Charlie Cox first played the Man Without Fear in 2015 when he took centre stage in Netflix's Daredevil TV series. It seemed his time as the character ended a few years later when Disney+'s launch resulted in the rival streamer cancelling those Marvel Television shows, though he's since been asked to suit up again for Marvel Studios.
Following cameo roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo, Cox will return as Matt Murdock for at least two seasons of Daredevil: Born Again (we're also hearing Daredevil will be part of Avengers: Doomsday).
Had Cox not been enlisted to remain part of the MCU, then he may well have made the leap to DC Studios and James Gunn's DCU. Talking at a Daredevil: Born Again panel at the recent FAN EXPO San Francisco 2024 event, the actor said he'd be down to play The Joker.
"I wouldn't want to take it on based on the actors you have in the past because they're so brilliant, but I was thinking like, the Joker would be a lot of fun," Cox revealed. "If you could find a way to do something. You know, I mean, Heath Ledger for me nailed that part obviously. If you could find a new take on it in some way that would be cool."
It's hard to imagine Cox as the Clown Prince of Crime, particularly when he's now become so synonymous with Daredevil. However, the prospect of him playing the unhinged Batman villain has a certain appeal and it would be interesting to see what he could do with the role.
The Joker is a dream gig for many actors and Eternals star Barry Keoghan is the most recent actor to be cast as the villain by Matt Reeves in 2022's The Batman.
There's nothing to say Cox can't tackle a DC character at the same time as his MCU one, of course, but he'll likely be incredibly busy over the next few years kicking butt as 'ol Hornhead.
You can watch the full panel in the player below.
In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
The series also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is showrunner.
Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.