When Daredevil debuted on Netflix it was a very different look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show was dark and violent, and…amazing. It was so popular with fans that even after the show was canceled, they held out hope that not only would the characters join the official MCU, but the same actors would return as well. Still, many were shocked it was revealed that exactly that would happen, as the series Daredevil: Born Again joined the list of upcoming Marvel shows. However, none were perhaps as surprised as Matt Murdock himself, Charlie Cox, who says he got the call about reprising his role four years ago.
Over the weekend, I was at D23 in Anaheim when we were given our first look at Daredevil: Born Again. The show brings back the main Daredevil cast from the original series, many of whom were in attendance at the show. During the weekend Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio spoke with People, and the stars revealed just when the conversation about bringing them back happened. Cox explained…
We have a joke. I think that we stopped shooting the original show at the end of 2016, beginning of 2018 and found out it was canceled somewhere in that period. And then it wasn't until midway through 2020 that we got a phone call from [President of Marvel Studios] Kevin [Feige] saying that they were interested in bringing the characters back.
Daredevil ran from 2015 to 2018, and it was canceled by Netflix after three seasons. At that point, a two-year clock started ticking, becuase the character rights would revert back to Marvel. It sounds like there was never any question of anybody other than Charlie Cox and company playing these roles, as it appears Kevin Feige made the call to Cox pretty much as soon as he was able to do so.
Of course, in the years between the stars didn’t know what might happen. Vincent D’Onofrio has talked about the fact that he was always fairly confident that Marvel would call them one day, but Cox was never so sure. D'Onofrio also said the Matt Murdock performer eventually saw his optimism as “pathetic.” However, in the end, the once and future Kingpin would turn out to be right. As they put it…
D’Onofrio: It became really pathetic in Charlie's eyes.
Cox: He was right. I didn't see it. For me, it was shocking. Shocking. It was a great show.
While the trailer shown at D23 didn’t reveal many details about the story of Daredevil: Born Again, for all intents and purposes, it looks like Season 4 of the Netflix series. All the characters are back, including Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. So, it appears to be exactly the show the fans want and the cast wanted to make. We’ll find out for sure if that's true when the show premieres for those with a Disney+ subscription in March 2025.
