Brad Winderbaum Tells ‘Daredevil’ Fans That #SaveDaredevil Isn’t Enough: They Also Need to #WatchDaredevil

Few Marvel shows have had fans rallying behind them like ‘Daredevil.’ The Netflix original ended after 3 seasons, and the hashtag-fueled push to bring Matt Murdock back became one of the most visible fan campaigns in superhero TV. Now Marvel’s TV boss is offering a reality check on how much hashtags can actually accomplish.

That push paid off with ‘Daredevil: Born Again,’ which premiered on Disney+ on March 4, 2025, bringing back Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio and the rest of the Netflix-era cast. Disney said the first season drew 7.5 million views in its first 5 days, a measure based on total stream time divided by runtime. Marvel then renewed it for a third season in September 2025, after confusion over whether the second season would be the last.

Season 2 arrived in March 2026, and the viewership picture changed. Luminate data reported by ComicBook.com showed the first 5 episodes of season 2 collecting about 4.5 million views, compared with about 8.4 million for season 1 over the same window. That works out to a drop of roughly 46% in views and more than 54% in hours watched, even as critical response stayed strong.

Against that backdrop, Marvel Studios’ head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, spoke candidly on the ‘Main Character’ podcast. He said hashtags like #SaveDaredevil are great, but fans also need to #WatchDaredevil. His biggest leverage, he explained, is the actual viewership numbers, and that is where he gets the power to decide whether something gets made.

Winderbaum was asked about the cancellation of ‘Wonder Man,’ which Marvel ended after already announcing a season 2 renewal. He said he fought for it and still hopes to see the character back in the MCU. The conversation naturally led to ‘Daredevil,’ which he described as proof that fans can move the needle.

He pointed to the fans who made their voices loud when they wanted the Netflix shows back, saying they helped save the character. But he also suggested that a similar campaign might not be enough to rescue a show like ‘Wonder Man’ today, because viewership matters more than hashtags. The comment frames the numbers as the deciding factor, not the volume of online support.

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is set to end after its third season. Winderbaum has said the plan was always to culminate at 3 seasons, mirroring the original Netflix series’ 3-season run. At New York Comic Con, where the ending was announced, Cox joked about how loud the boos were, and he said it’s not a good idea to get fans protesting.

Winderbaum has also stressed that Marvel isn’t done with the character. He has said the studio would take a breath and figure out what’s next for the character after season 3. That’s not a green light for another series or a solo movie, and Cox’s next MCU appearance hasn’t been confirmed.

Season 3 will also include a significant time jump, according to Winderbaum’s remarks, and the gap is expected to be similar to the real-world gap between the release of seasons 2 and 3. He also said Fisk’s exile will be its own story following the events of season 2. Additional returns from the wider street-level world are expected, including Jessica Jones in season 2.

Head of Marvel Television Brad Winderbaum on ‘DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN’ ending with Season 3 and the future of the character: “The plan was always to culminate at 3, because the way we’re looking at it, the original series is 3 seasons, Born Again is 3 seasons. They’re kind of like trade paperbacks or collections that you can slot into your shelves, like these are two 3-volume sets, and then we will take a breath and figure out what’s next for the character.” “He [Charlie] doesn’t stop. He is a machine, and the performances in Season 3 are so remarkable. I think Dario hit the story from some interesting angles. We’re taking a lot of influence from The Devil in Cell-Block D. Plus, we got Bullseye in it and a few other characters I can’t talk about. Of course, the Defenders.” Seems like Sana Amanat is overseeing the remaining post-production work after Dario’s departure.

— Daredevil Shots (@_DaredevilShots) October 14, 2026

Winderbaum’s remarks highlight a tension that many fan campaigns face. Online enthusiasm gets a show noticed, but streaming decisions rely on hard data, and Disney+ rarely releases official figures. That makes third-party numbers, like those from Luminate, a key part of the conversation.

For fans of the Man Without Fear, the message is straightforward: if you want more Daredevil, press play. The show has also had an unusual impact on the original, with the earlier 3 seasons seeing a 153% increase in hours watched in the week of the ‘Born Again’ premiere. That suggests the franchise still has a loyal audience, and it could still make a difference.

Whatever happens after season 3, the hashtags that helped bring the character back have changed Marvel’s TV strategy. Now the question is whether fans can turn that passion into viewing numbers that keep Daredevil in the spotlight.

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