In the past few months, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil has been in the news quite often due to rumors of his potential involvement in the upcoming Marvel project, Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even though the actor has denied it several times, fans theorize of his appearance in the much-awaited film and expect him to be another character that appears after the Multiverse is activated. However, introducing Matt Murdock into the MCU does not require such antics.
The main focus of Spider-Man: No Way Home seems to be Tom Holland’s titular character trying to keep his true identity a secret. When he approaches Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange for assistance, a botched spell activates the Multiverse, inviting several characters from the comics and previous Spider-Man films to arrive in his world. But, there would be an easier way to bring Daredevil into the mix.
In the popular Netflix series Daredevil, which premiered in 2015, Cox’s character was much darker than any of the ones that fans had gotten used to seeing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite being an isolated series, Daredevil made several references to the MCU and was loaded with Easter eggs.
In one of the episodes, a newspaper clipping about the Battle of New York is seen posted in Ben Urich’s office, who happens to work at the Daily Bugle in the comics, which appears in the live-action Spider-Man films. In another scene at a police station, Stan Lee’s photograph is spotted on the wall in the background. Even though the co-creator of Marvel comics, who died in 2018, does not make a cameo in the series, his presence was still included in this interesting manner.
Fans were always aware that Murdock was not officially a part of the MCU, but he was still a Marvel character, a fan-favorite at that. Bringing him into the MCU should not require a lot of antics, because at this point, fans will accept him wholeheartedly nonetheless. The Multiverse does not have to play a role in bringing him into the same universe as Holland’s Spider-Man.
In the Netflix series, Cox is seen living the dual life of lawyer Murdock by day and vigilante Daredevil by night. Even in his superhero avatar, he is mostly seen fighting street-level crime in Hell’s Kitchen. He is never seen fighting any global-level threats, which would require the involvement of any other Marvel heroes. It would be very easy for Marvel to bring him into the MCU fold by explaining that he was always around, but flying under the radar.
Hell’s Kitchen also features prominently in Marvel's Spider-Man, the video game released in 2018. Even in the game, it was most famously known as the site of Fisk Tower, which is owned by Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin. The character prominently featured in Netflix’s Daredevil series and was portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio. So, if Cox’s Daredevil was to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a connection between the heroes could easily be formed, without using the Multiverse as an excuse.
Speaking of Kingpin, the character is rumored to be a part of the ongoing Marvel series Hawkeye, with episodes premiering on Disney Plus every Wednesday. Fans believe that D'Onofrio’s Kingpin will be a part of Hawkeye and will go up against Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop. With Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, aka Echo, already fighting the two heroes, it seems quite probable that Kingpin will be the next character to join the MCU, considering he is Echo’s adoptive father.
If Kingpin were to appear in Hawkeye, it would pave the way for Cox’s Daredevil to enter the MCU moving forward. In the Netflix series, Kingpin is Daredevil’s arch-nemesis. While Kingpin has not been an Avengers-level threat yet, his involvement in Hawkeye could spell disaster for the future. If he were to wreak havoc in the MCU, it would make sense for Daredevil to follow. It could either be to stop him, or help with other threats affecting the MCU’s most-loved heroes.
The Netflix series was not Daredevil’s first live-action appearance, though. The character first appeared in the 2003 standalone film Daredevil and was portrayed by Ben Affleck, who later took on the role of DC’s Batman. Till date, it is considered by hardcore fans as one of the worst standalone Marvel films, most of which were produced and premiered before 2008’s Iron Man, which set up the MCU.
Fortunately for Netflix, the streamer’s series about the hero received a lot of positive feedback from fans and is one of the best isolated Marvel series to have been aired. Apart from Daredevil, Netflix also produced Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher. At one point, some of the heroes even came together to form an Avengers-style plot, The Defenders. The series did not fare too well, which could be credited to the fact that each individual character was very different from the other.
The isolated Marvel series on Netflix all had very distinct styles and tones. This isn’t to say that the MCU lacks diversity, but bringing the four Netflix characters together seemed like a much bigger feat than assembling the Avengers. The Avengers seem to have more in common and the chemistry between the characters is quite apparent. With regular crossovers, the MCU films have established a cohesiveness that is more believable. The Defenders on the other hand seemed to be forced together, with none of their philosophies matching at a broader scale.
Between all the chaos, Cox’s Daredevil still stood out as a fan-favorite character, and despite his standalone Netflix series being cancelled in 2018, fans have had hope that he would be brought back and initiated into the MCU. The actor’s splendid work at portraying Daredevil has been constantly praised by both fans and critics and it isn’t surprising that they want to see more of him in the MCU. Whether Marvel will deliver to fans’ requests remains to be seen.