Marvel returned to San Diego Comic-Con and brought Daredevil along with them, revealing when and how Charlie Cox will make his grand return. Cox first made his debut as Matt Murdock in Netflix’s original Marvel show, joining ranks with the likes of Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. His future had been uncertain, though, as Marvel Studios consolidated all of its television properties to its Disney+ streaming service, canceling the Netflix shows in favor of streamlining the franchise.
With Daredevil as beloved as it is, fans were clamoring for the MCU to retain Cox and the general tone of the Netflix show if, and when, he was brought back into the fold. Their plans began to reveal themselves in late 2021 as Vincent D’Onofrio returned as Kingpin in Hawkeye and was later announced to be starring in Echo, a spinoff focusing on the titular hero. Similarly, Cox appeared in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home and it was soon reported that he too would be appearing in Echo. Then, reports soon surfaced that Marvel was officially working on a Daredevil show and now those reports have been confirmed.
At SDCC, Marvel announced during their Hall H panel that Daredevil: Born Again, an 18 episode reboot TV show, will be coming to Disney+. The studio plans to debut the show as part of its Phase 5 slate.
No other details were revealed about the show and that’s likely because they’re still being hammered out. With Cox likely to appear in Echo, it seems that Matt Murdock’s story will be told over the course of various series, culminating in the 18-episode show. That episode count is eye-opening in and of itself. So far, the longest Marvel series has been WandaVision with a total of 9 half-hour episodes. It’s unclear what the runtime of Born Again‘s episodes will be, but considering that the Marvel Daredevil show had hour-long episodes, it’s presumed that the Disney+ version will do the same. That means Daredevil will likely be one of the most robust Disney+ Marvel shows ever produced.
Of course, this episode count brings into question the longevity of Daredevil’s career in the MCU. With three seasons already under his belt, 18 episodes seem like more than enough time to finish the hero’s story. Marvel would get the best of both worlds by doing so – they get to expand a darker, more mature side of the MCU (which arguably began with Moon Knight and will continue with movies like Blade and the rumored Halloween special Werewolf By Night), and they also bring back a fan-favorite character, earning the goodwill of audiences without committing to a years-long arc for the character. Regardless, the Daredevil: Born Again news is exciting and the chance to finish out Matt Murdock’s arc properly is a positive outcome for all.