Marvel Studios brought Daredevil: Born Again to D23, but with cameras on the series not set to roll until next year, there wasn't really anything to show off to fans in attendance.
On the plus side, star Charlie Cox did speak to the press before his Man Without Fear shows up in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. That series has a very comedic tone, of course, so should we expect Daredevil's own series to be similarly wacky? "I don't think that would work," he says in the video below. "Not over the course of our entire season. Not with this character."
"I don't think it's necessarily truthful enough to the source material for it to really work."
Don't expect it to be all doom and gloom, though. "There's plenty of comics, Daredevil comics, there's plenty of runs where there is levity," Cox continued. "There's lightheartedness. There is fun. And I think with 18 episodes, you got time to do a bit of both."
During a separate interview with IGN, the actor was asked if fans can expect Daredevil: Born Again to be based on the comic book story arc of the same name by Frank Miller. "Great question, I don't know," Cox claimed. "I don't think it means we're gonna tell the Frank Miller story of Born Again in the comics. I don't think it means that."
"I think it means that we made the show, it ended, and now we're making another show. It's a perfect title."
This makes sense when season 3 of Daredevil borrowed from that storyline, and as Cox has previously said over the weekend, Daredevil: Born Again is a reboot for the MCU. While the eighteen-episode series' 2024 debut is still a long way off, we hope to have more to share about this one soon.
Click on the "Next" button below to see how we think
Daredevil needs to be changed for his MCU debut!
7. Give Him The Damn Logo (And A New Costume)
By far the most frustrating thing about Marvel Television's shows was the old-fashioned mindset about superhero costumes. That was evident from Inhumans and Iron Fist, and while Daredevil did get to suit up, it was in a generic (and over-explained) get-up that was missing one key component. We are, of course, talking about the "DD" logo that, for whatever reason, was absent from his suit.
In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the Man Without Fear will don a version of his original red and yellow costume. That's far from a bad thing, though it seems the logo still won't be front and centre. We'd definitely like to see the classic red suit return at some point, but plenty of artists have made that original design look badass on the page, and we're sure that will be the case on Disney+ too.
6. A Completely Fresh Start
There was a lot to like about the three seasons of Daredevil that originally streamed on Netflix, but there was also an awful lot wrong with them. Whether it was Karen Page's baffling transformation into an investigative journalist, Foggy Nelson's irritating attitude towards Matt's life as Daredevil, or Elektra's wholly unnecessary demise, Marvel Studios has quite a bit of bad storytelling to sift through.
With that in mind, it's obvious a fresh start is needed. While this new show can certainly reference what's come before or bring back familiar faces, it should in no way be beholden to the continuity established by Marvel Television. Daredevil needs a fresh start in the MCU and, given the nature of the Multiverse, we can simply assume that those first few seasons took place in a different, albeit similar, reality.
5. A Fresh Take On Daredevil's Dynamic With Kingpin
If there's something Daredevil did do well, it was exploring the hero's rivalry with the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk. Hawkeye left the villain in a somewhat uncertain place after Maya Lopez gunned him down, but we're confident he will return based on how a similar interaction played out in the comic books. Another season of Daredevil fighting Fisk sounds exciting, but is it the right call at this stage?
After all, it's been done, and that's why we'd like to see this Disney+ revival establish a new dynamic. Depending on how things play out in Echo, why not make Fisk the new Mayor of New York City? Alternatively, he could be imprisoned and someone Matt has to represent as a lawyer or even just visit for advice, Hannibal Lecter-style. Either way, it's time to put a fresh spin on this familiar relationship.
4. A Superhero And A Lawyer
We did spend some time in court in Daredevil, but as the show progressed, Matt's life as a lawyer became increasingly less important. It no longer felt like a vital part of his identity, and whether it's representing superhumans alongside Jennifer Walters or just assisting the little guy, we want more of that in this show. Even his scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home was a great tease for what to expect.
That's the route we hope to see Marvel Studios head down, anyway, and it goes without saying that the Man Without Fear's superhero adventures should have a big impact on his time in the courtroom (and vice versa). Giving Matt a high profile client to represent through this season would be no bad thing, though it will be important not to make it too similar to She-Hulk and Abomination.
3. A New Supporting Cast
For the love of God, no more Karen Page. Deborah Ann Woll is a terrific actor, but the character became beyond tedious to spend time with by Daredevil's third season, and there's really not much else to be done with her (unless Bullseye kills her early on and we see the hero head down the dark route Kevin Smith placed him on before Brian Michael Bendis took over for his acclaimed run).
The point is, it's time for some fresh faces to enter Matt's life. Kirsten McDuffie is a must, while Ben Urich should, without a doubt, be resurrected. More Foggy would be welcomed, but Stick and The Hand should be sidelined for the foreseeable. This also extends to Daredevil's villains because while we're keen to see Bullseye, why not make use of his entire rogues gallery? (Stilt-Man!)
2. More Mark Waid, Less Frank Miller
Frank Miller's Daredevil run was superb, as was Brian Michael Bendis'. Ed Brubaker also deserves a special mention as he took the Man Without Fear to prison (a potentially very interesting premise for this show), but what if we move on from the grim and gritty era of storytelling featuring this character? It's admittedly what many fans love about him, but there are other great stories out there.
Mark Waid's time writing the character instantly springs to mind; moving Matt to San Francisco, there were some darker elements to it, but it was also an era that brought the swashbuckling fun back to the hero we'd seen from in his earliest adventures. This would be something new for Daredevil on screen and would arguably fit much better into the tone of the wider MCU...while still getting a little dark!
1. A Major Player In The MCU
Daredevil is a street-level superhero, and when The Avengers come knocking, he usually closes the door in their face. That's something we'd be happy to see remain the case, as the Man Without Fear joining the rest of Earth's Mightiest Heroes to face a Thanos-level threat...well, something about it just doesn't sit right. However, that doesn't mean he can't be important to the wider MCU.
Whether it's taking on threats that do more than put Hell's Kitchen at risk or just teaming up with his fellow superheroes, Matt needs to become a pivotal part of this shared world. He's no longer sidelined on Netflix, and the obvious suggestion here is that he team up with the likes of Blade and Moon Knight in a Midnight Sons project down the line. Either way, we hope to see a lot more of him...