MOVIE NEWS – Charlie Cox has confirmed that he will soon return as Daredevil in the MCU – but what could Marvel’s Daredevil move to Disney+ mean for the hero?

Following his (largely) crowd-pleasing cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Daredevil star Charlie Cox has teased further adventures for Marvel’s vigilante, revealing that he knows something is coming soon. Speaking to the Radio Times, Cox claimed that he doesn’t know much about what’s next for Matt Murdock but assured fans that there are definitely future appearances on the horizon.

“I know something. I don’t know much, but I know there will be something else.”

Although he claims not to know much about Daredevil’s future plans, Charlie Cox wouldn’t be the first actor to be ridiculously coy when it comes to the Marvel Universe. Of course, we have no idea if the actor is keeping things under wraps or if the studio is really keeping him in the dark, but for now, it’s satisfying to know that Charlie Cox’s iteration of the superhero is returning.

Daredevil on Disney+?

So it looks like Daredevil and co are heading to Disney+ to start a new chapter. Let’s see what this move could mean!

Daredevil offers something unique to the MCU, something that no other film or series in the universe can match. It continues to be one of Disney’s most successful and enduring stories, which saw a massive surge in viewership after the surprise appearance of the beloved Charlie Cox as Peter Parker’s defence attorney in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Fans couldn’t have been more excited for more episodes of Daredevil after the devastating cancellation of the series, but what’s unique about Daredevil is that it’s cool almost despite being Marvel. Thanks to being made on Netflix under the now-defunct Marvel TV label, Daredevil’s Netflix home gave it the freedom and space it needed to be raw and gritty and grim and deeply philosophical and scrappy and, well, human. It was brilliant that the still-evolving Marvel decided at the time to make more adult, edgier content under the Netflix banner.

Daredevil is basically about three people – Matt Murdoch and his friends Foggy Nelson and Karen Page. They make mistakes and struggle to cope with their often debilitating personal problems, their temptations and sins, as well as the social and political circumstances in which they live.

It’s not pretentious, it’s not glamorous, it’s not always heroic. It’s reality. And it is scary.

The grimness of Daredevil has given it an intimacy and humanity that fans are very much hoping it retains despite its new home on Disney+ and its uncertain creative future.

Daredevil gave viewers something they could see in the characters and the story as powerfully as they could see in themselves every day: the relentless need to better themselves wherever they are, whatever they are.

What will Disney do with Daredevil now?

Disney has various options for the character going forward. Cox himself has stated that something different will be brought to the fans’ screens with Daredevil, which could be interpreted as simply more Daredevil or a completely new take on the character. Or both! Cox has also said that he would like to team up with other Marvel heroes and characters from the movies, similar to what he did briefly with Peter Parker.

Furthermore, there is no word yet on whether Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, who play Matt’s friends Foggy and Karen respectively, will return to their endearing and influential roles in future Daredevil projects.

Vincent D’Onofrio is likely to return after appearing in Marvel’s Hawkeye as the critically acclaimed Kingpin, Murdoch’s main antagonist.

Such a meeting of complex heroism and complex evil, of chaotic good and legitimate evil, is enough to send shivers down any fan’s spine.

In the iconic Season 3 finale, Daredevil declared that Kingpin, despite how much Murdoch wanted to break his moral code and kill Fisk, could not destroy Daredevil’s identity as a merciful prosecutor. This ended a long agonising debate in Murdoch’s psyche that perhaps some people simply cannot be redeemed. It put a solid and vital philosophical point on the board for viewers that in our own lives, though we may face incredible hardships, they cannot define us. Tragedy and evil will not dismantle who we are and what we stand for if we choose to resist.

Disney could continue the story by turning Daredevil into a new film franchise and simply finding a way to avoid accounting for the PG-13 rating that binds so many Marvel films together. Under a PG13 rating, it’s doubtful that Daredevil would deal with the same NYC blood, faith and justice that the original series so gloriously proclaims. On Disney+, in the spirit of the highly anticipated Moon Knight, the film could be extended, which was previously rated TV14. Based on the trailer, it will feature slightly more adult content than series like Loki or Hawkeye. It’s just that the latter is unlikely to be the Disney way forward based on Cox’s recent, more cinema-centric comments.

Why are fans worried about the future of Daredevil?

Was it exhilarating to scream along with other dedicated Daredevil fans in the cinema last December? It sure was. Would it be even more awesome if Daredevil was chatting with Thor or Vanda and fighting some advanced aliens in space? Maybe, but it would be far less formative, evocative and profound than seeing an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances. Murdoch is pounding the pavement in New York, doing his best to build friendships and relationships while sacrificing everything to help his neighbour when no one else will.

The rest of Daredevil and The Defenders will soon leave Netflix and are expected to be available on Disney+ instead.

Source: Radio Times, Screen Rant, Empire Online