The MCU’s Daredevil Return Must Avoid Hawkeye’s Kingpin Mistake

Daredevil is coming back thanks to Disney+, but Marvel Studios must preserve what made the Netflix series so great and avoid the pitfalls it ran into with Wilson Fisk in Hawkeye. Following a squeal-worthy cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Charlie Cox is returning to the role of Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer and superhero, Daredevil. However, some viewers are nervous that the gritty atmosphere of Netflix’s Daredevil will be lost as Disney tones the series down to be more appropriate for a PG-13 audience. The studio must avoid doing this to maintain the show’s powerful legacy.

Following the rights for characters including Daredevil, the Punisher, and Jessica Jones reverting to Marvel Studios, Netflix can no longer make its acclaimed Marvel series’, including Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. Marvel is now free to weave these characters back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the hero that started it all: Daredevil. The new show will reportedly be some form of continuation of the Netflix show with Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, though it remains unclear whether Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson will return as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson.

Whether Disney+ soft reboots Daredevil or carries straight on with season 4, it must maintain what made the Netflix series so effective, and learn from its Kingpin mistake in Hawkeye. Bringing back Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk is a great idea, but his appearance in Hawkeye is significantly watered down, and lacks any of the complexity that makes Fisk Daredevil’s (and Spider-Man’s) greatest foe. Matt Murdock cannot be watered down in the same way if the revival is to succeed.

The MCU is known for playing it safe, despite letting directors like Sam Raimi have more freedom to go in a darker direction with movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Hawkeye’s Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, is reasonably comic-accurate in Hawkeye, but compared to his portrayal in Daredevil, where he kills his own father and flies of the handle at any given moment, his more subdued, almost comical take in Hawkeye is greatly disappointing. Daredevil is a complex character who is deeply conflicted about his role as Hell’s Kitchen’s protector, as it contrasts with his faith. This conflict must be maintained in the new series; if Daredevil starts making quips and jokes instead of feeling the weight of his actions, the series will suffer.

Marvel Studios has been notoriously careful when it comes to violence and explicit content, yet Daredevil is known for its bloody fights and for tackling big issues like human trafficking and the drug trade. Though shows such as Moon Knight have proved that Marvel Studios will use characters like Marc Spector and Steven Grant to incorporate important issues like domestic abuse in its narratives, it must commit to the same dark tone that made Daredevil so unique if its new series is to succeed. While it is great to see Matt Murdock back in the red devil suit, the new season or soft reboot of Daredevil cannot simply follow the MCU formula to succeed; it must maintain the same style, tone, and content that made Netflix’s series so brilliant.