Marvel Announces Auction for ‘The Punisher,’ ‘The Defenders’ Props
Marvel Entertainment’s Netflix television partnership, which produced shows such as “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones,” might be dead, but fans can acquire a piece of the superhero franchise’s history at an upcoming auction.
On Friday, Marvel and Prop Store announced a June auction that will feature a variety of items from “The Punisher” and “The Defenders.” Bidding opens in May though the event, which does not have a specific date, will take place in Los Angeles, fans will be able to bid via telephone or online.
Props expected to be auctioned off include the Punisher’s (Jon Bernthal) vest and skull-clad armor, and a handful of masks from the series’ second season. Several other superhero costumes, including the red Daredevil mask and Colleen Wing’s (Jessica Henwick) katana will also be auctioned off.
Marvel held its first auction for its Netflix television shows last March, which featured over 750 lots (the iconic Daredevil suit went for $55,000). Additional “Jessica Jones” props were auctioned off last December.
Though the upcoming auction will be focused on “The Punisher” and “The Defenders,” its preview page suggests that several props from Netflix’s other Marvel shows will be available. Other featured items include Kilgrave’s (David Tennant) suit from “Jessica Jones” Season One and Danny Rand’s (Finn Jones) gunslinger getup from the final scene in “Iron Fist” Season 2.
The Marvel-Netflix television partnership collapsed in September 2018 when Netflix cancelled “Iron Fist,” and the franchise’s remaining shows were axed within the following months. Jeph Loeb, who served as an executive at Marvel Television (which has since been folded into Marvel Studios) for nine years and executive produced all of Netflix’s Marvel shows, departed the company in October 2019.
Only time will tell if Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, and the rest of Marvel’s street level New York heroes will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney was legally barred from developing new series for most of its Netflix-based superheroes until at least 2020, and the company hasn’t indicated that those characters will reappear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the foreseeable future. Even if Marvel brings the characters back, it is unclear if they would fit into Disney+, as the streaming service’s family-friendly bent contrasts with the Netflix shows’ decidedly adult elements — Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) decapitating a mafia boss with a car door probably wouldn’t go over too well with parents.
That said, Mahershala Ali, who portrayed Cottonmouth in “Luke Cage,” is already getting a new lease on life with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he’ll star in the franchise’s “Blade” reboot, though the release of that film is still years away.
