With the contracts to the actors behind the Netflix-Marvel characters ending, the film rights have reverted back to Marvel Studios which means that Disney can now use those characters however they please. Daredevil is a great character, and the Netflix show Daredevil showed people just that and then some. His battle against his inner demons, as well as crime and unlawful people in the courtroom, he has a lot on his plate at times. His inner struggle with trying to being a hero, lawyer, and to be maintain his life all cause for struggles at time for Matt Murdock. Him also being blind, doesn’t help and is a battle in it’s own right.
While the Netflix shows were'n’t entirely canon to the MCU, the shows all present an easy way to be brought into the fray. Particularly Daredevil with its dark nature and flare for the dramatic. Murdock, with being a lawyer by day in the city of New York, could be used sooner rather than later in Spider-Man: No Way Home thanks to Quentin Beck aka Mysterio framing Peter Parker for his murder in the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Rumor has it that Charlie Cox could be reprising his role as the lawyer/vigilante in No Way Home which would make a whole lot of sense. Having Cox cameo in a brief role as Parker’s lawyer in a possible courtroom scene, planting the seeds for him to return in a later project, would be great fan service, and a smart move on Marvel’s part.
Image via: Screen Rant
Daredevil is a beloved character, thanks to the show, but also thanks to iconic story after story in the comics for the blind vigilante. Many times has he been hired by other heroes, and prominent figures in general, to be their lawyers, and he also happens to have a strong relationship with both Peter Parker and his alter ego of Spider-man. Introducing him in this way would be be a great way for us to get reintroduced to the character, as well as being a great means to set up his future. Daredevil and Spider-Man are both two crimefighters in New York City so their paths are surely set to realign in time, wether that be in a solo movie from one of the heroes or for the inevitable fifth Avengers movie.
While I doubt Murdock would suit up as Daredevil in No Way Home, it is possible, especially due to the long running rumor that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are set to reprise their respected roles as Spider-Man once more. A recent report has also come out that Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin from Daredevil, will be returning as Fisk in the upcoming Hawkeye show from Disney+. The same report also said that Cox was supposed to return as Daredevil in the series, but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. Hawkeye and No Way Home were both filming simultaneously, so that could be the reason. The fifth episode is where Fisk is said to appear, which would be a little under a week from when No Way Home will hit theaters. Could that mean something? Who knows, but it’s definitely interesting nonetheless.
Image via: Comic Book Resources
The actress Alaqua Cox has been cast as Echo, as a series regular in Hawkeye, who has an interesting connection and relationship with Daredevil in the comics. Echo is deaf, whereas Daredevil is blind, yet, both can communicate somehow and Daredevil has taken her under his wing many a times in the comics, and has mentored her. Another rumor has also come to light that Cox is set to return in the Echo spin-off series on Disney+ as Daredevil, as a series regular. This could eventually setup a fourth season of Daredevil from Disney+. Deborah Ann Woll, Karen Page from the Daredevil series, was spotted with the original MJ herself, Kirsten Dunst in LA as reshoots for Spider-Man: No Way Home were underway a month ago.
Echo’s fighting skills are much like Daredevil’s; she prefers to use her fists instead of any weapons, and uses her disability to her advantage. Daredevil was able to train her to enhance her senses and to even be able to read lips, and to talk in a more clear was as well. It’s entirely possible that Cox has been able to film a few scenes for Hawkeye, especially due to the fact that the show doesn’t drop on Disney+ until November. And if he is in fact in Echo, having Cox make a brief appearance, mainly meeting Echo herself, would be a great way to set that up. To start their relationship before we see him in her show in a few years.
Image via: Netflix
At the end of the day it makes complete sense to bring Daredevil to the MCU, especially with Charlie Cox back. Cox did an amazing job at Netflix bringing this amazing character to life, and reignited my hope in Daredevil as a character. The 2004 Ben Affleck movie was horrific. Affleck did a fine job as the character, but the story was so awful, and made me and many other fans question if he was suited for the big screen. Flash forward to 2013 when it was announced that a Daredevil TV series would be coming out, and that was a whole other ballgame. Yet, Cox was able to portray a phenomenal iteration of the character and the writers brought fourth a great story in the 3-season run.
If anything superhero movies have given me a better sense of appreciation for the more grounded superheroes. And also the grounded stories for characters like Superman, Thor, Wonder Woman and Captain America. Not every superhero film needs to involve a world-ending threat. Daredevil is as grounded as they come, maybe even more so than Spider-Man. Give me an Avengers movie where Earth’s mightiest heroes are put together to stop a Batman-like threat in Gotham whose only risking the lives of those in a city instead of the whole world, or universe.
That is why I believe Daredevil would fit so perfectly in the MCU. There’s something to go off of what Martin Scorsese has said about superhero films. They aren’t cinema, they’re fun and entertaining. But they easily can be cinema if given a story that seems more real than fiction. Just look at Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy which consisted of Gotham-ending threats in each film. All three films were Oscar worthy and were, and still are, beloved by fans and critics. That’s what Spider-Man should be, that’s what Daredevil is, and that should be the future of superhero movies.
The MCU has a handful of movies that I would consider cinema: Iron Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. DC has: Joker, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Wonder Woman. Those are all prime examples at what superhero movies should be. There are stories in the comics books for the Justice League and The Avengers which could be considered “cinema” as well, but it’s a hell of a lot more difficult for team-up movies than solo movies.
Daredevil could be the start of something different for Marvel Studios, and I’m all here for that ride. You can, hopefully, see Charlie Cox return as Matt Murdock December 17, in Spider-Man: No Way Home.