While the canceling of Daredevil on Netflix was a bitter pill to swallow, it wasn't a surprising one. That's not a reflection of the fan and critical reception -- which were both highly positive -- but the writing seemed to be on the wall before the third season even began due the cancellations of Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

RELATED: Netflix Canceling Marvel's Daredevil Is a Huge Mistake

With so many conflicting reports emerging as to what happened and who's to blame, one piece of information is very noteworthy, and it's that Daredevil remained one of the streaming service's most popular shows. If that's the case, then why would Netflix see fit to cancel it? Well, it comes down to a couple things -- the streaming service's future plans and a matter of timing.

Netflix's superhero universe simply isn't going to be Marvel-centric. In retrospect, the Millarworld acquisition should have been the first sign of this, and now with news that Netflix is ramping up production on Jupiter's Legacy and Mark Millar's other properties, such as Huck and Empress, it's obvious the service wanted its own content with full control, not something they'd have to go back and forth with Marvel on.

Now, publicly available data suggests Daredevil shed more than half its viewership between the first and second seasons, and we can admit that lukewarm receptions to the likes of Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders probably resulted in folks staying away from Daredevil. But ultimately, no matter whether Daredevil succeeded or not, Netflix was already looking past the show.

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Sure, the Millarworld purchase was a nice couch for Netflix to fall back on, but one could deduce the end of the Marvel partnership was nigh based on whispers of discord between Marvel TV and Marvel Studios, as well as disagreements with Netflix itself over things like the lengths of the seasons of shows. It's said Marvel TV insisted on 13 episodes, while Netflix wanted to go down to six or eight, so that alone presents a serious dispute. Daredevil was the only one that managed to work, no matter the season length, but the other shows, not so much. At this point, even though Daredevil stood out, you can't help but feel it just ended up being collateral damage as Netflix wanted a partnership less complex and convoluted, ergo why the time came to clear house.

After all, it's not one or the other; the deal is for all these Marvel properties. Maybe Netflix felt that once Disney+ was announced, it'd be a matter of time before these shows were taken there. Or maybe Disney offering their own steaming service meant it was time to part ways with a competitor to protect Netflix's own brand integrity -- which makes it so ironic that Disney+ doesn't want anything to do with these shows. That said, Netflix's brand strength is strong and backed by Millarworld, as well as the original content it has on tap. It can survive without Marvel, as its growing global subscription indicates, thus giving the platform the confidence to fly solo.

NEXT PAGE: Daredevil's Cancellation Has Everything to Do With Timing

Rumors that Marvel pulled the plug on Daredevil also arose, but this contradicts what Marvel's Head of TV, Jeph Loeb, previously said -- that it's up to Netflix whether additional seasons of any of the shows are ordered. So if the partnership were to end, it'd be down to Netflix, more or less hinting Daredevil ran its course.

Now, that's not to say Hulu, Freeform or some other service might not be lined up to take these properties on, with Daredevil being a hot property to pick up. But again, we're blind in the dark as to the future of these shows. If Marvel did pull the plug on Daredevil, one has to think it would have had a home lined up, especially since the outrage surrounding its cancellation was always going to be more pronounced than that of the other axed series. But we also have to consider maybe Marvel's merely ready to let these shows die and then reboot later on, a la the Spider-Man franchise on Disney+ or the big screen. Marvel TV has promised more adventures, but right now the only thing we know is that there's no future at Netflix and no future at Disney.

Daredevil cast

Another reason why the cancellation happened is down to timing. If Netflix has no plans for Daredevil Season 4, obviously the creative team, from show runner Erik Oleson to the writers, would be notified to stop working. The same goes for the cast, so the announcement just had to be made. You can't expect anyone to keep quiet in the meantime, or for the likes of Jessica Jones and The Punisher to air in 2019, and then the cancellation announcements to come en masse.

It's just a matter of Netflix knocking down every domino one by one and letting fans know it was a good ride while it lasted. Daredevil's cancellation had to be announced now so everyone involved could move on with life. As fate would have it, the service simply outgrew the Marvel brand and clearly wanted to look at greener pastures, even if Daredevil could have still garnered a new hit season. Notifying everyone now is simply the polite and professional thing to do.

RELATED: Netflix's Canceled Marvel Shows Aren't Heading to Disney+

Ultimately, the red-costumed vigilante had to get cut because, when it comes to what Netflix wants control of and what it wants to create for the foreseeable future, the publisher needs content that it owns, not tied up in some second or third party. All we're left thinking about as fans is what could have been had this partnership been given a chance to flourish once again. We need to remember that, when it comes to two entertainment giants like Disney and Netflix, it's nothing personal, it's just business.