It’s a great day for fans of Charlie Cox's Daredevil, as his next project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been confirmed. The studio announced that Spider-Man: Freshman Year, a prequel animated series that will focus on the adventures of the young Spider-Man, will premiere on Disney Plus in 2024. The series will feature Daredevil, and the hero of Hell's Kitchen will be voiced by Cox.
The announcements related to Spider-Man: Freshman Year were made during the San Diego Comic-Con, as part of a panel hosted by the studios' Animation boss Brad Winderbaum and the series creator Jeff Trammell. Many fans have complained that the MCU's Spider-Man did not have an origin story, and this animated series promises to fix that. Fan service is just an added benefit.
The web-slinging hero joined the MCU as part of 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Since then, the character has become an integral part of the Avengers and has appeared in films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, along with his standalone films. However, the MCU never explored his origin story, similar to the previous Spider-Man films. The upcoming animated series will cover that chapter of the hero’s life, and according to the panelist at Comic-Con, the story will occur prior to the events of Captain America: Civil War in the MCU timeline.
Tom Holland became the face of Spider-Man in the MCU, and while his fate as the hero is still unclear, he has been appreciated for his work in the many films. However, the actor is seemingly not returning to voice the character in Spider-Man: Freshman Year. Several characters, however, from the Spider-Man franchise will be making an appearance, including Harry Osborne, Nico Minoru, and Amadeus Cho. They will be joined by some classic villains, such as Doc Ock, Chameleon, Rhino, and Scorpion. The panelists revealed exclusive artwork from the series, which highlights some of the costumes that both Spider-Man and Daredevil will be seen wearing. While Holland fans are expressing their disappointment, fans of his co-star Cox are celebrating.
Ever since Netflix's Daredevil got canceled, fans had been campaigning for Cox to join the MCU. When Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin showed up in Hawkeye, fans were convinced that Marvel Studios had heard their pleas, and waited with bated breath for Cox's introduction into the MCU. Considering Matt Murdock is a lawyer, it made sense to include him in Spider-Man: No Way Home, even though it was not necessary. It was the studios’ way of reassuring fans that Cox was the MCU's Daredevil, and if there was ever a project where the character appeared, the actor would be brought in to reprise his role.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year is currently in production at Marvel Studios and is scheduled to premiere in 2024.
Source: Marvel Studios/Twitter