Every day we are inching closer to the premiere of Marvel Studios’ first entry for 2022, Moon Knight. While it is fun to look forward to the future, we here at The Cosmic Circus want to also look back at the loose threads of the MCU.
When this project began, we imagined it as an exploration of those storylines left hanging from just Phase Four. But of course, there are many more threads to explore from earlier in the MCU. So look out for all loose threads from Phase One to now, as we continue with this series! Now for one of the most exciting and highly anticipated returns, let’s dive into “the man without fear” and see how Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, could return with a vengeance.
The Thread: Where else could Matt Murdock show up?
December brought us one of the most epic reunions to date in the MCU, with the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, the film also brought us the return of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock. While we didn’t see him suit up as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, it was still thrilling to see Cox back in the role he originated on Netflix’s Daredevil in 2015.
The singular scene he was in was rather small, but it hinted at the potential for a bigger story for Matt Murdock in the Wider MCU. So where might we see Cox show up again and will he be suited up?
The Rumors are true, Matt Murdock returns in She-Hulk
For months now, various rumors floating around the internet, as well as our Editor-In-Chief Lizzie Hill*, point to both Matt Murdock returning at a legal capacity and suiting up in yellow as Daredevil in the Disney+ series She-Hulk, slated to air later this year.
She-Hulk has been described as a legal comedy and is set to explore justice both in and out of the courtroom. Jennifer Walters, played by Tatiana Maslany, is both an exceptional New York lawyer, as well as the superhero cousin to Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo).
This duality of daytime lawyer and hero by night is the same idea we saw with Daredevil, with the exception that Walters doesn’t keep the two identities separate. However, this double-duty exploration of the titular character also allows for greater exploration of Matt Murdock as Marvel Studios reestablishes him firmly as a good lawyer and the defender of Hell’s Kitchen.
Having him play a supporting character and a foil to Jennifer Walters allows for a slower rollout of the Netflix Defenders as Marvel develops a new plan for our street-level heroes. It seems like this will be a new path forward with a beloved character. She-Hulk should be a great show to dive quite a bit deeper than his No Way Home cameo, with plenty of opportunities for humor and, according to rumors and Ms. Hill* again, perhaps even a new romance.
[*Editor’s note: No. Not my “scoop.” I’m only backing up what several others have said already (via TFTMQ on MSS Reddit, for instance), and I have also heard the same or similar things for a long time now. And yes, he’s got a yellow costume. Yes, romance. ~ Lizzie]
Echo is another potential spot for the Daredevil to appear
The history of Echo and Daredevil are tied together through mutual villains. Over the course of three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil, Matt Murdock worked hard to bring down Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his crime ring. At the end of the final season, Kingpin was finally put away, with Matt moving on with his law firm.
However, as Hawkeye showed us, Kingpin is back and bigger than ever, this time involving Maya (Alaqua Cox) in his schemes. The ending of Hawkeye led Maya into her own show, with a lot of hero potential going forward now that she’s free of the influence of her “Uncle.”
In the final moments of the episode, we see Maya confront Fisk and while the sound of a gun is heard, we did not see the Kingpin die. It seems that we should expect to see Uncle Wilson in Echo’s new series, given the past relationship and current bad blood between them.
In her spin-off, it would be cool to see Daredevil and Echo team up to continue the takedown of Kingpin and his organization. The already rumored team-up would provide an interesting dynamic too, with Matt who can’t see, and Maya who is deaf. Working together may prove hard at first, but with time the two could become an unstoppable force. It would also help connect his story once again to the larger MCU as the Netflix Defenders are likely eventually folded into the mix.
A new Daredevil project is probably not far away
If Marvel Studios wanted to play the long game, it’s possible that they could make fans wait for another appearance from Matt Murdock/Daredevil until his new show or movie comes out. They already played their hand by showing him in No Way Home, there isn’t necessarily a rush to see him again.
Showing him signals that he will once again appear, however waiting a bit longer for a solo project may give them enough time to formulate more of a plan and direction for these characters. As well, it could serve better to have him appear here or in a team-up style project instead of a different character’s solo project, because overshadowing the main character in any way may be taken wrong. Especially in She-Hulk’s or Echo’s initial runs.
However, if they play it right and have Charlie Cox in these other projects as cameos or minor roles, it should eventually build up to an individual Daredevil project with him once again the star. With the new information from just today (via Murphy’s Multiverse and GWW’s KC Walsh), it seems that this is indeed the case, with a new solo project said to be filmed sometime later this year or the next.
In any case, we at The Cosmic Circus would love to see Charlie, Matt, and Daredevil front and center once again in his own series or film. What do you think the future holds for Matt Murdock? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
