Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicWith reports of superhero fatigue, audience pandering, and the continuous threat of the “woke agenda,” many MCU fans have longed for the days of the classic Marvel Studios. As developments in the new Daredevil season arise, they might get their wish.
It’s safe to say that Marvel has had a major image shift since the Infinity Saga concluded in 2019. An overabundance of played-out tropes has caused interest to dwindle in current Marvel properties. Even studio darling James Gunn called the brand out for stories without substance. However, the studio’s creators seem to be returning to the drawing board by taking a page from the previous successes.
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While distinctly different from their cinematic counterparts, the Marvel series that originally premiered on Netflix (Daredevil, The Punisher, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders) had a much more gritty and realistic approach to the superhero narrative, and it’s making a comeback as Frank Castle puts on the armor once more for Daredevil: Born Again.
Marvel Goes Dark for Daredevil
A recent report from IGN showed new production photos featuring Jon Bernthal battered and bruised as he reprised his role of Frank Castle/The Punisher on a fan’s Instagram post (seen here), confirming the actor and character’s involvement tapped back in 2023. However, it might also confirm a complete change in direction for the spinoff series surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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With recent entries like The Marvels (2023) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) criticized for being forced, bloated, CGI-heavy affairs, it might be the case that series like Daredevil: Born Again will be the first step in a more mature, and possibly darker direction for the studio’s street-level series.
While Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil is reportedly going to take a more comic-book-accurate approach (as demonstrated by the gold and yellow outfit), the inclusion of the Punisher in any superhero storyline almost guarantees an element of darkness not seen in most of Disney/Marvel’s productions especially since it comes slapped with a TV-MA rating.
What This Means for Marvel
Although Deadpool might have some objections, Screenrant has called the project “the first real R-rated test for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” It’s one thing to be an over-the-top, bashy-smashy buddy comedy with Wolverine that parodies the genre, but serious drama seen in the previous incarnation of both Daredevil and Punisher is incredibly bizarre for something with Disney’s name attached.
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Not that Disney hasn’t played with dark material in the past, but both characters have a history of combating some far more realistic and violent threats than alien invaders, Norse gods of mischief, or Mad Titans with an agenda to wipe out half the universe. Daredevil and The Punisher dealt with themes of abuse, the drug market, and human trafficking, and it’s pretty startling that Disney would even consider revisiting those elements again.
If both studios go in this direction, it’s liable to warrant a very vocal reaction from subscribers, both for good and bad. It’s good in the fact that Marvel and Disney are willing to take such a major risk to tell a more mature story, but bad in the fact that viewer discretion will definitely be advised with the upcoming reboot.
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It might still be a little too early to know for certain, but Daredevil’s debut in the MCU (apart from his appearance on She-Hulk) should be a hard-hitting drama, even if the character can occasionally be a little goofy. The same should be said for his skull-wearing companion as they both try cleaning up New York’s seedy underbelly.
For more updates on Marvel’s new Daredevil series, stay tuned to Inside the Magic.