MCU’s Daredevil Must Avoid Marvel’s Spider-Man Identity Mistake

Charlie Cox’s Daredevil has finally appeared in an MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, but the franchise should avoid repeating with Matt the same secret identity mistake made with Spider-Man. Two characters who share a lot of similarities in regards to being protectors of everyday New York citizens, Spider-Man and Daredevil have finally shared the screen. While it was only in a brief scene in No Way Home with their regular identities, the MCU brought together the friendly neighborhood and the Devil of Hells’s Kitchen.

After three seasons of Daredevil and lots of speculation, Charlie Cox starred in an MCU film for the first time. While the jury is still out as to whether Daredevil and the rest of the Marvel Netflix series are canon to the MCU, both Cox’s version of Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio Wilson Fisk can now interact with the rest of the MCU sandbox. With Kingpin’s status still a mystery after Hawkeye and Matt forgetting that he even met Spider-Man, however, it’s still difficult to predict where those characters will go next. That said, there are some things the MCU must be aware of as it continues to adapt Daredevil and his universe of characters to the screen.

Up until the end of No Way Home, Spider-Man’s secret identity had almost no meaning in the MCU. Peter’s friend and girlfriend knew about it, so did Aunt May, and Spider-Man was okay with revealing himself to every single superhero he was introduced to – all of which goes against what Spider-Man’s secret identity really means for the character. Wearing a mask is far from being a gimmick for Peter, it’s a way to ensure that those around him don’t get hurt. Part of the responsibility mantra includes the necessity of living a secret, lonely life, which is something the MCU Spider-Man films only started to tackle with No Way Home. The MCU must be careful not to repeat this mistake with Daredevil, who’s one of the few A-list Marvel heroes whose secret identity means a lot. In the Daredevil show, Matt has seen firsthand the dangers that people finding out about his secret brings to his loved ones like Karen and Foggy. Considering both the comics and Charlie Cox’s portrayal of Daredevil, it would extremely out of character for him to start removing his mask all the time in front of other MCU superheroes like Spider-Man did.

Why Matt Murdock Needs To Keep His Daredevil Identity A Secret In The MCU

Even when Daredevil had to work with other heroes in the crossover series The Defenders, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen tried to cover his face for as long as he could. Although the Defenders eventually learned learning Matt’s identity, he was still keen on using his suit and mask – which often led to sneaky comments by Jessica Jones. Now part of a larger Marvel universe, Daredevil will most likely have to work with other heroes even if he doesn’t officially join the Avengers. By keeping Matt’s secret identity intact, the MCU would ensure the very thing that sets Daredevil apart from the other heroes in that universe doesn’t get lost in the process.

Spider-Man and Daredevil are very similar characters, which makes it even more important for the MCU to treat the latter’s secret identity element better than they treated the former’s. Thanks to decades of comics and three seasons of Daredevil, the importance Matt Murdock gives to his secret can’t be overlooked. In a post-Endgame world where the remaining Avengers are cherished as champions of Earth, being a masked superhero might be a challenge, but one to which Daredevil is ready.