Are the Marvel Netflix series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Question

Are the Marvel Netflix series (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist) part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or part of a universe that branched off after the events of the first Avengers movie (2012)?

I ask this question because in the Netflix series only the fight in Harlem (Hulk vs. Abomination) and the attack on New York (Chitauri invasion) are mentioned. Events thereafter such as the Triskelion collapsing (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Sokovia being lifted up into the air (Avengers: Age of Ultron) are never mentioned.

Answer 1

Yes, they are part of the MCU, but only loosely. It's only been recently that any kind of connection has been made between the Netflix series and the movies

It's important to realize, though, that the Marvel Netflix shows are currently running several years behind the movies. In fact, Jessica Jones Season 2 was the first Marvel Netflix series to be set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, with liberal mentions of the Raft, the prison for "enhanced" individuals. That's why viewers tuning in to Luke Cage Season 2 expecting to see the impact of Avengers: Infinity War's ending were always destined for disappointment; Luke Cage was set in late 2016 or (at the latest) early 2017, meaning there were never going to be any tie-ins to Infinity War.

The tie-in is that the FBI is involved in enforcing the Sokovia Accords (remember that from Civil War?)

The key detail is that the FBI is responsible for policing some aspects of the Sokovia Accords in the United States. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, the FBI monitors Scott Lang to ensure he doesn't break his house arrest. FBI agents are also conducting a manhunt for Hank and Hope, who possess sufficiently advanced technology that they're viewed as in breach of the Sokovia Accords. This is an important detail; previously we'd only ever seen S.H.I.E.L.D. involved with the Sokovia Accords in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but they'd been mostly concerned with identifying potential Inhumans and dealing with high-priority cases. Now we know that jurisdiction was presumably divided between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the FBI.

And

[I]it's safe to assume that Daredevil Season 3 will see Matt Murdock resume his vigilante activities. Such a vigilante would inevitably be viewed as a breach of the Sokovia Accords, although not a high-priority one - nobody actually knows the self-styled "Devil of Hell's Kitchen" actually has super-powers. Given that's the case, it's safe to assume the FBI would be called in to investigate the resurgence in vigilante activity in Hell's Kitchen. It's already been confirmed that Daredevil Season 3 has a strong FBI presence, with Wilson Bethel cast as a mystery FBI agent who plays a major role.

Answer 2

Marvel's Daredevil (2015) is set in the MCU. Charlie Cox reprised his role as Matt Murdock in the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and as Matt Murdock and Daredevil in the MCU TV series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). Also, Vincent D'Onofrio reprised his role as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin in the MCU TV series, Hawkeye (2021).

Cox and D'Onofrio will again reprise their roles in the Phase 5 MCU TV series: Echo (2023) and Daredevil: Born Again (2024). Jon Bernthal will also join the cast of Daredevil: Born Again and will reprise his role as Frank Castle / the Punisher, a character he first portrayed in Marvel's Daredevil Season 2 before headlining his own TV series, Marvel's The Punisher. Cox will voice Daredevil in the animated TV series: Spider-Man: Freshman Year (2024).

Jennifer Walters has finally met her match in Matt Murdock. While the character was teased earlier in the season, he’s finally reintroduced to audiences in Episode 8 of Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk — and he’s very much the same Matt Murdock audiences have come to know and love over the years, once again played by Charlie Cox returning to the role.

“Knowing that Charlie was taking this character on again and that we got to reintroduce him through this show, the dynamic between him and Jen is so, so special,” Star Tatiana Maslany explains to Marvel.com.

^{- ‘She-Hulk’: Bringing Matt Murdock into Jen Walters' Life — Marvel.com (emphasis mine)}

Vincent D'Onofrio has said that he played the same character in Marvel's Daredevil and Hawkeye, and that "there are [as] many dots connected as we can possibly connect."

Many fans have long debated whether Marvel Television’s Defenders-centric shows are actually MCU canon and, given Fisk’s new status, some may assume this is a “variant” of the antagonist. However, when I spoke with Vincent D’Onofrio, he provided a clear answer as to whether this is the exact antagonist from the original series:

It’s the same character. Yeah, I mean, the way that we saw it on Hawkeye, or [what] I ended up believing, is that there are [as] many dots connected as we can possibly connect, and some are just impossible to connect. But I think… it's the same as a lot of the MCU stuff that's done, that [Marvel Studios head] Kevin [Feige] does, and all the incredible filmmakers, you know, they try to connect to the original stuff as much as they can. … But then there's dots that can't be connected. And I think we tried to do the same thing with connecting Daredevil to… or Hawkeye to Daredevil and Daredevil to Hawkeye. You know, it's like that.

So worry not, fans, this version of New York’s biggest crime boss is meant to be the same one you first met back in 2015.

^{- Hawkeye’s Vincent D’Onofrio Explains MCU Kingpin’s Daredevil Connections — Cinemablend}

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for the new series, D'Onofrio opened up about his Kingpin return in Hawkeye. When asked whether the Disney+ series exists separate from Netflix's Daredevil, the star confirmed that both versions of the Kingpin are the same and explained how Marvel connected the dots between them. See what D'Onofrio said below:

"I think from my point of view, like a lot of the Avengers stuff, a lot of the MCU stuff, they tried to connect as many dots to the original canon as they can, and some dots are just not possible to connect. And that's what we've done with connecting to Daredevil and vice versa. There's some dots [that] are connected. Like in the Hawkeye show, Fisk is obviously physically stronger and can take more physical abuse. But the key to his being an interesting character, in my mind, will always be the fact that he has this emotional life that grounds him, that makes everything work, as far as I'm concerned.

We can sell that character in so many facets. Story-wise we can sell it, if we keep him based in that emotional life. And I know that the writers, and the producers, and me, and everybody involved in the Hawkeye show, we were all on the same page about that. I have to say that they're very collaborative people and – not only to mention awesome people, very nice – but the producers, like I said, the writers and the directors were all just thrilled to work with so we kept along those lines. And I think that's what will continue to make the character interesting if there's anything next for me to do."

^{- Hawkeye & Daredevil's Kingpin Are The Same, Confirms Vincent D'Onofrio — Screen Rant}

D'Onofrio also mentions what changed in Fisk since his last appearance in Marvel's Daredevil:

The comic book behemoth is also a bit more power-hungry now within the world of Hawkeye, and as Vincent D’Onofrio explained, there’s actually a specific reason for this within his MCU arc:

It was always established to me that it's after the Blip and that he has lost the power that he had in Daredevil, and he wants it back. … In Hawkeye, he considers that he's lost a bit of the control of his city, and he wants his city back.

^{- Hawkeye’s Vincent D’Onofrio Explains MCU Kingpin’s Daredevil Connections — Cinemablend}

Answer 3

They are no longer canonical to the MCU as of 2019 according to Kevin Feige.

While at CCXP Brazil, [Kevin] spoke with Brazilian pop culture site Omelete about the Marvel projects and when asked about how the visual language of the Disney+ series will compare to the MCU, he first responded by stating that “Disney+ is going to give us this opportunity to tell even deeper stories about characters you already know and love,” and followed it up with the declaration that “it all, for the first time, will interlink.” By stating that this is the beginning of the movies and TV series connecting, he’s effectively wiped all previous Marvel shows from canon, which WGTC told you he was going to do last month.

....

This statement comes in the wake of Feige’s promotion to Chief Creative Officer of all of Marvel Entertainment, whereas previously he only ran the movie side of things. The TV projects were overseen by Jeph Loeb, who recently announced his departure from the company, and while the shows were nowhere near as stratospherically popular as the films, it still feels a little disingenuous to disregard them in a single sentence without bothering to even acknowledge their existence.