Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home are ahead!
Even by superhero movie standards, Spider-Man: No Way Home was the subject of a lot of rumors from the time it was officially announced to its release in theaters. Among the most frequent claims was that Charlie Cox would reprise Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the third Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie, having previously played the character in Netflix’s Daredevil and The Defenders. Sure enough, Cox’s Matt Murdock did indeed pop up in No Way Home, albeit in cameo form.
In addition to having his secret identity leaked to the public, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker was also framed for the Elemental attack on London and Mysterio’s death. Luckily, Peter and Aunt May enlisted Matt Murdock’s legal services, and he was able to get the charges against Peter dropped, though he warned that things would only worse going forward. And although we didn’t see Cox suit back up as Daredevil in No Way Home, he did show off his superhuman senses when he caught a brick that was thrown into the Parker household.
While Matt Murdock’s role in Spider-Man: No Way Home was minor at best, his appearance was definitely a big deal when looking at the entire scope of the MCU franchise. Let’s go over why it’s proper to be excited about Daredevil’s on-screen future.
Moviegoing Audiences Know Daredevil Is In The MCU
To be fair, it’s not like Netflix’s Daredevil was a niche show. It received plenty of attention during its three-season run and is arguably the most critically successful offering from the streaming service’s brief time delivering Marvel content. That said, not everyone who goes to see a Marvel movie is necessarily in the loop on what Marvel TV shows are airing, let alone watching them. Some people who sit down for Spider-Man: No Way Home might only be familiar with Daredevil from the Ben Affleck-led movie, which is almost 20 years old.
Well, now anyone who follows along with just the film side of the MCU knows that Matt Murdock is out there, and for the folks who weren’t aware of the character whatsoever beforehand, it’s a good bet that some of them will look him up after seeing the movie. While it would have been nice to see Cox back in the Daredevil costume, that wasn’t necessary to the story Spider-Man: No Way Home was telling. This cameo did its job of placing Matt in the official MCU canon, as it hasn’t been clarified whether the events of Daredevil or any of the other Marvel Netflix series technically count in the mythology Marvel Studios has put together (those shows were made by the now-defunct Marvel Television, a separate division).
This Almost Certainly Won’t Be The Last We See Of Daredevil In This Franchise
As things stand now, it hasn’t been officially announced if/when we’ll see Matt Murdock in the MCU again. That being said, it’s hard to imagine that Spider-Man: No Way Home was a one-and-done appearance. While he may not be at the same level of popularity as the Web-Slinger, Daredevil is nonetheless one of the more well-known Marvel superhero movies out there, so why just have him only show up in the gigantic franchise the one time? Ahead of No Way Home’s release, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that Cox would be the actor playing Daredevil should the character appear in upcoming things; plural. It’s s safe bet to assume he’ll be back.
Now to be perfectly clear, I’m not saying that Charlie Cox will necessarily lead a new Daredevil series, whether it’s a continuation of the Netflix show or a reboot. The actor has other projects in the works, including a six-part Netflix drama called Treason, per Deadline. So his schedule may not be free enough for him to be the lead of a multi-season Marvel show again. That being said, with the latest Hawkeye episode having confirmed that Vincent D’Onofrio is back as Wilson Fisk, and with an Echo spinoff series on the way, maybe we could see Cox’s Matt Murdock help Maya Lopez take down Kingpin in that project. But that’s hardly the only way Daredevil could resurface in the MCU…
The Seed For A Spider-Man/Daredevil Team-Up Has Been Planted
Like most superheroes in Marvel Comics lore, Daredevil is game for a team-up every now and then, and among the superheroes he’s fought crime alongside the most is Spider-Man. In fact, other than the Fantastic Four, it could be argued that Daredevil is the superhero Spider-Man has the closest relationship with outside his Spider-centric circle of allies. So naturally many Marvel fans have wanted to see Spider-Man and Daredevil team up in live-action, and now the seed has been planted for that to possibly happen.
Like the rest of the world, Matt Murdock no longer remembers who Peter Parker is thanks to the spell Doctor Strange cast, but he’s definitely still aware about Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Peter now has his own apartment somewhere in New York City and will continue to keep the innocent safe in his costumed identity, albeit with more limited resources. With Daredevil likely keeping Hell’s Kitchen and the surrounding areas safe, there’s a strong chance these two could run into each other and join forces to defeat something threatening all of the Big Apple. If Cox’s Daredevil fighting Kingpin in the Echo series (be it as a rematch or their first encounter within the official MCU mythology) isn’t in the cards, just imagine how cool it would be for him to team up Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to bring the hulking crime boss, who started out as a member of the Web-Slinger’s rogues gallery.
We may have only spent a few minutes with Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but that cameo nonetheless set the stage for some potentially big things for the future. Naturally we’ll let you know as soon as any official details about what the MCU has in store for Daredevil next. For now, read through CinemaBlend’s review of No Way Home and keep checking back with us for news about upcoming Marvel movies.
