In just a few weeks' time, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe' small screen adventures will be getting a major payoff in the form of The Defenders. The miniseries will unite all four of Netflix's Marvel heroes to battle Sigourney Weaver's mysterious villain and save New York City. After witnessing each hero's solo journey, it will be great to see the heroes finally interacting with each other and teaming up against a common enemy, despite their various character flaws. And for Matt Murdock, it looks like doesn't actually want to don Daredevil's iconic costume for vigilante justice at the start of The Defenders.
This news comes to us from the man himself, actor Charlie Cox. At The Defenders recent roundtable at San Diego Comic-Con, CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg asked Cox about Matt's hankering to leave the mask behind him. Cox revealed:
At the end of Daredevil Season 2, everyone failed. Matt failed, and the consequences were devastating. Six or so months have passed, and he's had to completely reevaluate everything that he believes, everything that he does. And he's decided to hang up the suit, as it were. He's focusing all of his energies on being a pro bono lawyer. And I don't think he has any interest, really, in being Daredevil anymore.
This actually makes a great deal of sense. While Season 2 of Daredevil was a thrilling ride that introduced characters like Elektra and The Punisher, it didn't exactly end on a happy note. The bad guys won, Elektra died, and it seemed that all of Matt's struggles were for nothing. It's hard to blame him for wanting to return to his life of litigation, and not have to constantly deal with new stitches and bruises from his nights of crime fighting.
That being said, he's obviously going to return to his life of superheroics in The Defenders and beyond. But we can probably expect to see him resist the call to return to Daredevil in the first few episodes. Uniting the motley crew of heroes will be no easy feat, and Matt Murdock probably isn't going to make it any easier.
Charlie Cox went into detail about Matt's return to cowl, and how crime fighting and breaking bones is like an addiction to him. He said,
Of course, what we know about Matt is it's like a drug to him, and I think whenever Matt is not doing that, his life becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Because really, Matt Murdock is the lie with DD. He pretends to be blind. He pretends to use a cane. he pretends to find things with his hands. He's living a lie as Matt Murdock. And so one of the things I love about that superhero, DD is the authentic one. I don't know how much it would take in order for him to break, but happily for him -- or unhappily for him -- it's a disaster. And so he finds himself in a whirlwind of trouble with these other guys, and he needs to step up to the plate.
Much like DC's Superman, it's actually the alter ego that is the lie, rather than the superhero identity. Matt Murdock's enhanced senses make him extremely capable, but he must pretend to struggle with normal tasks. It's when he's wearing the signature maroon costume that he can truly be himself.
The Defenders will arrive on Netflix August 18th. In the meantime check out our summer premiere list and plan your next binge watch.
