It was recently revealed that Marvel Television's Netflix shows may be canon to the MCU after all. Daredevil has already appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, while The Kingpin has been seen in Hawkeye and will next make his presence felt in Echo (alongside the Man Without Fear).
It's been apparent for a while now that Kevin Feige is looking to make use of at least some Defenders, and while those we've already seen have been played by the same actors, that's unlikely to be the case for everyone. Marvel Studios being beholden to continuity they had nothing to do with makes little sense, and Vanessa Fisk's recasting has already proven this to be the case.
Daredevil: Born Again is on the horizon and we expect to see plenty of familiar faces there. Beyond that, something tells us a hero like Iron Fist, for example, will also eventually return...albeit with a new face!
With that in mind, now seems like a good time to dive into the heroes and villains who should be a top priority for the MCU, along with a few whom we have very little interest in seeing grace the big or small screen.
We're starting with the characters we want to see more of before moving on to those we don't. To take a look through this feature, all you need to do is click the "Next" button below.
7. Elektra
Elodie Yung exceeded expectations as Elektra, even amid poor storytelling and inconsistent writing. The actress gave the assassin the mysterious, exotic vibe that the version played by Jennifer Garner was sorely lacking, and it finally felt like we had a truly badass take on this anti-hero...until she was killed off in one of the most underwhelming nods to the comic books we can remember.
Later returning as part of The Hand, the door was left open to us seeing more Elektra down the line, though we'd prefer if the MCU forgot pretty much everything that's happened in the past.
The concept of this character being tied to that clandestine group of ninjas is played out in the comic books and something this series covered (in far too much depth). Moving forward, why not follow recent comics by having Elektra suit up as a female Daredevil? That's certainly one option, and with the right story, we know this character could hold her own in a spin-off.
6. Ben Urich
While Ben Urich's death may have shocked audiences in this series, it was also a tremendous waste of a character who has been a huge part of the Daredevil mythos over the years.
By killing this intrepid reporter, Marvel Television robbed us of the chance to see his unique dynamic with the Man Without Fear explored in detail; don't forget, it was Ben who figured out that Matt Murdock was secretly Daredevil, choosing not to publish that story in fear of outing one of the only heroes in New York City fighting to save Hell's Kitchen. So, how do you bring him back from the dead?
Well, it's simple. This moment in the Netflix series just needs to be ignored; when 'ol Hornhead returns in the MCU, just have Ben there already part of his world. As he's now 73, we probably wouldn't bring Vondie Curtis-Hall back. However, it would be good to see a Black actor cast in the role again and we'd take a recast over those rumours Ben's daughter will take his place on Earth-616.
5. Foggy Nelson
You can't have Daredevil without Foggy Nelson. Elden Henson did a great job playing Matt Murdock's best friend, particularly when it came to portraying the hurt he felt upon learning that his buddy moonlights as a masked vigilante. Unfortunately, things did go downhill from there, with Foggy becoming less supportive and more of a whiner before ultimately parting ways with Matt to work for a huge law firm.
That was majorly out of character, and while we appreciated seeing Foggy receive his own agency, he's someone who should be by Matt's side as a friend, fellow lawyer, and source of inspiration (which he mostly was at the end of season 3).
By now, we're sure you're aware of rumours that Foggy is killed at the start of Daredevil: Born Again, prompting Matt to give up his mission. The response to that news has been overwhelmingly negative, so we can only hope Marvel Studios intends to right the ship and keep him around. If so, let's explore the fun side of this dynamic in the same vein as the Waid/Chris Samnee run of Daredevil.
4. Bullseye
Bullseye is one of Daredevil's greatest enemies, and that third season did a solid enough job of exploring Benjamin Poindexter's origin story. We'd argue it was too long-winded, but at least by the time the show ended, the stage had been set for this former FBI agent to suit up as Bullseye.
It's hard to say how the character should be handled in the MCU. On the one hand, we'd very much like to see Wilson Bethel show up as a fully formed Bullseye (costume and all) who is taking aim at Daredevil at The Kingpin's behest. An argument could be made for a recast, but a third actor playing this character on screen would undo much of Bethel's impressive work.
With 18 episodes to play with, it would be beyond baffling for Bullseye - Daredevil's greatest foe outside of Wilson Fisk - to be left on the shelf. This clash needs to happen on screen, even if it's only in a single episode.
So, about the characters and actors we DON'T want to see...
3. Karen Page
Perhaps the most poorly written character in Daredevil across its three-season run, Karen Page is not someone we're anxious to spend more time with in the MCU, unfortunately. That's not to say Deborah Ann Woll's work was in any way bad; the problem was that the show's writers constantly forced Karen into any and every situation just to give her something to do.
Somehow, she went from attempted murder victim to legal secretary to murderer to New York's best reporter, and while we could have bought into all of this with stronger storytelling, this show just dropped the ball. It was because of that Karen became something of a drag to spend time with, and as we move into a fresh era for the Man Without Fear, a new love interest feels like a much better idea.
Kirsten McDuffie, Milla Donovan, and Typhoid Mary are among the possibilities (Kirsten is rumoured to be Matt's new love interest in the MCU), but throwing Karen into this world too soon would be a mistake. It's a shame, because she's a great female character, but if she dies in place of Foggy...we could live with it!
2. Melvin Potter
One of the most infuriating things about Daredevil, and Marvel Television in general, was its outdated approach to handling costumed characters. Whereas the MCU was embracing superheroes, these shows seemed to be stuck in that early 2000s mindset, with just the odd nod to a costume or familiar characters given obscure Easter Eggs or nicknames to reference their comic book roots.
That, unfortunately, was the case with one Melvin Potter. Becoming a recurring presence in this series, he created the Man Without Fear's suit (minus the "DD," of course...) and dropped several references to one day becoming Gladiator. It just never ended up becoming a reality.
With Marvel Studios now in charge, you'd think now would be the right time to make that happen. Nope. Matt Gerald is a good actor who did the best with what he was given, but Gladiator has always been one of Daredevil's lamer villains, and these repeated cameos have made us about as interested in seeing more of him as we are Turk. Give us Stilt-Man, Mister Fear, or even a rebooted Owl...
1. Claire Temple
We love Rosario Dawson, but there's got to be a less thankless role for her in the MCU than Claire Temple. Used by Marvel Television to connect these characters, her involvement in the lives of each of the heroes soon became impossible to fully buy into, and failing to embrace what it meant to be Night Nurse in this world meant that a lot of potentially great stories fell by the wayside.
Now, there's no need for Claire to return, though we would love to see Marvel Studios give Dawson a lead role in an upcoming TV show or movie. The possibilities are endless for her in that respect (especially with reboots of the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises on the way), and we're sure that would be a more rewarding gig for the Ahsoka star in the MCU than this character proved to be.
Had Claire been established as a stronger presence in the Man Without Fear's world, we'd have had a different attitude. As things stand, let's find something that gives Dawson her due...