Credit: NetflixDisney is changing their mind again.
Related: Feige Talks ‘Spider-Man’, Tom Holland and Charlie Cox to Lead Marvel’s “Street-Level” Heroes
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is currently building up Phase Five AKA the second chapter of the Multiverse Saga. The Walt Disny Company’s Marvel Studios is in the process of expanding its narrative horizon by incorporating a variety of superhero teams beyond the central Avengers. Kevin Feige disclosed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that the MCU will unveil teams tasked with addressing a broad range of threats, spanning from “cosmic-level” to “supernatural” and “street-level” challenges.
Steering this diversification of superhero storylines on Earth are none other than Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil, appointed as Marvel’s street-level “team leaders”. Naturally, Marvel Studios faces the task of reintroducing the Man Without Fear to the current MCU audience, considering the character’s absence since the Netflix Marvel Daredevil (2015) series was more or less abandoned in 2018.
Nonetheless, Kevin Feige provided reassurance to fans by confirming the return of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen in an original 18-episode Disney+ series titled Daredevil: Born Again. However, despite this initial commitment, it appears that Disney is reconsidering its stance and abandoning the concept of a Daredevil reboot in favor of a more Netflix-style number — likely 13 episodes or so.
This series will feature Charlie Cox reprising his role as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio returning as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, and Jon Bernthal taking on the role of Frank Castle/the Punisher. Now, it appears that yet another familiar face (and plot thread left hanging) from the original run of Daredevil is further proving that Born Again will simply be the Netflix Daredevil‘s unofficial-official Season 4.
The Original Daredevil: Born Again, Now Reborn
Upon Kevin Feige’s announcement that Born Again would act as a soft reboot of the series, fans expressed concern about the apparent shift in the show’s dynamics. Noticeable changes in casting raised questions about the direction it seemed to be taking.
Seemingly random recasts, such as Sandrine Holt taking on the role of Vanessa Fisk instead of the original actress Ayelet Zurer, stirred apprehension within the Marvel fan community. These alterations sparked discussions regarding perceived unnecessary changes made by Kevin Feige and his team.
Related: Disney Scraps Beloved Marvel Franchise Reboot Plan
It’s plausible that these looming (and tangible) fan concerns, coupled with Marvel Studios’ recent poor reception, influenced Feige to decisively axe the first nine episodes-worth of content that the initial batch of Born Again‘s creatives came up with — scrapping the majority of the filmed work and firing all of the writers and creatives involved, and starting afresh.
Even more news is coming out now confirming that Born Again‘s second lease on life will be “Season 4” of the original series, as Disney has recently revealed that the entire Netflix The Defenders-era series of Marvel TV had been officially integrated into the MCU canon.
This includes Jessica Jones (2015-2019) starring Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (2016-2018) featuring Mike Colter as Luke Cage, Iron Fist (2017-2018) with Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist, and, notably, Daredevil (2015-2018) starring Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil.
Reboot Plans Scrapped: Further Confirmed
Most recently, Deadline reported that fan-favorite Benjamin Poindexter/Dex AKA Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) from the original Daredevil series is slated to return for three episodes in the upcoming series.
This is particularly interesting, as Daredevil Season 3 ended on a deliberate Bullseye cliffhanger. Spoilers: hinting that Dex would receive an Adamantium/Vibranium skeleton of some sort, and return as an even stronger adversary in future stories.
This casting news comes on the heels of the announcement that Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Hensen) said to return following fan campaigns bring Daredevil’s best friends and key “Nelson, Murdock & Page” members back into the fray.
With these massive series changes in Daredevil: Born Again development, we can only wonder if perhaps Disney themselves are feeling cowed by the overwhelming fan voices shouting for a Season 4 of the Netflix series.
What do you think about Marvel Studios bringing Dex/Bullseye back into the Daredevil franchise? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!