Marvel Studios Will Soon Regain Rights To Daredevil
We might soon see a very familiar face in the MCU. He won't see us, but we'll see him.
The Instagram account #SaveDaredevil recently published a post reminding fans that, in six short months, the rights to Matt Murdock/Daredevil will officially be under the full control of Marvel Studios. What could this mean? Well, it could mean a lot of things — but the implication is that, sooner rather than later, the blind attorney and ninja vigilante will make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Now, wait just a minute, Looper," we can hear you asking. "Didn't Daredevil, the series that ran for three seasons on Netflix, take place in the MCU?" Well, yes and no. Like most of Marvel Television's properties — which included Netflix shows like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and several others scattered across multiple platforms — the action in Daredevil was technically supposed to be going down in the same universe in which Iron Man, Captain America, and the rest repelled an alien invasion of New York City in 2012. The logistical difficulties of making sure all of these disparate properties were snugly connected, though, proved to be difficult to overcome.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to maintain its tenuous narrative connection to the films of the MCU for its first three seasons before largely giving up, and when it came to the Netflix shows, any references to the larger universe pretty much came via throwaway lines of dialogue, amounting to little more than lip service. This was in large part due to the fact that Marvel Studios (which produces the movies) and Marvel Television were two separate entities. Now, though, with the TV arm all but totally phased out and the film branch now handling small-screen projects like the MCU-set Disney+ series, future television endeavors are expected to be much more intimately connected with the films.
How will Daredevil be reintroduced to the MCU?
Under Marvel's agreement with Netflix, none of the main characters of the streamer's Marvel series — Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist — could be used in any live-action projects for two full years after the cancellation of their respective series. With only six months to go until Marvel is free to bring the Devil of Hell's Kitchen back into the MCU fold in whatever way it sees fit, fans are beginning to wonder exactly what that will look like. Will Daredevil simply be picked up for a fourth season, perhaps for Disney+ or Hulu? Or will he instead get a rebooted series, or even a feature film?
Well, as is typical of Marvel, nobody is saying. For our money, though, one of the most potentially interesting aspects of Marvel gaining full control over the character is that he'll now be free to interact with any and all of the MCU's inhabitants — and the best way to leverage this would be to make ol' Hornhead a supporting player. As one of the Marvel Universe's most prominent superpowered attorneys, Murdock has had occasion to become intertwined in the lives and troubles of a lot of heroes over the years — including one who is going to be in serious need of some legal assistance in his next MCU appearance.
We refer, of course, to Spider-Man. When last we saw Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in Spider-Man: Far From Home, he had just been framed for the murder of Mysterio (who was thought to be a hero by the world at large) and publicly outed by that blowhard, J. Jonah Jameson. It's been speculated that Marvel's other super-lawyer, Jennifer Walters — a.k.a. She-Hulk — might come to Parker's assistance in his next solo outing, but given that there is a long comics history between Spidey and Daredevil, fans will absolutely lose their minds if Parker retains Murdock instead.
Will Charlie Cox return to play Daredevil?
Of course, we haven't yet discussed the elephant in the room: whether Charlie Cox, who brilliantly portrayed Murdock on the Netflix series, will return to reprise his role. As you might expect, he's only been asked the question about a billion times since the show ended its Netflix run, and while his answers have kind of been all over the place, there has been one consistent element: Cox never fails to mention that he loved playing Murdock, and that he would almost certainly be down to suit up again if asked.
Speaking with CNET in 2019, the actor said, "I certainly wouldn't want to play another superhero anytime soon. I still feel part of Matt Murdock. That sounds like a really wacky thing to say, but I've been playing him for five years and I haven't rid myself of that character yet." Cox continued to imply that when it comes time to reintroduce Murdock, he'd like it known that his hat will be in the ring: "I don't know what the conversations are behind the scenes at Marvel," he said, "but in a few years, if another opportunity comes up... I'd love to be considered."
More recently, though, Cox hasn't sounded terribly optimistic about the prospect. Speaking with Yahoo! Movies U.K. in May 2020, the actor said, "I just think the best bet for [Marvel], in the unlikely nature of being able to get all of us together again, it should be a whole new team, and, you know, start again... they [reboot] Spider-Man all the time."
Be that as it may, it's tough to imagine that Marvel won't at least be giving Cox a call sometime in the next six months. His casting was about as spot-on as it gets — and somehow, we don't think Ben Affleck will be interested.