On Friday, Oct 12, it was revealed that “Iron Fist” would not be returning for a third season. This comes after the second season was released a mere month ago on Sept. 7.  On Oct. 19, it was announced that “Luke Cage” would also not be returning for a third season.

The Marvel Netflix-verse has been rocky from the start. Their six shows have received mixed reviews from critics.

Still, even with the lower ratings they tended to please audiences, and when new seasons were announced anticipation grew. That is why it was such a surprise when news broke about two of the beloved shows.

The cancellation of “Iron Fist” was sad, but it was not a surprise for many. The show had some trouble gaining footing as it received poor reviews and was accused of whitewashing the lead character.

The first season was horribly reviewed, as critics felt the pacing was all off and there was not enough story to fill an entire season.

The second season felt better, but still failed to wow the critics, as the problems with pacing and a compelling villain still existed.

The cancellation of “Luke Cage” came out of nowhere, as unlike “Iron Fist,” “Luke Cage” received great reviews in its first season. The villains of Cottonmouth and Mariah Dillard were praised for the way they were portrayed.

The first season even took home some awards. Mahershala Ali, the actor who played Cottonmouth, won a BET Award for Best Actor, and the show took home an Emmy for stunts — way more than what “Iron Fist” won.

The second season of “Luke Cage,” however, did not live up to the first, but was still enjoyed by many. It gave audiences a compelling new villain in Bushmaster and continued the story of Mariah Dillard. It even left off on a huge cliffhanger.

The cancellations of these two shows were a surprise to many. With Disney, the parent company to Marvel Studios, making their own streaming service, many believe that this could be their doing. However, they have said in the past that Netflix can continue making these shows.

Some believe that the cancellation may mean that they are making a new show that combines the two heroes called “Heroes for Hire.” This is a high possibility, as both the characters Luke Cage and Iron Fist are a part of “Heroes for Hire” in the comics, and Netflix said that the characters will live on. This was also hinted at in the second season of “Luke Cage” with characters from “Iron Fist” playing a bigger role later in the season.

The cancellation of these two shows leaves the Marvel Netflix-verse much smaller and in a tough spot. The current lineup of these shows, unless another is cancelled, would be “The Punisher” season two, “Jessica Jones” season three and “Daredevil” season three, which just launched on Netflix. Currently, there is no news on if we will be seeing “The Defenders” season two, the show that brings all these other shows together.

These shows were a big draw for many comic book fans to Netflix, and with the catalog smaller, it may not draw in as many people. Another problem comes with the Disney streaming service that will launch in 2019 that has many shows based on their properties already planned. When that launches, Netflix could lose a lot of their audience, especially if they keep cancelling the Marvel Netflix shows.

We will have to see if Netflix plans to just wipe out the Marvel catalog or if they have some bigger plans for “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist.”

With that cliffhanger at the end of “Luke Cage” season two, they better wrap it up somehow.