The biggest rumors circulating online over Spider-Man: No Way Home has been the potential appearances of Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective Spider-Men. But another major rumor has been the return of Charlie Cox as Daredevil. The hype has been reaching a boiling point as the December 17th release date nears, but more alleged reports have been generating excitement about the Man Without Fear’s solo future.
It seems possible that Marvel Studios are looking to give the superhero a solo project again, presumably on Disney+. Should all the other reports and speculations prove true, it could aim for a soft-reboot of the Netflix universe. This would be good news for fans of the character and his original show, as it implies that Marvel Studios won’t throw out everything the creative team did with him on the rival streamer.
In Terms Of Tone, Moon Knight Could Be Testing The Waters
Of the confirmed Marvel productions lined up, the Disney+ Moon Knight series is among the most exciting Phase 4 MCU projects on the horizon. On top of having Oscar Isaac playing the titular Moon Knight/Marc Spector, the brief teaser footage shown thrilled fans by suggesting it’ll venture into darker, more grounded territory the typical movie formula tends to avoid.
It’s the right move, as he’s one of Marvel’s superheroes who can be darker than their villains. It’s something that could extend its benefits to Daredevil, as Redditor Paperchampion23 expresses relief saying “It leaves me with ALOT of hope for Daredevil and maybe Punisher (if they can reinvent him a bit). The grittiness is here for Moon Knight.” The show will hopefully be a great story for the Fist of Khonshu first and foremost, but the show could also work as a litmus test for what Daredevil can get away with on Disney+.
Adopt The Tone Of Mark Waid & Charles Soule’s Comics
When Stan Lee and Bill Everett created Daredevil, the superhero was originally on the lighter side of the comics. His exploits were brighter and adventurous, with a swashbuckling tone. However, Frank Miller later came along and reinvented the character with darker, crime-noir stories that came to define the Man Without Fear.
Tone and graphic content are things that will need to be balanced for a Disney+ soft-reboot, but other modern comics could be used as reference material to achieve that. Redditor Eternal_MrNobody points out that if fans look at Netflix’s iteration as the Miller-like gritty version, then “Disney could easily go Mark Waid or Charles Soule with it. Not quite as dark in tone but still true to Daredevil.” Mark Waid’s run, in particular, is known as one of Daredevil’s best comics for how it brilliantly captured some of the character’s original adventurous nature while acknowledging his darker, more grounded themes.
A Movie Instead Of A Show
The consensus among fans is that Daredevil works best in a TV show format. It’s hard to argue with that sentiment since the Netflix series expertly executed a serialized set of crime-noir stories that allowed time for character dynamics to develop. However, the supposed casting sheet leak for the project doesn’t specify whether it’s a TV or movie project.
In the debate over whether this soft-reboot should adopt either/or format, Redditor tunkor offers a counterpoint that “the Daredevil show already exists” and that the IP “already has this great foundation, so a movie would technically make sense too.” Depending on how this potential Daredevil project positions itself story-wise, a movie could arguably work as long as the story is written to fit within a cinematic runtime.
Hawkeye, Spider-Man, She-Hulk & Echo Leading Into A Daredevil Show
While his rumored small role in Spider-Man: No Way Home is the highest-profile one making the rounds, Daredevil could be getting gradually built back up in a few other projects, too. Disney+ is set to premiere Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series later this month, where Echo will make her debut and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is rumored to return. Meanwhile, Daredevil is also rumored to appear more prominently in She-Hulk next year.
Redditor Ironstark12 believes that “Hawkeye, Spider-Man, and Echo build up his character and then his own show just makes sense.” The latter of which is particularly important, as Echo made her debut as a supporting character in Daredevil’s comics. Netflix used a variety of Daredevil comics as an influence, and the way things seem to be mapped out, a loose adaptation of Parts of a Hole from Echo’s perspective could be in the cards for her series. Narratively, it would be an excellent way to springboard into the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen getting a solo show again in ~2023-2024.
An Official Reveal Sometime After No Way Home
Disney+ plus day was admittedly lackluster compared to what some fans saw it was built up to be. Some also think it’s possible that a lack of a Daredevil announcement on a day dedicated to the streaming platform suggests that this project could be a movie. Though, it was quickly pointed out that an announcement before his surprise cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home was always unlikely.
Redditor just4browse thinks that if this project is a show, “It’ll be like a Book of Boba Fett situation, where it wasn’t announced at the big event right before its announcement, because they wanted it to be a surprise.” This is a solid theory since Disney and Marvel aren’t going to count on the general audience to be the constantly clued-in part of the fanbase when it comes to leaks and rumors.
The Return Of Bullseye
Even though Netflix’s Daredevil series was prematurely canceled, it can be argued that it ended well in tying loose ends. The dark evolution of Matt Murdock’s Daredevil managed to save himself from the point-of-no-return. Once Kingpin saw he was emphatically beaten, he failed his last-ditch effort to tear down who Daredevil is and what he stands for. But one loose end that remained untied was Bullseye’s fate. Kingpin broke his back and fans last see him being operated on — presumably with Adamantium.
Redditor Danishroyalty notes that “Even if they are trying to make it a soft reboot, Bullseye can show up with little need for explanation.” Though D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk was a supervillain for the ages, Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye was compelling and terrifying in his own right. Bringing him back for a soft reboot would be a great choice, especially given that Bullseye is one of the superhero’s arch enemies. The villain is also responsible for several of Daredevil’s darkest comic book arcs.
