The shows' lead stars reacted to the news with heartfelt posts on social media.
Netflix has cancelled its Marvel series, The Punisher, after two seasons, as well as Jessica Jones after its third and final season.
“Marvel’s The Punisher will not return for a third season on Netflix,” the streaming platform announced in a statement to multiple outlets on Monday. “Showrunner Steve Lightfoot, the terrific crew, and exceptional cast including star Jon Bernthal, delivered an acclaimed and compelling series for fans, and we are proud to showcase their work on Netflix for years to come.”
The statement went on to explain that upon additional reviewing of their Marvel content, Netflix had also decided that the upcoming third season of Jessica Jones will be its last.
“We are grateful to showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, star Krysten Ritter, and the entire cast and crew, for three incredible seasons of this groundbreaking series, which was recognized by the Peabody Awards among many others,” the statement read. “We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.”
The cancellations mark the final Marvel series to be canned by Netflix, after Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil were also cancelled in recent months.
The Punisher star, Jon Bernthal, expressed his gratitude for getting to portray Frank and, “walk in his boots,” in a social media post reacting to the cancellation.
“To all who have served. All who know loss. All who love and understand Frank and his pain,” he wrote. “It has been an honor to walk in his boots. I’m endlessly grateful to the comic fans and the men and women of the Armed Services and law enforcement community who Frank means so much to. Thank you to the USMC and all the wonderful soldiers who trained me. Go Hard. Be safe.”
Meanwhile, Krysten Ritter, who played Jessica Jones, shared how it had been a “dream” role to work on the series.
“I love these people to the moon and back,” she wrote alongside a photo taken at a table read for the series finale. “It has been a dream to play Jessica alongside my amazing cast and the best crew in the business for these past 5 years. I am so grateful for every second of it.”
“We have THE BEST fans,” she continued. “You guys mean the world to me and I appreciate you beyond words. The final season of #JessicaJones is coming later this year and I am proud of how we complete JJ’s journey. I can’t wait for you all to see it. Stay tuned and more to come. ???.”
Following the announcement, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb teased the idea of the shows being picked up elsewhere.
“Our Network partner may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters ... but you know Marvel better than that,” he wrote in a letter to fans published on Marvel’s website. “As Matthew Murdock’s Dad once said, ‘The measure of a man is not how he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how he gets back up.’ To be continued…!”
See more on The Punisher and Jessica Jones below.
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