Heading into Spider-Man: Brand New Day, much has been said about Charlie Cox's Daredevil possibly making an appearance. The actor returned as Matt Murdock in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, and, following a string of cameos on streaming, the Man Without Fear has since taken centre stage in Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again.
Fans want the meeting to happen, and even got a taste of it in the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man TV series. Now, with The Punisher, The Hand, and a prison—Matt is currently behind bars, remember—all factoring into the wall-crawler's latest movie, it's easy to see why speculation has been running rampant.
Unfortunately, while it does seem like something of a missed trick, we can tell you today that, no, Daredevil does not appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He's also not referenced or mentioned in any way, though Sheila Rivera has a blink-and-you'd-miss-it cameo as New York's new Mayor, presenting Spidey with the Key to the City.
As for The Hand, it's revealed that, during the four years since Spider-Man: No Way Home, the web-slinger has single-handedly taken the ninja clan down.
They're without a leader, and the Department of Damage Control's Bill Metzger later reveals that he's hired them as security, putting the group to good use (it's unclear whether he's coerced them into serving the DODC, but it seems they're willing to work for the highest bidder).
The fact that The Hand doesn't have anyone calling the shots could play into Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, especially with Elektra set to factor into the show next year. We're sure the comic book fans among you will recall that, after escaping prison, Matt quickly finds himself leading The Hand. Spider-Man: Brand New Day may have gone some way in laying the foundations for that.
Will we get a Spider-Man/Daredevil team-up in the wall-crawler's next movie? We hope so, especially as Spidey's dynamic with Frank Castle is such a blast to watch, but that's down to Kevin Feige.
In the video below, he and Amy Pascal confirm that Daredevil was discussed and reveal that the rights issues surrounding Kingpin's big-screen appearances aren't as complicated as Vincent D'Onofrio believes.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's a Brand New Day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day is everything fans could want," we wrote in our review of the movie. "Emotional, hilarious, and heartfelt, it’s an action-packed love letter to the comics and one of Spidey’s best big-screen adventures. Spider-Man has never been more amazing."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.
The movie is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. The film is produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Rachel O'Connor. Executive producers include Louis D'Esposito and David Cain.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31.