Marvel Producer Confirms Whether Netflix's Daredevil Is MCU Canon
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has historically been very careful about continuity. Sure, there was that time the Avengers traveled through time and completely undid a bunch of things, and that time the Sacred Timeline was shattered into a million alternate universes. But in the mainline story, there's typically a pretty consistent tone and narrative throughline.
The Netflix Marvel series that started with "Daredevil" have long been an outlier in that unified vision of the franchise. Far darker and more thematically mature than typical MCU fare, shows like "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage," and "The Punisher" have existed for years in a kind of limbo. Are they actually part of the canonical Sacred Timeline? When Charlie Cox's Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin started popping up in mainline MCU projects, the answer seemed more than ever that they are, indeed, part of the Sacred Timeline. But even still, Marvel Studios executives were hesitant to connect the two tonally dissonant universes.
Now, at least one higher-up seems to be confirming what fans have long waited to hear. In a recent interview with Screen Rant for the new Disney+ series "Echo" — which kicks off the more experimental "Marvel Spotlight" label and prominently features D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk — executive producer Brad Winderbaum endorsed "Daredevil," at least, as part of the main MCU universe. "Up until this point, we've been a little bit cagey about what's Sacred Timeline, what's not Sacred Timeline," Winderbaum said. "It was a lot to balance anyway, but now that some time has passed, now that we see actually how well integrated the stories are, I think that I, personally, Brad Winderbaum, would be confident in saying it is part of the Sacred Timeline."
What does Echo mean for the future of the Netflix MCU storylines?
Brad Winderbaum made it very clear in his Screen Rant interview that he's not speaking for the entirety of Marvel Studios. The decision of what to include and what not to include in the so-called "Sacred Timeline" may continue to be elusive. But with members of the original "Daredevil" cast returning in both "Echo" and the upcoming "Daredevil: Born Again" on Disney+, it may be hard for Marvel to keep creating barriers for the other Netflix projects.
In 2023, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Jon Bernthal will also return as the Punisher in "Daredevil: Born Again." And of course, since "Daredevil" was a kind of hub for the other "Defenders" shows on Netflix, other characters like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones appeared there as well as in their respective series. The odds of every Netflix hero and villain returning on Disney+ are slim because of scheduling and contract reasons, as well as the larger focus of the MCU. But no matter what anyone at Marvel Studios says, it's getting harder and harder to argue against these shows being part of the core MCU canon.
Perhaps if the Marvel Spotlight brand expands, we could see more Netflix players come back. "Echo" is already getting rave reactions ahead of its premiere, promising the grittiest MCU project since the Netflix arm of the franchise came to an end.