This story contains minor spoilers for Episodes 8 and 9 of She-Hulk.
It was a very sad day for all of us Daredevil fans when the show was surprisingly canceled by Netflix after Season 3. However, this past year has been extremely exciting for fans of the man without fear because we had the pleasure of seeing him in not one, but two MCU projects. Since he was only in Spider-Man: No Way Home for a few minutes we really didn’t get to see if Matt Murdock had changed from his Netflix days. However, once we got to Episode 8 of She-Hulk we got to see a lighter, funnier version of the lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen. Now the question is, will we get this lighter version or the darker one in one of Marvel’s upcoming shows Daredevil: Born Again?
We found out in the She-Hulk trailer that we’d be seeing Charlie Cox return to his iconic character a bit earlier than expected in the 2022 TV schedule rather than further down the line. However, with She-Hulk being a half-hour comedy I was curious if we’d be getting the serious Matt from the Netflix days or a new lighter one. A writer clarified he’d be lighter, and by Episode 8 we got to see the return of the vigilante, and he was indeed funnier, but not in a way that wasn’t true to the character we know and love. Cox noted the same thing, and he explained to Variety that it was fun to play a funnier version of his character. He said:
It was a really great experiment, both for me and for the character, to see how we fit into that world. It was just a question of freeing up a little bit and allowing myself as an actor to go toe-to-toe with Tatiana [Maslany] and make sure that Daredevil didn’t become the butt of the joke because he’s overly serious, to make sure he had his charisma, charm and wits. Whether that will play into what we do next year with Daredevil: Born Again, I don’t know, but it was certainly a fun experiment.
Earlier in the interview, Cox noted that in the comic books Daredevil does have a sense of humor, but in the original series there wasn’t as much room for laughs. He said that while Matt Murdock’s story is “geared toward a more mature audience” in life there is still room for a bit of humor. Even in the original show, there were lighter moments where we saw his sense of humor shine, however, She-Hulk took the goofiness to a whole new level, and it was so good.
Fans commended and thirsted over Daredevil’s return to the Marvel universe. He was still the lawyer we know and love, except this time he had jokes, and boy was it refreshing. Personally, I really hope they are able to infuse a hint of humor into Daredevil: Born Again.
If you’ve been watching the Marvel movies (and shows) in order you’ll know that the stage is being set for us to see the reunion of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin in the vigilante’s own series. While we’ll have to wait until 2024 for Born Again, we’ll likely see the two together in the upcoming show Echo next year. Plus you can always go back and watch the original Daredevil series and the respective characters’ debuts in the MCU by checking out She-Hulk and Hawkeye with a Disney+ subscription.
