Marvel has been doing some interesting things with traditional media, translating its comic book world into one of sights and sounds with cinema and television properties that move in lockstep. That world is getting a bit bigger now thanks to a deal with Netflix.
Marvel's Daredevil is headed for Netflix with three other characters (image from Marvel.com)
While Marvel has had success expanding its properties from one screen to the next, Netflix has barriers that could limit audiences.
The online subscriptions service has said it will buy four new live-action series based on Marvel characters that have yet to appear in its modern media enterprise – Luke Cage (a.k.a. Power Man), Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Daredevil (who was portrayed by Ben Affleck in 2003, before the company invested in a comprehensive and united media front for its properties).
The first new series will start in 2015. Once all four have aired, the shows will culminate in a miniseries called The Defenders.
It’s an escalation strategy Marvel has already successfully tested on the big screen; its Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk and Captain America films tied together in The Avengers – otherwise known as one of the most successful films ever made, grossing US$1.5 billion in box office revenues worldwide and an additional US$94.6 million in domestic DVD sales.
That juggernaut expanded to broadcast television this season with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., airing in the U.S. on ABC (which, like Marvel, is owned by Disney) and on CTV in Canada. The Sept. 24 pilot episode earned a 4.7 rating in the U.S. (or 14 share), and while audiences have declined since then, it remains a show that impresses. The film and series use the same characters and backstory, and plot lines will intersect going forward (creating a cohesive “canon” of material, as the fans like to say).
Now that juggernaut is heading to Netflix, which, while popular, has not reached the distribution levels of OTT television or cinema. Getting Netflix means paying another bill every month (although, let’s face it, it’s affordable for most middle class households).
So while Netflix CEO Reed Hastings likely sees nothing but a huge, rabid, established audience streaming towards his service, the subscription fee will prove a barrier for some. Netflix could become the choke point for Marvel’s sprawling story lines, putting gaps in a mythology that, so far, has made millions for its ambitious cross-platform consistency.
