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is off to a strong start, as Phil Coulson and his team are now time traveling to prevent a plot that would spell the end for planet Earth. As the season goes on, familiar faces will come back into the fray, and S.H.I.E.L.D. lore will expand. But many have still been wondering if the show will feature any connections to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, the producers have now provided an answer.

Season 6 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. mostly avoided MCU references or Easter eggs (which may have had something to do with a certain movie that was released last year). But showrunners Jed Whedon and Jeffrey Bell, along with executive producer Jeph Loeb, has confirmed that the final season will stumble upon something MCU-related:

As you can imagine, their comments to Deadline weren’t exactly revealing, as they likely don’t want to give away any surprises. Still, the fact that fans can expect some ties to the MCU is exciting.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has held an interesting position in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since it first premiered in 2013. From the jump, the producers wanted to make it apparent that the show was firmly set in the cinematic universe. Sometimes these connections were smooth and interesting, while others were seen as excessive or unnecessary. On top of this, the films have never actually referenced the events of the series, which made things a bit more awkward.

As mentioned, the creators sought to avoid references in the sixth season. However, given the season’s placement, it’s honestly hard to say if S.H.I.E.L.D. is still technically MCU canon. The fifth season finale closed with the beginning of Thanos’ arrival on Earth, which viewers saw happen in full force in Avengers: Infinity War. But when the sixth season picks up a year later, there’s no mention of the Snap or half of the population being gone. This likely stemmed from the fact that the writers weren’t aware of Marvel Studios’ plans for Endgame.

This might also be a larger reflection of the change in the relationship between Marvel’s TV and film branches. Before the dissolution of Marvel Television, a sort of line had been drawn in the sand between the two entities. As a result, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. became even more of a black sheep in the Marvel family.

While we may still question the series’ exact position in the MCU, it’s nice to know that the creators are still going to have some fun with the larger universe. The show is said to be taking some major risks this year and, after that premiere, any MCU connections could be major.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

Following Kevin Feige’s promotion to Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, and the impending exit of current Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb, many fans were rightfully worried about the trajectory of all of the studio's comic book shows outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s now been made official: Marvel’s TV studio is no more, but it might not be all bad news.

Let’s start with the bad news first. The TV arm of Marvel Entertainment is being folded into Marvel Studios. In his expanded role, which was announced back in October, Kevin Feige’s creative control now extends beyond the MCU and into Marvel TV, animation, and publishing. (Basically, everything that Marvel is doing with Disney+, as opposed to any other network or streaming service.)

The TV branch was responsible for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Netflix’s previously cancelled Defenders shows — Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Punisher — and . its shuttering means there will unfortunately be layoffs within the company, though how many remains to be seen. Meanwhile, former head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb will oversee the transition before officially leaving the studio.

Now for the good news. According to THR, the transition doesn’t mean the complete end of Marvel Television as we know it just yet. All projects currently in development are still happening, so fans worried about the dark adaptation Helstrom can take comfort that the series is currently still set to debut on Hulu at some point in 2020. And most of the animated projects in development are also still on the path to their debuts.

That doesn't mean it's all sunshines and rainbows for those shows, though. Production on the animated Tigra and Dazzler Show stopped recently after the showrunner left the project due to creative differences with Marvel. Still, plans remain in place for Tigra and Dazzler Show to continue on with Hulu.

However, the same can’t be said for other Marvel TV shows whose fates were locked down before the recent studio update. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is already ending with its seventh and final season, but there’s no hope for all the other cancelled Marvel shows that were under Jeph Loeb’s direction. Even the Ghost Rider series with Gabriel Luna, which was announced back in May, was later dropped by Hulu before production ever began, so it likely wouldn't have stood a chance under the new Marvel TV division.

Jeph Loeb ushered in a new era in his years stop Marvel TV, bringing several new shows to fans across a variety of TV networks and streaming services. (Many fans will forever argue that Daredevil is the best Marvel show of all time.) His departure and the subsequent folding of Marvel TV under Kevin Feige’s leadership seemed imminent after Cloak and Dagger and Marvel’s Runaways were also cancelled, so the announcement seems like more of a formality.

While it’s understandable that Marvel wants to streamline their shared universe, the loss of Marvel TV is still a big one for anyone hoping to see lesser-celebrated characters. I imagine that Kevin Feige is more interested in bringing to Disney+ a batch of MCU-specific shows like WandaVision, Loki, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, rather than contending with Marvel’s shows on other television platforms. Time will tell just how concerning that kind of decision-making could be.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on the transition of Marvel’s TV branch. In the meantime, be sure to check out our guide to all the TV shows premiering in the winter and spring of 2020.

With Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. bowing out after Season 7, Marvel TV's influence on the fandom is mostly limited to teen-focused adventures on Freeform's Cloak & Dagger and Hulu's Runaways. But that's all changing with the huge wave of new programming coming from Marvel and Hulu, with Gabriel Luna's flame-headed Ghost Rider leading the pack with his own standalone series.

Fans were surprised to learn that Ghost Rider would be heading to Hulu rather than ABC, where he was first introduced as part of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fourth season. (For now, the two shows will be completely separate.) Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb offered up some insight into how that decision came together. According to Loeb:

That makes a lot of sense, right? For the most part, Ghost Rider is a half-demon bent on revenge, with the fires of Hell behind him. Not exactly the character most likely to share a primetime schedule with black-ish and Grey's Anatomy.

On Hulu, though, there aren't nearly the same number or assortment of broadcast standards that would limit Marvel TV's storytelling abilities where Ghost Rider is concerned. Hulu has featured such dark and complicated tales as The Path, The Handmaid's Tale and The Act, each of which likely wouldn't have aired on ABC (or any other major network) in their present forms. A Ghost Rider TV show would have had a hell of a time trying to blaze past the censors and other flag-raisers.

Jeph Loeb told Deadline that the topic of Ghost Rider came up naturally enough once conversations started happening more between Hulu and Marvel TV.

A solid point through and through, considering Ghost Rider will likely hit upon some darker genre tropes that would likely be too much for ABC. The network does occasionally handle spooky programming, such as the upcoming mystery thriller Emergence, but ABC isn't so much an incubator of pure horror or terror.

Jeph Loeb spoke about how the Ghost Rider series will be one that kicks off a subsection of heroes that taps into that darker section of the Marvel Universe, which touches upon another project that's in the works for Hulu. In Loeb's words:

We're likely still a ways away from seeing what Marvel TV and Hulu have cooking in the Adventures of Fear department, but hopefully the various productions will get underway so that fans can dive into the madness sooner rather than later. In the meantime, though, there are more shows to look forward to that tap into lighter subject matter.

Marvel TV and Hulu are currently invested in a partnership that will likely go even deeper than the on that was formed at Netflix to bring the street-level Defenders heroes to live-action TV. Currently, one part of the plan will center on a host of animated series, such as Howard the Duck with Kevin Smith, M.O.D.O.K. with Patton Oswalt, Tigra and Dazzler with Chelsea Handler, and Hit-Monkey with Office Christmas Party filmmakers Josh Gordon and Will Speck.

Are you guys ready for Ghost Rider most of all, or do any of these other Marvel TV Hulu projects sound more exciting? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more from CinemaBlend.

After a long while believing that Season 5 would be the end, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans (and its cast and crew) have had a swift uprise with the chapter-flipping Season 6 and ABC's early decision to renew for Season 7. So it's perhaps bittersweet that Marvel TV head honcho Jeph Loeb has revealed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be coming to an end after the next season, with very little chance for Season 8 to happen at ABC or anywhere else.

The good news here is that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't get an untimely cancellation notice from ABC that usurps its earlier renewal. Rather, Jeph Loeb revealed that creators Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jeff Bell were the ones responsible for deciding to end the series. As such, S.H.I.E.L.D. becomes the rare live-action Marvel TV series to defy network cancellation by going out on its own terms.

Jeph Loeb said that the creative team did indeed treat Season 5's development process as if it was going to be the final year. After the showrunner trio put the work in on conceiving the new direction for Season 6, ABC dropped the surprise early renewal on everyone. And perhaps surprisingly, it was agreed to with the endgame (no pun intended) being a caveat. Here's how Loeb put it to Deadline:

Obviously, that decision isn't the easiest one to understand for TV fans that have tuned in every week. Especially for a show that was in fear of being cancelled. The point, though, was to be able to wrap things up creatively on their own terms.

Here is Jeph Loeb's explanation for why they chose that route:

Marvel fans have witnessed many disappointing TV cancellations over the years, from Daredevil and the other Netflix shows to ABC's Agent Carter to Fox's The Gifted. (And on the DC front, Gotham's cancellation still stings as much as some of those deaths did.) So it's technically a good thing that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gets to join FX's Legion as being two of the only Marvel television shows to have fully rounded arcs that ended how their creators intended.

Adding to the silver-lining fun is the fact that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. still has more than full season of episodes left to go, so fans technically won't be saying farewell to Clark Gregg, Ming Na-Wen and the rest of this highly charged ensemble until some point in 2020, or possibly even 2021. (Unless Gregg's Sarge ends up being gone for the long haul, of course.)

For now, fans can watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continuing Season 6 on ABC every Friday night at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Netflix just broke up with Marvel, or at least with its Marvel superhero dramas. Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Daredevil were just followed by The Punisher and Jessica Jones. Jessica Jones will still air its third season on Netflix, but it was confirmed to be the final season. At the same time, Netflix confirmed that The Punisher will not return for Season 3 on the streamer.

Jon Bernthal stars as Frank Castle on The Punisher, with Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones. Both stars posted to social media after news spread that their shows would not be renewed by Netflix.

Here's how Jon Bernthal paid tribute to Marvel Comics' war veteran-turned-avenging vigilante Frank Castle, who first debuted in Daredevil Season 2 before getting his own spinoff in The Punisher:

The Punisher Season 2 just dropped on Netflix on January 18, and both fans and Jon Bernthal were hoping to continue the story in Season 3. The official show account also addressed the cancellation:

[Salutes] In terms of Jessica Jones, that show already filmed Season 3, and it will still release later in 2019 on Netflix. Here's Krysten Ritter thanking the show's team and fans ahead of the final season:

On a more positive note, Marvel Television boss Jeph Loeb posted a letter on Marvel.com to all the fans, from everyone at Marvel TV. The letter ended on this hopeful note:

How they get back up, to be continued? Jeph Loeb has made it clear that this was Netflix's decision, and not something that Marvel TV wanted. It also definitely sounds like there's more to come for at least some of the cancelled shows -- possibly on Disney+ once that streamer gets up and running at the end of 2019. (Disney owns Marvel Entertainment.) Of the five cancelled shows, it sounds like four are contractually tied up for a couple of years, but The Punisher could theoretically go straight into Season 3 production on Disney+ or Hulu or wherever else.

So it sounds like we're saying goodbye for now, but probably not forever. As we wait to see what happens from here, keep up with everything that's now airing on TV with our 2019 midseason premiere schedule.

Legion will end after Season 3 on FX, but, apparently, ratings and viewership may not have been the deciding factors in this decision. Creator Noah Hawley explained to CinemaBlend and other press during a TCA panel that David Haller's story was always meant to be finite, and have an ending that brings the story and its themes full circle.

Noah Hawley's comments make it sound as though the entire goal of Season 3 will be finding a way to conclude David's story, however that may be. It's really impossible to guess how things will go given the various bizarre directions Legion veers off into, even with Hawley's clues. Will David end up becoming a threat so great that his friends would sooner let the Shadow King go free to stop him, or will he figure things out?

Jeph Loeb knows the answer, and he assured TCA attendees that he and Marvel have been impressed enough with Noah Hawley's work on Legion that the creator could certainly drop back in for another installment of the series in the future.

Part of that statement feels spoilery, because Jeph Loeb seems to have given the indication that things will work out for Dan Stevens character, or at least enough for the cast to return for a future adventure if Noah Hawley was so inclined. Again though, this is Legion we're talking about and knowing the end result of the first 2 seasons does very little to spoil the craziness and general appeal of the X-Men series.

Whatever endgame Legion has in store, it was enough for FX to renew the Marvel series for Season 3 ahead of the Season 2 finale. Viewership and ratings weren't spectacular for the program, and the drop in viewership between Season 1 and 2 made the decision to renew a bit surprising. Perhaps the prospect of a conclusive story at the end of Season 3 seemed more attractive to FX than 2 seasons of trippy visuals and an incomplete adventure?

Legion will be back on FX for Season 3, and Seasons 1 and 2 can be enjoyed via on demand services and Hulu. For a look at what else is headed to television in the near future, visit our midseason premiere guide.

Warning: Spoilers for The Punisher Season 2 are discussed below.

If you want to see more from Frank and Karen on The Punisher, you are not alone. Jon Bernthal also wants to see more on that front. When discussing what Frank does next with CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg during the Season 2 press junket, Bernthal said:

Frank definitely needs to have a healthy dose of human contact. Jon Bernthal’s eloquent and utterly spot-on summation of Karen and Frank will undoubtedly set shipper hearts on fire, although Frank's connection with Karen also works on a platonic -- if somewhat intense -- level.

When it comes to how Jon Bernthal views the Season 2 ending, he obviously believes there is room to explore more from Frank and Karen going forward. Speaking of wanting to keep things going between Frank and Karen, Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb and The Punisher’s showrunner Steve Lightfoot are both on board. They weighed in, saying:

It is nice to know that keeping Karen in Frank’s orbit has been a priority. The magic that transpired between them on Daredevil carried over in both of The Punisher’s two seasons. Unfortunately, fans had to deal with seeing less of Karen in The Punisher’s second season.

Still, you could always tell she was never far away from the narrative’s heart with Frank sneaking in a few references to his “friend.” How sweet was that? As a viewer, you could sense that The Punisher knew how vital it was for Karen to be a part of the second season.

Hence, the scenes “Kastle” did share in Season 2 were nothing short of outstanding. As Jon Bernthal said, Frank and Karen share a “strong connection.” In much the same way two magnets find themselves effortlessly drawn together, so do Frank and Karen.

Without Karen pushing the matter, Frank may have gone on believing in Billy’s frame job, and that had destroyed Frank. Thankfully, Karen was there for him. Truly, one of the many highlights of the season.

Karen and Frank have a super refreshing vibe. Their will they/won’t they connection sends a lot of electric energy coursing through the scenes they share. Of course, The Punisher gave us an interrupted moment of what seemed like a near-kiss between them. That was brutal.

If Amy were not so incredibly lovable, it would have been far more irritating. Yes, I did outwardly exclaim “Amy!” when that happened. I am human and want these TV characters together, so there you have it. Still, adore Amy.

The Punisher’s second season did know how to tease fans of the could-be couple. Despite the setback, that a maybe-kiss could have happened was enough to fuel this fan for some time to come. After all, a “Kastle” takes time to build.

The first two seasons of The Punisher are currently available to stream, among other new Netflix content. The series was among many shows debuting new seasons during the midseason on Netflix.

Major spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet watched the entirety of The Punisher Season 2. The ending and future will be discussed, so be sure to catch up before reading on.

Unlike most superhero shows these days (or any shows, really), The Punisher Season 2 admirably enforced an all-tied-up ending without loose ends or head-scratching cliffhangers. That was possibly fortuitous, considering the fate of Daredevil and other Marvel shows. Unsurprisingly, no one involved wants The Punisher to get the axe after just two seasons, and CinemaBlend spoke with star Jon Bernthal, showrunner Steve Lightfoot and executive producer (and Marvel TV boss) Jeph Loeb about where things left off, and what they're hoping for next.

Jon Bernthal

Fans got to reconnect with a more emotionally buoyant Frank Castle in The Punisher Season 2, with the character creating at least one important new connection while putting an irreversible end to a years-old connection. There was peace and acceptance to be found within Frank by the end, which was hopeful for his own sanity, if not the lives of New York City criminals. Whether or not that's the last of this Punisher series on Netflix, Jon Bernthal seems content.

To be expected from an actor able to bring The Punisher to grunt-filled glory so well, Jon Bernthal is not necessarily someone who looks at plot intricacies as the end-all and be-all of a project's importance. Spending time inside a character's head and making him feel more believable and authentic is key for Bernthal. He was quite invested in showrunner Steven Lightfoot's use of Sebastian Junger's book Tribe to inform the difficulties that Frank and the show's other military vets continually have with adjusting to civilian life.

Through all the blood, sweat, tears and more blood, Frank emerged far more accepting of the realization that being The Punisher is his calling. It's a solid natural conclusion for the character, if it comes to that, even though it shouldn't come to that, for all kinds of reasons. Unfortunately, Jon Bernthal never got to add any of those signature skull jackets to his personal collection.when production wrapped.

If nothing else, Netflix needs to renew The Punisher for Season 3 so that the costume department can create a greater number of skull jackets that would allow for spares that Jon Bernthal could take home.

Steve Lightfoot and Jeph Loeb

On the flip side, showrunner Steve Lightfoot and Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb were far less guarded about voicing their desire for The Punisher to keep moving forward. While some fans may have wondered if Lightfoot and others got tipped off about Netflix's plans for Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil, that wasn't the case here.

In the season's final minutes, after Frank and Amy have parted ways, he cased a building where a random bunch of sketchy dudes had gathered under false pretenses. Though Madani offered him a presumably hush-hush job with the CIA, her new employer, Frank was content to stick with what he knows: killing bad guys. After all, government workers were responsible for most of the bad things that happened to him, in one way or another.

Season 2's final shot is one of the most exhilarating moments of the entire series, with Frank lighting up those clueless criminals with a most savage howl. For showrunner Steve Lightfoot, that shot is indicative about what everyone's intentions were as far as The Punisher's next step is concerned, and Jeph Loeb went on to say they'd be more than willing to put out another decade's worth of Frank Castle missions.

As Jon Bernthal put it, fans likely won't be facing any extended gaps before getting to watch The Punisher in live-action again, even though it may be a new iteration that ignores the Netflix series' dense character development. I, for one, would be highly disappointed to see things play out like that, since these two seasons have done an exquisite job of blending Frank's humanity with a hyper-violent vigilantism that could only come from a comic book, and it won't be easily replicated.

For Marvel's Jeph Loeb, Steve Lightfoot and Jon Bernthal are currently the ideal Punisher team-up, so he's definitely hopeful for Netflix's renewal decision to be in favor of Frank Castle and Dinah Madani and Curtis Hoyle and Amy Bendix and Turk and everyone else. In his words:

To say nothing of Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson's performances in the Punisher's feature films, Jon Bernthal nails every single element that makes Frank special and scary and sympathetic. And Steve Lightfoot knows just how to tell the stories that use Bernthal the best, so he deserves to keep telling them. (And maybe Micro can come back next time.)

Both seasons of The Punisher are currently available on Netflix, so keep watching and keep proving to the company that these Marvel shows are important to us. While waiting to hear more about what'll happen next with Frank Castle, check out everything coming to Netflix's 2019 schedule and the midseason TV schedule.

Beware of mild spoilers lurking below for The Punisher Season 2.

The Punisher's second season was a whirlwind of broken bones and bullet wounds, with Jon Bernthal's mangled and gnarled Frank Castle still standing after all the chaos had run its course. Unfortunately for fans hoping to see Ebon Moss-Bachrach's tech-savvy Micro in Season 2, the character was neither seen nor mentioned during Frank and Amy's harrowing journey. Not that there wasn't enough badassery to keep viewers busy.

CinemaBlend spoke with Punisher showrunner Steve Lightfoot and Marvel TV mastermind Jeph Loeb ahead of The Punisher's Season 2 premiere on Netflix, and Lightfoot explained that his creative team did try to fit the fan-favorite Micro into this new story early on. However, it wasn't meant to be. In his words:

Whenever Micro was revealed to be heading to The Punisher's first season, having been teased at the tail end of Daredevil's Frank-filled second season, fans might have expected the show to use Micro in just such a way. The comic character, as developed as he's gotten, essentially handles everything for Frank that isn't wholly centered on hand-to-hand combat, and he could have been right helpful in keeping tabs on the jigsaw-brained Billy.

However, Steven Lightfoot & Co. bundled Micro down with an overarching story of loneliness and depression as a family man who had to leave his wife and kids behind. He reconnected with them by the end, of course, and though he could have easily remained a utilized member of Frank's inner circle, the executive producer didn't want to short-change the character with anything other than first-rate storytelling.

Plus, as Lightfoot put it, taking Micro out of the picture changed the way Frank approached everything. According to the showrunner:

For Season 2, Frank's closest companion outside of Curtis was Giorgia Whigham's Amy Bendix, who got unwittingly caught up in a scandalous plot involving Corbin Bernsen and Annette O'Toole's Anderson and Eliza Schulz. They're the two responsible for sending Josh Stewart's deadly fundamentalist John Pilgrim out to New York. These were hectic times that called for desperate measures at times, and it probably would have been nice to have Micro around to help out in some way, right?

The fate of The Punisher is currently up in the air at Netflix, which seemingly sealed all of the Marvel series' fates whenever the streaming giant cancelled Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil. (The third season of Jessica Jones will premiere later in 2019.) However, Marvel TV head honcho Jeph Loeb made it clear to CinemaBlend that there is always a chance that Micro could return.

Realistically, the chances are pretty slim for The Punisher to get renewed for more seasons at Netflix. Marvel's future projects are largely being set up through the upcoming Disney+ streaming service, and there's not as much of a push for Netflix and Marvel to continue teaming on projects.

Still, there are more than enough good reasons to keep Frank Castle within the Netflix fold -- maybe because Frank Castle is too goddamned violent to be a marquee project on a Disney service. That also means there are more than enough good reasons to bring Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Micro if Punisher lives on for Season 3. They found a way to get Deborah Ann Woll's Karen involved, as well as an way to hassle Rob Morgan's Turk, so anything is possible, and welcomed.

When CinemaBlend spoke with Ebon Moss-Bachrach last year ahead of Season 1's release, he seemed fully on board with returning to The Punisher for Season 2. The actor had a few ideas about what he wanted to see happen with the character after he was finally freed from his constant need for solitude. Here's what Moss-Bachrach told me at the time.

This is one of those situations where it would be a pretty cool idea for Marvel to hook Micro up with a standalone tie-in comic book or graphic novel that shows how his story played out after Season 1 wrapped up. I highly doubt he was able to just lead a worry-free life after everything that happened, and he might get mixed up with some other vigilante's dangerous missions.

Does Jessica Jones need someone to fix her internet and also pull surveillance on all of New York in Season 3? I think I know a guy.

The complete first two seasons of The Punisher are available to stream in full on Netflix. While waiting to hear about the fate of Season 3, head to our 2019 Netflix calendar and our midseason premiere schedule to see all the other great shows hitting the small screen soon.

The Marvel universe on Netflix kicked off back in 2015 with the first season of Daredevil, and it was such a big hit that the streaming service went on to produce a whole bunch of other Marvel superhero series. The third season of Daredevil will hit the web in October and finally pay off on the cliffhanger ending of The Defenders. Even though fans have only seen brief amounts of footage of the third season, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb has already revealed that Marvel has ideas to keep Daredevil going for a while, saying this:

Erik Oleson stepped into the showrunner position for Daredevil Season 3, which will take Matt Murdock and other characters in some brand new -- and potentially even darker -- directions. Despite the dire circumstances Matt looks to be operating under in Season 3 that could spell the end of his run as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, there are evidently ideas for how the show could continue significantly further. Of course, as Jeph Loeb makes clear in his comments to EW, no matter how many ideas are percolating behind the scenes at Marvel, the future of Daredevil and the rest of the streaming superhero shows depends on Netflix.

The streaming giant has largely had success with its superhero series so far, which include Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher on top of Daredevil. That said, Iron Fist hasn't garnered the best reception, and there's no guarantee at this point that The Defenders will be back for a second season without some huge changes. If Netflix remains on board with the Marvel originals, Daredevil could very well extend into Seasons 4, 5, and 6.

We'll have to wait and see. Daredevil is hardly the only show Marvel has going for it. In addition to the Netflix shows, there are already Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Cloak & Dagger, and Runaways. Another superhero series is in the works at ABC, and this show -- if it gets a series order -- will focus on female superheroes.

As if all of these shows aren't enough, the Disney streaming service is developing some TV shows that will star characters and actors from the MCU films who haven't gotten a movie of their own. Details about those shows are still relatively scarce, but Loki and Scarlet Witch are two of the MCU characters likely to star in their own limited series on the streaming service.

For now, we can look forward to Season 3 of Daredevil, which premieres next month and brings back Wilson Fisk as a big bad. Be sure to tune in to find out exactly what happened to Matt in the aftermath of the Defenders cliffhanger that revealed him not to be as dead as the other heroes believe. He doesn't appear to be looking to return to his old life. Daredevil Season 3 joins the Netflix lineup on Friday, October 19 at 12:01 a.m. PT.

The future of Marvel's Defenders miniseries has always been up in the air, and with Season 3 of Daredevil right around the corner, fans are once again asking questions about whether or not a Season 2 adventure is possible. Marvel's TV head Jeph Loeb still doesn't have a definitive answer at this time, but he did confirm that fans shouldn't jump to conclusions regarding the future just because nothing has happened with it yet. And he also added that if Season 2 does happen, it could feature big changes. In his words:

Holy bombshell, Foggy! Jeph Loeb went on to explain that there are several iterations of the Avengers squad, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that there are several Defenders member lineups as well. Comic book fans already knew that, considering the group has had a rotating cast of heroes populating it over the years, but Jeph Loeb took things a bit further to imply the original TV miniseries' lineup didn't consist of the official Defenders. Loeb reminded EW that the hero lineup was never referred to as "The Defenders" in Season 1 or in any of the other series, and nor did they have matching outfits or any other signifying branding. Which would seemingly mean the Marvel team could technically be made of any "defenders" even outside the initial foursome.

Jeph Loeb's comments come at a somewhat sensitive time for fans, some of whom assumed future Defenders seasons were a no-go, given the lack of conversations about it. Plus, the post-Defenders seasons of all the Marvel Netflix shows don't seem to be building towards any one big crossover event. Not to mention The Defenders' Facebook page was rebranded to Netflix's "NX" social media page. If The Defenders Season 2 was truly in the pipeline, one would think keeping the official Facebook page active would be a priority both for Marvel and Netflix. And so it's hard to blame anyone for thinking Season 2 wasn't a possibility.

Jeph Loeb's comments should remind everyone not to be too hasty when it comes to expectations for Marvel's future, but they also somewhat justify the Facebook move by Netflix. If The Defenders would return with a transformed lineup of different heroes, a re-branding would be somewhat necessary anyway. That still doesn't necessarily mean they had to completely get rid of The Defenders Facebook page, of course, but Loeb going public with those thoughts about future seasons should ease some minds that were fearful the death knell had sounded. But since Loeb didn't reveal real plans in motion, it could be a while before we see a sequel miniseries appearing on future Netflix premiere schedules.

The Defenders Season 1 is currently available to stream on Netflix. For information on what's coming up in the future, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War.

The final scene of Avengers: Infinity War was quite a jolt to Marvel fans everywhere, although once the shock wore off many realized they definitely had some unanswered questions. Marvel television fans, in particular, wanted to know if their favorite shows would show the effect of Thanos' actions, and now we have an answer. Marvel's head of television Jeph Loeb set the record straight in a recent AMA, and explained how the television shows will work around the biggest event in Marvel's cinematic history:

Jeph Loeb's explained that most of the upcoming Marvel television programming (including Luke Cage and Iron Fist) predates Avengers: Infinity War, and explained this was due to production differences between shows and films, as well as secrets being kept in house. Loeb added that the Kree-Skrull war storyline was not one that has touched the X-Men universe due to legal rights. As the Marvel exec said, it'll all work out fine in the end, and the company is not all that worried about making sure each of their shows fits within the cliffhanger of Avengers: Infinity War.

The news that Marvel is keeping the events of Avengers: Infinity War separate from its television may not be what fans want to hear, but at least Jeph Loeb explained why the decision was vital. Additionally, many of these Marvel shows like Daredevil have their own unique plot and adventures that incorporating the events of Avengers: Infinity War would complicate. Put simply, it's much easier to say the shows all take place before Avengers: Infinity War and then having to explain why half of New York City was missing.

Jeph Loeb certainly made it seem like Marvel will continue to ignore Avengers: Infinity War in its shows, although he did make his statement ambiguous enough to leave the question open. Whether Loeb's "for the most part" was a sly way of saying a one or two shows will take place during Avengers: Infinity War or just a figure of speech is unclear, although it seems likely at this point the shows won't be referencing the mass extinction of half the universe.

Fans can cross their fingers in the meantime, however, and hope that a reference to the film pops up in Freeform's currently airing Cloak and Dagger or Netflix's upcoming Season 2 of Luke Cage. For a list of all superhero television shows on the way, be sure to visit our superhero premiere guide. Those looking to see the full gamut of what's headed to television over the next couple of months should visit our summer premiere guide.

Few TV shows (or projects within any kind of art form) have faced the kind of overwhelmingly crushing fan response that Marvel's Inhumans did on ABC. From the plotting to the pacing to the costumes to the special effects, the superhero miniseries failed to live up to most expectations, but that doesn't mean fans want nothing to do with them anymore. In fact, Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb got quite a few inquiries during a recent Reddit AMA about Black Bolt and the other Inhumans characters potentially appearing on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future. Here was Loeb's limited reply.

To play devil's advocate here, Jeph Loeb is no stranger to dishing out generically positive responses to questions about the chances of various Marvel TV shows coming together for crossovers. That said, most of those generically positive answers are supplemented by formulaic explanations about why it's difficult to, for example, make Defenders heroes take the streets alongside the teen heroes of Hulu's Runaways. Perhaps Loeb was embracing brevity due to the constant Reddit AMA questions popping up, but I would prefer to hope that his answer is indicative of a legitimate Inhumans crossover episode (or arc) coming to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in an upcoming season.

To quickly follow that up with another bit of optimism, Jeph Loeb got slightly wordier elsewhere when someone asked the more broad questions about the Inhumans characters returning to any section of the MCU.

I see two takeaways from that quote. One: he's still being more positive than pragmatic about the chances of Inhumans characters being used elsewhere, which may indicate that it's easier to make crossovers like this happen with one of the shows is no longer in production. Granted, Anson Mount already has another high-profile gig as Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, and various other stars also have follow-up projects in the running. But a crossover episode on S.H.I.E.L.D. or some other MCU show wouldn't take up too much time, would it?

The second takeaway: Jeph Loeb championined Inhumans through every step of the ABC adaptation process, even as the early footage was getting slammed by fans and critis, so if anyone is going to figure out a way to bring Black Bolt and Medusa into the MCU at large, it's Loeb. Plus, he's not at all wrong about it being a really stellar cast of actors that, for one reason or plenty of others, didn't get to shine as brightly as expected in Inhumans.

Will we see Ken Leung's Karnak showing off his badass skills on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Season 6, or could young Crystal take a trip down to New Orleans for some Cloak & Dagger fun? We'll have to wait and see, as Jeph Loeb says. But in the meantime, head to our summer premiere schedule to see all the new and returning shows hitting the small screen soon.

Spoilers ahead for the two-part series premiere of Cloak and Dagger. If you haven't had the chance to watch yet, you may want to check out some of our spoiler-free articles until you tune in.

The latest Marvel TV show to hit the airwaves is none other than Cloak and Dagger on Freeform, and its two-hour premiere set the stage for a show unlike anything else in the Marvel library. Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt star as the titular Cloak and Dagger, also known as Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen, respectively. The characters are destined for romance, but the premiere didn't exactly give them the cutest of meets or start them on a clear path toward a love connection. In fact, the two characters have barely interacted as of the end of the premiere event.

That said, we can probably expect a lot of what fans have been hoping for. Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb revealed why the Cloak and Dagger characters were the latest to get a TV show, stating this:

Jeph Loeb participated in a Reddit AMA ahead of the big Cloak and Dagger premiere, and his response to the question of what inspired the show beyond the comics indicates that there has been Marvel fan interest in a series about Tyrone and Tandy for a long time. There's a vast number of characters in Marvel Comics lore, so it's saying something that one of the most popular shows fans wanted to see followed Cloak and Dagger.

Sure, fans have gotten shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Defenders and more over the years, but it seems the clamor for Cloak and Dagger never died down to the point that Loeb and Co. would decide against pursuing a series. Way to go, Cloak and Dagger comic fans!

Now, given the scope of Marvel Television nowadays, the next question has to be whether Cloak and Dagger will cross over with some of the other series. The new show hasn't firmly placed itself in the MCU at this point, so it could technically be more of a Legion than an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it would be a great fit for a crossover with at least Runaways. The comic versions of the Runaways kids and Cloak and Dagger had some fascinating arcs in Marvel Comics, and the ages of Cloak and Dagger on the Freeform series would mean that they could fit right in with the Runaways. Teens with bizarre powers and parental issues can totally bond, right?

Fortunately, Jeph Loeb has not ruled out the possibility of crossovers between Cloak and Dagger and other Marvel series, although he has been clear that crossovers should only happen if they're appropriate for the story. We'll have to wait and see. Hopefully enough people tune in to Cloak and Dagger to keep it on the airwaves indefinitely.

Tune in to Freeform on Thursdays to catch new episodes of Cloak and Dagger. For some additional viewing options now and in the coming weeks, be sure to swing by our summer TV premiere guide. If streaming is more your style, we have a handy 2018 Netflix premiere schedule and rundown of important 2018 Amazon Prime dates.

Since its earliest days with Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has established the idea that Marvel properties could cross over with each other, an idea extended to the small screen with the creation of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. So with each new Marvel film and TV series, the ever-present question remains whether or not those projects will cross over with others. That question was posed to Cloak & Dagger's executive producer Jeph Loeb during a roundtable interview at WonderCon 2018, and while crossovers with the freeform drama seem possible, we probably shouldn't bank on seeing other superheroes in New Orleans soon. Loeb explained:

So, given the fact that Cloak & Dagger possesses Marvel property DNA, there is always the possibility to connect the long-awaited show with other Marvel shows like The Runaways, which technically fits better than most since it's also a teen-oriented narrative. Having said that, Jeph Loeb doesn't seem particularly interested in making that happen yet, because he wants Cloak & Dagger to stand on its own two feet in its first season. (Four feet, really.) Considering that explanation, we probably shouldn't sit around waiting to see Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle or Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock walking through the French Quarter for a quick cameo. That's not what this show is.

Even with that clarification from Jeph Loeb, one thing that not explicitly laid out is how Cloak & Dagger actually could crossover with other properties in the way that The Defenders shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones regularly weave in and out of each other. As of right now, a crossover with The Runaways seems like one of the easiest ways to do it from a purely creative standpoint (given Tandy and Tyrone's connection to the team), but we still likely won't see anything like that at least until after this first full season has aired.

Marvel's Cloak & Dagger will hit the small screen later this year on June 7 when it premieres on Freeform. Make sure to check it out when it drops, and head over to CinemaBlend's full midseason premiere guide to see what other shows are set to debut this spring!

Fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have been waiting quite a while for the series to come back. The Season 4 finale back in May ended on a killer cliffhanger that seemingly saw all the major characters abducted from Earth and marooned in outer space, and the Season 5 premiere was pushed back until December. We've had to wait, wonder, and speculate about what's happening with S.H.I.E.L.D. in space. Luckily, some epic promos have been released to whet our appetites for new content, and we now have an idea of how long the show will take place in space. When asked about what's in store for the milestone 100th episode of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb had this to say:

Jeph Loeb indicates in his comments to ComicBook.com that Coulson and Co. will still be in space by the time the 100th episode rolls around, and that won't exactly be a couple of episodes into Season 5. The premiere two-parter will cover Episodes 89 and 90, which means that the characters will likely still be in space for another ten episodes after the events of the premiere. Loeb didn't go into any detail, so it's entirely possible that the agents will remain in space beyond Episode 100, and they only manage to figure out how to get home in that particular hour. Either way, we should prepare ourselves for S.H.I.E.L.D. to spend a lot of time in space in Season 5.

That said, it hasn't yet been confirmed if all the agents who were seemingly abducted in the Season 4 finale were actually taken into space with Coulson. The trailers for Season 5 have teased a lot of action, and almost all of the characters from the Season 4 finale pop up in at least a scene or two, but there's one noticeable absence: Fitz. S.H.I.E.L.D. could very well have left Fitz behind on Earth for some reason. He's enough of genius that the folks who did the abducting might have wanted to keep him on hand, and S.H.I.E.L.D. does love to tragically separate Fitzsimmons.

If Fitz is still on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be able to switch between the plots in space and the plots on Earth easily enough. Screentime on Earth could also explain how Lance Hunter will return to the the action, given that he's probably not in space as well. We'll have to wait and see. S.H.I.E.L.D. is clearly willing to try new things in Season 5, and there are big reasons to be excited about what's to come.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return to ABC on a brand new night on Friday, December 1 at 8 p.m. ET with a two-hour premiere. Be sure to tune in to get a look at Coulson and Co. in outer space. Don't forget to swing by our 2018 midseason TV premiere schedule and list of 2017 TV cancellations as well.

Marvel has committed to tying all their superhero features into one shared universe. So far they've done a pretty solid job, but there are some small omissions in other properties that take the realism out of it for some fans. One of those issues is the lack of the Avengers Tower in Marvel Netflix shows despite all of them taking place in New York City. Turns out Marvel has a reason why they haven't shown it at all, and Jeph Loeb was kind enough to explain why:

That's an awfully convienient response Jeph Loeb gave to Inverse, but passable all the same. New York City is a really massive place, so it is completely plausible that all of The Defenders are operating in areas that are just out of eyeshot from the former central hub of The Avengers. Still, one has to imagine that, out of all the places we've seen these Netflix heroes travel, it might appear in one shot, right?

Either way, it doesn't appear as though Marvel will be adding the Avengers Tower to their Netflix shows anytime soon. Tony Stark relocated The Avengers headquarters to upstate New York and sold the tower following the events of Captain America: Civil War, and things were being moved out of the building in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Marvel could still show the building in a future season of Jessica Jones or one of the other hero shows, but would it be as impressive if it's just some building that used to be important?

Whether or not fans believe Jeph Loeb's response that the shows intentionally left the tower out of shots to help "show this could be on any street corner," is another issue. Considering shows with lesser budgets manage to fake their logo on buildings, it doesn't seem like money would be an issue in making it happen, so Loeb's reasoning may be legit. It could also be that someone just never thought to include it, and Marvel saw fan complaints and have had guys like Loeb trained with this response should it come up in an interview.

Netflix's next Marvel show The Punisher finally has a release date, and fans will be able to jump into the world of Frank Castle on November 17th. For more on Netflix and their programming, be sure to check out our Netflix guide for a list of dates when shows will premiere. For a look at all fall programming as a whole, visit our fall premiere guide.

Marvel's TV universe is about to expand big time this upcoming season with new additions like Inhumans, New Warriors, Cloak and Dagger, and Runaways -- not to mention everything on Netflix. The TV shows of the MCU haven't been able to really connect with each other in the way that the movies do, but that doesn't mean the connection isn't there. Hulu's Runaways, for instance, is a part of the MCU, and we'll see the connections through the eyes of a teenager. Marvel television head Jeph Loeb had this to say about where Runaways fits into the MCU:

Jeph Loeb has a full plate with all the new Marvel programming soon to hit the airwaves, and he addressed how these new shows live in the same universe at the Television Critics Associations summer press tour (via THR) . While there are no promises that these shows will be jumping networks for crossovers, Loeb stressed that doesn't mean there isn't some form of connection. Many of the shows prominently feature young heroes, which should be a nice counterbalance to the more adult POV of the movies. It should also allow the young characters to digest news as a teen would. So while the Runaways may not be checking their phones every five minutes for Captain America's Instagram, they can still see a post alluding to, say, the current events of Cloak and Dagger.

Jeph Loeb also made it clear that the individual production teams are at least aware of what everyone else is up to. However, because the different shows take place all over the country, it's more natural to keep things separated for now than forcing them together.

While we all would like to see these shows cross over, the logistics of being on different networks makes that understandably difficult. There could always be a more concrete level of connection in the future, but we should be glad they aren't forcing anything and are just letting the shows exist on their own terms for now. Even the CW needed a little time to achieve the level of continuity porn it has now.

Runaways hits Hulu on November 21 and will release new episodes on a week-by-week basis.

Netflix likes to present itself as the primo alternative to any other form of screened entertainment, and it's arguably the best place to find comic book superhero adventures outside of theaters. Soon, the four-way team-up drama The Defenders will capture all of our attention spans, but some may be a little bummed to find out that the core group at its center will likely never find a fifth member in Jon Bernthal's The Punisher, despite his presence in this universe. Here's why it likely won't happen, according to Marvel TV guru Jeph Loeb.

For what it's worth, Jeph Loeb told Collider that he does indeed like both peanut butter and asparagus. But his point is salient, in that sometimes two rights don't always combine to make another right, and arbitrarily including The Punisher within a super-group just to get fans cheering would be far more detrimental than doing what feels natural with the character.

Sure, Frank Castle was in Daredevil Season 2, but it's not like he was tag-teaming with Matt Murdock from episode to episode, and Jon Bernthal spent a lot of the season developing his story outside the watchful eyes of others. He's not exactly the most socially outgoing person, and his conversational skills leave much to be desired All of these things, of course, are why fans are so enthused by Punisher's existence in the first place. Not everybody has to be as quippy as Spider-Man, or as manic as Rocket Raccoon. Frank just wants to chill...and also to murder the people involved in the death of his family.

Over the weekend for Comic-Con, fans got extremely pumped whenever Jon Bernthal walked out onto the stage near the beginning of The Defenders' panel in Hall H, and though that appearance technically didn't have anything to do with The Defenders, audiences did get to watch the very first footage from the standalone The Punisher series, which was absolutely fantastic. (Check out our thoughts if you're interested.) And we also got to see the next big Defenders trailer, which you can watch below. No Frank, but lots of fistfights.

The years-long wait is almost over, everyone, as The Defenders will finally be making its way to our eyeballs on Friday, August 18, at 12:01 a.m. PT. (Hopefully The Punisher will soon follow.) Head to our 2017 Netflix schedule to see what's on the way, and then head to our summer premiere schedule to see what TV will hit primetime with in the near future.

ABC's Agent Carter attracted a dedicated following over its two seasons on the air, but it sadly failed to draw big enough numbers for the network to order Season 3. Now, in an era of reboots and revivals galore, the ABC series cancellation doesn't necessarily mean that Agent Carter is gone forever. Although Netflix already said no to picking up Carter to stream a third season, star Hayley Atwell has floated the idea of a one-off special for Peggy and her pals. Marvel is on board with a revival special, as well. One small obstacle lies in the way of more Agent Carter: the special doesn't actually have a place where it would air.

Marvel TV chief Jeph Loeb has revealed that Marvel can't order a TV special without knowing ahead of time that it has a home somewhere on the small screen, according to TVLine. The Marvel movies are such huge deals that they can be produced without necessarily knowing what theaters will pick them up. The shows have much less guaranteed success, and an order for a Agent Carter special could only happen if a Marvel Television partner agrees to play it. The team just doesn't have the option to produce now and shop around later. A network is going to have to commit to a special and an approximate airdate if production is going to happen at all. In short:

ABC seems like it would be the natural network for an Agent Carter TV movie. As the original home of Carter and the current home of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC could be a perfect fit. Unfortunately, ABC hasn't shown much faith in Marvel productions lately. The S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff was cancelled before it could get past the pilot stage, meaning that the two characters meant to lead the new show had been written off of S.H.I.E.L.D. for nothing. Agent Carter fans shouldn't pin all their hopes on an ABC revival.

Other networks than ABC are connected to Marvel Television and could be options for another go at Agent Carter. FX, Fox, Netflix, and Freeform are all candidates. Netflix said no to Season 3, but a one-off special might not be out of the question. The other three networks had or have Marvel shows in development, so the idea of a collaboration for a project like Agent Carter isn't too-farfetched. Right now, we may just need to cross our fingers and hope that Peggy will get another mystery to investigate somewhere down the line.

Of course, there's always the chance that Hayley Atwell will turn up as Peggy in another Marvel project. Atwell has appeared in big screen ventures like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron as well as via flashback in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Even if we don't get to see any more of Agent Carter in the near future, we may get to see Peggy elsewhere. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to catch on the small screen without Agent Carter as an option.

In Joss Whedon's The Avengers, the titular team is forced to come together with the Asgardian God of Mischief, Loki, makes a deal to unleash an alien invasion upon the Earth. It was a totally logical approach for the 2012 blockbuster -- but fans shouldn't expect something similar to go down in Marvel's first small-screen team-up adventure: the upcoming Netflix series The Defenders. For while it was a massively powerful villain and world-ending stakes that brought Earth's Mightiest Heroes together, it will be a completely different set of factors that wind up uniting Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

With Luke Cage hosting its big San Diego Comic-Con presentation later tonight, the cast and filmmakers behind the show participated in roundtable interviews with press earlier today -- and it was while talking with Marvel Studios' Head of Television, Jeph Loeb, that I took the opportunity to ask about the future of The Defenders. I asked about how the Marvel Netflix shows would potentially be ramping up to the introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next superhero team, and Loeb explained why fans really shouldn't expect just a 13-episode riff on the same ideas that The Avengers played with. Said the executive/producer,

While also expressing his personal love of Joss Whedon's 2012 film, Jeph Loeb then took it a step further -- explaining the contrast between The Avengers and The Defenders, and what their personal duties are in the larger context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It all really comes down to what it means to be a "street level hero." Loeb explained,

Unfortunately, the exact timetable for how all of this will play out with The Defenders remains its own mystery. Luke Cage is set to arrive on Netflix this fall, and will be followed by the first season of Iron Fist next year, but everything beyond that is totally up in the air -- including when we might see Daredevil Season 3, Jessica Jones Season 2, and the recently announced Punisher show. Of course, while we don't know answers to those questions now, you can be sure that you'll find the answers here as soon as they become available.

It feels like forever since we got our non-injured eyes on new episodes of Daredevil on Netflix, but that will all change soon when Season 2 premieres next month. And with that premiere comes the small screen debut of Frank “The Punisher” Castle, as played by Jon Bernthal. A character whose popularity is massive enough to warrant his own standalone adventures, Punisher seemed to be in the running for his own spinoff on the streaming service. But now it looks like all those rumors and conversations were basically just pipe dreams, and there’s apparently no actual plan to give Punisher his own spotlight. According to Marvel TV’s Executive Vice President Jeph Loeb:

I know there are a lot of people out there that probably want to bring out oversized machine guns and start putting bullet holes in everything that’s the same color red as Netflix’s logo, and I certainly understand the outrage. After all, rumors about a Punisher series were happening even before Bernthal was cast, but while those were easy to put aside as early development babbling, it was just as easy to embrace the later news that seemed to confirm Netflix’s confidence that Bernthal’s anti-hero could lead his own show. And now Jeph Loeb had to go and poo poo all over our ecstatic anticipation in his comments to Digital Spy.

Now, it’s entirely possible that Loeb is just playing the cautionary messenger here, putting out potential fires before they begin, even while legitimate conversations may be happening about the Punisher’s future on Netflix. I seriously doubt Daredevil Season 2 will get roasted by critics and viewers, but it’s absolutely reasonable for everyone behind the scenes to hold off on championing and rewarding a character that the masses have yet to react to. I fully expect for something more concrete to come out in the two or three weeks after viewers have had time to sit down and binge Daredevil’s sophomore season.

Of course, what if Punisher gets on the show, kills a bunch of innocent people and outs Daredevil’s identity, and is just a miserably negative piece of shit? Is this the kind of guy we would actually want to see an entire series from? Absolutely! The Punisher could do the most heinous shit imaginable – like karaoke Kanye West songs in the style of Gilbert Gottfried – and people would still want to see more of him.

Regardless of how much we’ll see of The Punisher in the distant future, he’ll get his first introduction on Daredevil when Season 2 hits Netflix on Friday, March 18. To see when everything else is premiering in the next few months, check out our midseason TV schedule.

In recent years, Marvel has come under fire by large sections of its fanbase for how the company’s female characters are utilized and developed. Things have gotten better, to be sure, and that’s far more obvious in the company’s small screen output than its cinematic side. And when it comes to the comic book programming on Netflix, the creative teams have created several fantastic women by apparently not putting gender at the forefront of every decision. Here’s how Daredevil executive producer and Marvel bigwig Jeph Loeb explained why this isn’t an issue.

It’s kind of weird that Loeb mentions not viewing a character in terms of religion in an interview about Daredevil, considering Daredevil is the show where religion plays the biggest part, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.

More so than any other how or movie before it, Jessica Jones delivered not just one or two strong female roles, but an entire series full of them. It’s certainly a tough time to try and outshine David Tennant’s Kilgrave controlling everyone’s minds and causing chaos, but Krysten Ritter’s titular P.I. is one of the most well-rounded live-action Marvel characters of any gender in any format, and totally stood out in 2015 TV. And though Carrie-Anne Moss’ Jeri and Rachael Taylor’s Trish initially seem like they’re just going to play into stock stereotypes, they become more complex and nuanced as the series goes by, strengthening the drama as a whole. Could things have been as successful if all of them were men? Certainly, but it’s encouraging that we don’t really have to worry about it. Plus, the name of the show would sound weird.

Unfortunately, not all Marvel projects are quite as equal. I mean, even if nobody there is specifically thinking about gender when developing the stories, there are still way too many men filling up the roles in Marvel’s movies, while the TV side of things has been much more successful at letting both genders get their time. While female villains are nearly absent in the films, both Agent Carter Season 2 and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have delivered on that front, and Alfre Woodard will raise some hell on Luke Cage later this year.

Loeb, who spoke with Collider about Daredevil Season 2 introducing Elodie Yung’s Elektra, had this to say about her character.

So while Marvel might not be thinking about gender when they’re making Netflix shows and other things, viewers will always be thinking about it, so it’s great that their lack of attention has led to more women taking bigger roles. Now we just have to somehow suffer through the time until a whole new season of Jessica Jones gets here.

The best entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe don’t provide us with the standard superhero fare we have become accustomed to; they typically add a layer of genre filmmaking to their best products, which in turn elevates those films. The Winter Soldier did this by injecting elements of a political thriller into a Captain America story, and Guardians of the Galaxy did this by framing itself as an adventure modeled after 1980s Spielberg blockbusters. One genre that has not really been directly addressed by Marvel Studios up until this point is a straight comedy – but it seems that could soon change through an upcoming TV project.

Marvel TV Executive VP Jeph Loeb opened up regarding what exactly the company would look for in a potential live-action comedy property:

It’s obvious that Loeb, who spoke with Comicbook.com, is equivocating somewhat so as to not give away any potential details, but sifting through his words we can still tell what he means. He's essentially saying that the creative forces behind the studio would approach the project as a Marvel property first, and then find a natural way to turn it into a comedy, rather than approaching the drawing board with the intention of creating a comedy. By implementing this practice, they ensure the cohesion of their cinematic world first and foremost. This has generally been the case for all of Marvel's properties up until now; no matter how somber or overbearing the stories of their films and shows have ever become, they still have always tried to inject humor into the proceedings.

He also goes on to refer to Marvel as the “bad boy” of the comic book world. While he doesn’t thoroughly explain that point of view, it seems that the studio constantly finds itself in a state of innovation, and attempting to go against the grain. One comedy that Marvel seems to already have in development comes in the form of Damage Control, which follows the group of workers who take care of the mess left behind when titans such as Thor and The Hulk lay waste to a city block. As Damage Control will be a comedy that seemingly serves to complement greater Marvel Cinematic Universe, we can only assume that any future comedies would endeavor to do the same.

That’s all Loeb would give up with regards to the future of Marvel comedies. We will keep you posted on any and all details related to any of these projects as they make themselves available to us. Stay tuned!