The first phase of Marvel Netflix releases culminated with The Defenders mini-series back in 2017, which brought together Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist for a major showdown with The Hand in New York City. Ever since then, as the Marvel Netflix universe moves into the next phase of releases, fans have been wondering when we might see The Defenders return next, but now Netflix seems to be killing hopes of that happening.

Watch to the end, trust me. pic.twitter.com/khCvqfvx4o — NX (@NXOnNetflix) September 17, 2018



"NX" (as you can see in the video above) is the streaming services' new geek-friendly division of genre content, from superheroes to sci-fi, anime, and everything in between. Well, in launching "NX" across all of its relevant platforms and social media pages, Netflix made a quiet, yet significant, change:

What you see above is a pretty big indicator that Netflix is done with The Defenders as one of its original series. These kind of Facebook page changes aren't done lightly, especially if a show is planning to release a new season of content anytime in the foreseeable future. The implication is that The Defenders IP is no longer something that Netflix is pursuing - and that could be a decision that was born of several good reasons.

For one thing, The Defenders was a mini-series event that was never treated as a full series, so there was never a prerequisite for season 2 to happen. Ironically enough, The Defenders also had the lowest premiere viewership of any Marvel Netflix series, despite bringing the characters of four popular series together for a big Marvel Cinematic Universe event. Finally, there's no really mandate to continue the Defenders franchise - not when Marvel Studios could launch a different property with a much different stigma attached to it.

The most obvious change could be making the next Marvel Netflix crossover series be the much-anticipated Heroes for Hire / Daughters of the Dragon spinoff. That series would unite former Defenders Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, while making Misty Knight and Colleen Wing official superhero vigilante team members.

The Marvel Netflix universe is actually in the perfect place to pull off a Heroes for Hire storyline right now. The sophomore seasons of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have seen some major shifts: Jessica is now open to being more of a team player; Danny has found his own path as a crimefighter, beyond the Iron Fist; Misty could either take her promotion to captain of the Harlem precinct or go the vigilante route; and Colleen has inherited the Iron Fist and is using it in creative new ways to maintain peace in Chinatown. The only wrinkle would be having Luke Cage as the new crimelord of Harlem - but that could be a great twist, if Heroes for Hire begins with Luke as the villain, before he comes back around to be a hero for hire again.

Will you miss The Defenders? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist Season Two are now streaming on Netflix; Daredevil Season Three will premiere Fall 2018.