Charlie Cox is rumored to reprise his role from Netflix's cancelled Daredevil series in the MCU's third Spider-Man film.
According to a new rumor, Charlie Cox will return as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel. While many had regarded his possible return as wishful thinking, Murphy's Multiverse is reporting that Cox's deal has been set in stone for several months. #SaveDaredevil began trending on Twitter at the end of November on the two-year anniversary of Daredevil's cancellation, at which point Disney and Marvel were free to use the character however they wish. It appears that their prayers have been answered, although no other Netflix characters are expected to return at this point in time.
Fans have been hoping for Cox and other Netflix stars to make the jump to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Daredevil's abrupt cancellation on November 28th, 2018. Netflix cancelled every Marvel series in rapid succession in fall 2018, despite each individual Defenders series receiving new seasons that year. This cut off several series' ongoing storylines, with Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist ending on cliffhangers that were setting up very interesting subsequent seasons. The Luke Cage writers confirmed that it wasn't a planned cancellation, as they had been working on Season 3 scripts before the show was cancelled out of nowhere amid arguments between Netflix and Disney about the number of episodes per season. The only Netflix series to end with any semblance of closure was Jessica Jones, as Season 3 aired in summer 2019 and the showrunner was already planning to depart the series, so a more concrete ending was planned.
Matt Murdock will likely be Peter Parker's lawyer in the film, helping to clear his name after Myserio framed him for murder in the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Scoopers such as @TheComixKid on Twitter (who first reported Alfred Molina's return) have also clarified today that the returning characters from other Spider-Man franchises like Doc Ock, Electro, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, and both previous Peter Parkers will likely be cameos in the big third-act set piece rather than major supporting characters. However, Daredevil is expected to have screen time roughly equal to Spider-Man's, making him an integral character in the sequel.
The news about Spider-Man 3 over the last two days has been overwhelming and incredibly exciting. I can't wait to see Charlie Cox back as Matt Murdock, since I absolutely loved Daredevil (especially Season 3) and the character wouldn't be the same without Cox. I'm glad to hear that the other returning characters will have smaller roles, and that does decrease some of my worry about the third film being overstuffed. However, I'm still holding out hope that other Netflix characters will return, played by the same actors. I definitely want Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin back as well as Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones. Matt Murdock's return is also a good sign for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters, who many (including myself) want to see join the MCU's S.W.O.R.D. I need Chloe Bennet's Quake to join the Avengers!
I think it would be quite easy to integrate some of these characters while keeping their series canon, as you wouldn't have to mention past events, especially in regards to Jessica Jones. That series ended in a place perfectly suited to bringing Jones into the wider MCU while not referencing her past. Her most important supporting characters, her sister Trish Walker and cutthroat lawyer Jeryn Hogarth, were imprisoned and on death's door, respectively. She left her P.I. business to her friend Malcolm and was about to flee the country before a reminder of Kilgrave made her resolve to stay in New York City. If Jones didn't die in the Blip, her life would look completely different to how it was in her series, and she can make the jump to movies without acknowledging her tumultuous past. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also ended in a separate timeline from the main MCU, and the characters could simply travel through the Quantum Realm to come back, just like they did in the series finale of the show.
What do you think about Daredevil's return? What Marvel Netflix characters do you want to see join the wider MCU? Comment below!
The untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel releases on December 17th, 2021.