Credit: Marvel StudiosThe Man Without Fear returned to television last year, but whether that comeback eventually extends to multiplex screens remains an open question.
Marvel Studios first unveiled Daredevil: Born Again during San Diego Comic-Con 2022, when Kevin Feige announced an ambitious 18-episode run destined for Disney+. What followed between that reveal and the series’ March 2025 premiere was a lengthy and highly publicized creative reset that reshaped nearly every aspect of the show.
Disney ultimately parted ways with original creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord, along with much of the initial writing and directing team. Dario Scardapane was brought in as showrunner, signaling a pivot toward a more traditional television production model, a shift that came as Marvel Studios faced broader questions about how it develops streaming content. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s Head of Streaming, Television and Animation, previously noted that the studio would begin developing more series than it ultimately produces, with showrunners steering projects from the outset.
Among the creative leaders guiding the revamped vision are directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, whose Marvel résumés already include Moon Knight and Loki. Their involvement helped anchor the series as it moved away from its original incarnation.
The overhaul also reshaped the cast. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio remained at the center as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, while familiar faces from the Netflix era–Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll, and Jon Bernthal–returned as Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, and Frank Castle/The Punisher. The episode count was trimmed as well, with the first season now set at nine episodes and a second season following this year.
Despite generally positive reactions, some criticism has lingered around how the final version attempts to merge two very different creative approaches. One notable holdover from the earlier version is the fifth episode, “With Interest,” a bottle episode largely focused on Matt Murdock (Cox), opposite Mohan Kapur’s Yusuf Khan from Ms. Marvel. Other installments attempt to weave elements from both iterations into a single narrative.
With Daredevil and his supporting cast now firmly situated within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, attention has turned to whether these characters might make the leap to theatrical releases. Cox has already crossed that threshold with his cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), but the big-screen future of Wilson Fisk is far less certain.
Bernthal is currently co-writing a Marvel Special Presentation centered on the Punisher, a project that appears more standalone than interconnected, and will soon appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026). Fisk’s cinematic prospects, however, appear complicated, at least according to D’Onofrio.
“The only thing I know is not positive. It’s a very hard thing to do, for Marvel to use my character,” D’Onofrio told Josh Horowitz last year. “It’s a very hard thing to do because of ownership and stuff.”
“Right now, I’m only usable for television series,” the actor continued. “Different kinds of series, whatever it is, but not even a one-off Fisk movie or anything like that, it’s all caught up in rights and stuff. I don’t know when that would work out, or if it ever would work out at all, actually.”
Those comments were made in response to speculation about a potential appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day alongside Tom Holland. While Marvel and Sony’s shared custody of Spider-Man has proven how fragile studio agreements can be, D’Onofrio’s remarks have not been officially confirmed by Marvel or Disney, leaving room for surprises.
Speaking more recently on The Playlist, D’Onofrio confirmed he is unable to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day due to his character being banned from movie appearances. “No. I think I’ll just wait until they have the rights to my character and they put me in one of those movies, and then I’ll figure it all out,” the actor told the outlet.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently positioned as the next theatrical release for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. Following this, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), a Phase Six event film directed by returning Marvel architects Antony and Joe Russo, will debut in December.
Officially titled as Tom Holland’s fourth MCU solo outing, the movie takes its name from the divisive 2008 comic run, which famously rebooted Peter’s life after universe-shaking events erased everything he knew. In the cinematic version, Marvel and Sony are leaning into that “new day” ethos following No Way Home’s cliffhanger spell that left everyone forgetting who Peter Parker is, with Holland himself calling the film “a fresh start.”
There’s no full plot release yet, but the vibe is clear: Peter is navigating life before the upcoming arrival of Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), trying to balance college plans, friendships, and the call of the web-slinging life when new threats force him back into the suit.
Behind the camera, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) helmer Destin Daniel Cretton takes over directing duties from Jon Watts, with the script once again in the hands of franchise scribes Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. Filming wrapped in late 2025, and the July 31, 2026, release date is set, with set teases already hinting at a more grounded, classic Spider-Man.
Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned are returning, and adding fresh intrigue are Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in a mysterious role and Jon Bernthal making his MCU movie debut as a toned-down Punisher. With that mix of legacy characters and new faces, Brand New Day feels like a narrative reset with an old-school heart, poised to weave its way into Phase Six with its own brand of street-level storytelling before the next Avengers climax.
That said, Marvel fans were disappointed when it was confirmed that Disney, Marvel, and Sony would not release a trailer during Super Bowl LX, the game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The Mouse House has instead positioned the next trailer for Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) in the primetime spot.
Marvel’s Daredevil, which debuted on Netflix in 2015 and concluded in 2018, remains one of the most celebrated superhero television series to date. Cox’s portrayal of Matt Murdock–a blind attorney balancing the law by day and vigilantism by night–set the tone for a grittier corner of Marvel storytelling.
Set primarily in Hell’s Kitchen, the series followed Murdock alongside Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, while D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk emerged as a layered and deeply human antagonist. The show also introduced fan-favorite characters, including Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple, Élodie Yung’s Elektra, and Bernthal’s brutal take on Frank Castle.
Developed by Drew Goddard and guided by showrunners Steven S. DeKnight, Doug Petrie, Marco Ramirez, and Erik Oleson, Daredevil became known for its visceral action, moral complexity, and John Paesano’s evocative score.
As the launchpad for Marvel’s Netflix universe–which later expanded with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders—Daredevil consistently stood apart for its emotional weight and grounded storytelling. With Cox and D’Onofrio now leading Daredevil: Born Again, the legacy of the original series continues to shape fan expectations as Marvel charts the character’s future across television and film.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 begins on March 24, 2026. Watch the trailer here:
How do you feel about the Daredevil: Born Again cast appearing in the MCU on the big screen? Let us know in the comments down below!