The continued expansion of Marvel Studios and their continuity-connected Cinematic Universe has already dominated the box-office and given us two television shows on ABC. However, it will soon make its debut to the streaming medium with the upcoming Daredevil series on Netflix. While the show’s connection to Marvel’s movies are a certified fact, there were still doubts that a potential movie crossover would ever occur. However, in a recent interview, Daredevil star, Charlie Cox seemed cautiously optimistic, leaving the door open for a potential crossover appearance in next year’s jam-packed Captain America: Civil War.
In an interview appearing in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, the cast and creative minds behind Daredevil discuss the place that Marvel Comics’ blind beater of baddies will have in the scope of the larger continuity. When asked about a possible appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Charlie Cox - who plays the radar-sensitive "Man Without Fear" on the show- implied that he was open to the possibility, but that it might not necessarily make sense given what’s going on in the Netflix series. Cox told the magazine,
In this show, Daredevil feels special, like a big thing, not an everyday occurrence. It's not like he's one of that lot.
Cox also notes that there will be plenty of acknowledgment that the show will indeed exist in the MCU by way of various "casual Easer egg references," but it will be interesting to see how Daredevil’s connection to the rest of the fictional world could expand in the coming years. Captain America: Civil War certainly seems like it would be an appropriate place for the character to make his big screen debut. After all, he is an incognito costumed crime-fighter who would seemingly find himself in the crosshairs of the Superhuman Registration Act that will be central to the storyline of the 2016 blockbuster. Given Charlie Cox’s comments, however, his big screen debut as Daredevil may still be a few years away.
At the very least, the idea of Daredevil making an appearance in Captain America: Civil War is certainly strengthened by what we’ve heard about the film to this point – which is to say that it is basically looking like a differently-branded Avengers movie with an equally star-studded cast. The film will not only have both Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man going toe to toe, but it’s also been confirmed that the movie will feature Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, Anthony Mackie’s Falcon, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, and potentially Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. Oh, and let’s not forget that the movie is also going to be the debut of the MCU’s version of SPIDER-MAN. Thus, it isn’t hard to imagine that Daredevil, Spidey’s fellow New Yorker, might show up for at least an acknowledgement, despite his more fringe location in the larger continuity.
While we may not necessarily get to see Daredevil in Captain America: Civil War, fans at the very least can take solace in the fact that the upcoming show is very much tied to some of the larger events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – specifically the fact that the Chitauri invasion seen in The Avengers laid waste to the most of New York City, including Daredevil’s home in Hell’s Kitchen. As Marvel Television’s Emma Fleisher explained,
We are still part of the Marvel Universe, but we are not explicitly in that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. world. We're in our own corner. So the aliens came down and ruined the ciy, and this is the story of Hell's Kitchen's rebuild.
While it seems pretty clear that the Daredevil show will generally steer clear of all the insanity involved with The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, it will nevertheless carve out new territory in the MCU and will cement the titular character’s status as a costumed hero with an important role to play in the Marvel world. Given the fact that even the smallest cameos would do wonders to promote the show, it would seem an easy choice to try and squeeze Daredevil into Civil War in some manner.
Will Daredevil show up in next year’s Captain America: Civil War? The star seems to want that, but perhaps it depends on how well the new show is received when its first season premieres on Netflix on April 10th. We’ll just have to wait and see.
