As of November 28th, 2020 the rights of the Man Without Fear has officially been given back to Marvel from Netflix. The series was developed by Drew Goddard and screened on Netflix in 2015, set in the same timeline as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Matt Murdock never made any appearances alongside the likes of Steve Rogers or Tony Stark, he did become one of the founding members of The Defenders. However, throughout 2019 each Marvel/Netflix series began to be cancelled. Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders, Punisher and Daredevil were all cancelled back to back. But since the rights of Daredevil have been given back to Marvel, the next question is “What are Marvel’s plans with the character?”. We believe there might be a few options Marvel can do with the blind lawyer, we will be going over some of our ideas for what we would like to see done with Marvel’s Daredevil.
Also Read: 5 Comic Book Details That Would Have Made Daredevil Better (& 5 That Won’t)
Fourth Season
An obvious option would be to revamp the series for a fourth season, whether it’s by Disney+ or picked up by Hulu. However, much more can be explored through another season of the series. There are still a handful of stories that can explored and even characters adapted into a new season. Considering there is an outcry by fans to bring back the show for more episodes, there would be much satisfaction to see Charlie Cox return for another season. However, a large factor of the shows rating could be determined by which platform takes it over. Netflix managed to produce a TV-MA show for their streaming service, and of course with their variety of mature series on Hulu, there is a chance they will stay true to the nature of the series with its dark subject material and violent nature. Disney+ on the other hand is well… Disney. While they have managed to put some 20th Century Fox content on their service, none of them are TV-MA or rated R. There have been rumors of Disney+ adding mature content, the chances are very unlikely. If the show were to be added onto Disney+, majority of its adult content will most likely be remove from the show. As this could very likely reflect poorly on the show and possibly reduce its interest by fans, there is chance Marvel can make it work.
Solo Film
With already so many characters in Matt Murdock’s world already established from the Netflix series, there is not much that would need to be developed for any future installments. Kingpin, Elektra and Bullseye all introduced into the series, gives creators plenty of opportunity to craft a unique story that would finally integrate Murdock further into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The team up of Daredevil and Spider-Man was always an appreciated aspect from the comic books. Creating a film completely surrounding a Daredevil and Spider-Man team up would be exciting, however it wouldn’t be as necessary for a solo Daredevil film. Instead Tom Holland could appear as a side character amongst the film, considering it kind of looks like Peter Parker might be in need of a lawyer after the ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Another path Marvel could take is too completely revamp the character once again. Of course, the character featured two major on screen appearance by Ben Affleck in the 2003 film and for the series with Charlie Cox. A new solo film could bring back the character for in a new and exciting way, with another actor to take on the horned mask. Although no new names come to mind at the moment, the opportunity to see the character reinvented for the MCU and perhaps remove the Netflix series as canon, wouldn’t be the worst move for Marvel. Despite how much we would miss Charlie Cox as the Daredevil, at this point I think it’s safe to say we can trust whatever decision Kevin Feige makes.
Bring Back The Defenders
Despite the lack luster single season of the Defenders, we wouldn’t mind seeing Marvel give the characters another shot at the unlikely superhero team. Of course, it wouldn’t be the same without the original cast, but it could work for either a film of a television series. Even though Iron Fist wasn’t well received by audiences, both Luke Cage and Jessica Jones were beloved by viewers. Marvel has an opportunity at this point to establish Daredevil as the leader of the team and reassemble the Defenders. A story that could be told is what we mentioned earlier in the article, bringing them into the larger Marvel universe. One aspect never looked at through these characters was their point of view from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Oh how much we wanted to yell “NO!” when Doctor Strange asks “Is this everyone?” in the final push against Thanos and his army. Undoubtedly the Defenders were also affected by the snap, with the Avengers attempting to fight off the invasion. The Defenders could continue to reside in New York, trying to keep the city together as it tears itself apart. A story could be told where Daredevil continues to keep justice in New York and search for the rest of the team to hold the city together.
Recruitment
Another way Daredevil could be used is in the future Marvel series being produced with Disney+. Throughout the comics, there have been many characters who have joined the Defenders. Charlie Cox could return to the MCU and be used as a new Phil Coulson to bring a new team together. Making Daredevil as the leader, he could assemble She-Hulk, Moon Knight and other characters Marvel is making solo series for. This could be the way they could incorporate the character into the MCU as well. The rest of the team from the Netflix series could also be used for more MCU projects, but with the some of the more darker characters like Jessica Jones and Punisher it is unlikely. Another option could be Daredevil moving past the Defenders and instead forming together a new team called the Knights, as in Marvel Knights. It wouldn’t likely feature Black Panther as it did in the comics, but a team of Daredevil, Elektra, She-Hulk and Moon Knight would work as either the Defenders or Marvel Knights.
