You know how Marvel Studios has been churning out new material right, left and center, making the MCU bigger than ever with several storylines coexisting in its spectrum. Marvel Cinematic Universe is not just limited to the big-budget theatrical releases, but now to catch up, you would need to watch every T.V. show that Kevin Feige wants you to.
But that wasn’t always the case. Though Marvel has been hailing the flag of it all being ‘connected,’ the TV Show side of the comic-book giant before Disney+ existed had its own destiny. A few mentions here and there, The Defenders being in their bubble, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. running side quests that nobody paid great attention to, and so on. MCU did actually fail to tie it all together.
However, there was a superhero that directed everyone’s attention to the small screen. It was Netflix’s Daredevil. In no time, Charlie Cox’s portrayal of the Man Without Fear took the fandom by storm, along with any previous criticisms that haunted Ben Affleck as he chose to serve justice as Mat Murdock back in 2003. But we are way past that! (So is Affleck, eh?)
This rebooted Daredevil was everything that comics once showed him as. Cox captured the rage, inner conflicts, and grit that the character possessed. He got into Mat Murdock’s shoes and played a perfect part in highlighting his flaws and problems. The actor’s very own natural charisma added a cherry on top. The series, too, from the stories’ perspective, was dark and focused on character development more than anything. The action was flawless, and the cinematography was hands-down to the last frame, just epic. It felt like every actor was just born to play their part, with MCU peaking at producing a masterpiece of a T.V. show.
It became apparent that Disney and Feige decided to give our beloved blind vigilante his big break on the big screen as Matt Murdock appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home to get Peter Parker out of legal trouble. Charlie Cox got roughly 70 seconds of screen time, but he made every single second count.
Fast Forward to 2022, Daredevil showed up again in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law when the TV Show was being slaughtered online for its bad writing and rushed CGI. Strangely, fans got a much toned-down version of the character, dawning a red-and-yellow suit and developing a romantic love interest in Tatiana Maslany’s lawyer Jennifer Walter, aka She-Hulk.
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In the wake of his follow-up series, Daredevil: Born Again, this tonal shift went through mixed reactions from everyone. The internet found itself in splits where one half was rooting for the dark and brooding version of the old Daredevil, while the other half was busy justifying how this portrayal is true to the comic-book source material.
Whatever the case may be. Netflix’s Daredevil had jaw-dropping action scenes, and it still pulls fans back to it even to this day. Die-Hard fans would now be eying Daredevil: Born Again, which is all set to release in 2024, expecting the series to reach the same level in terms of action choreography as its Netflix counterpart once did.
Credit where it’s due, Chris Brewster is the man we should all thank, as he did a marvelous job throwing kicks and punches as Charlie Cox’s stunt double in the Netflix series.
Chris is a celebrity stunt performer, fight coordinator, and a 2nd unit director who has been an active part of some of the most popular and noteworthy movies and T.V. shows in the superhero spectrum. He has worked with both D.C. and Marvel to bring out magnificent fight sequences to life on the screen. He has lent out his exceptional combat expertise in Daredevil, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Loki, and most recently, Black Adam.
We recently reached out to Chris Brewster to get his take on which portrayal of Daredevil he prefers. Read the full interview here.
Of course, the performer played Daredevil along with Cox for three seasons. He has studied the character’s mannerisms and understood how the action-choreography should fit, given the series’ narrative is dark and grounded.
Many fans are happy to see Charlie Cox again, but most people feel the work done in the Netflix series is better, and fans are divided over it. The dark, grounded Netflix portrayal or the light, funny one in the MCU? Which Daredevil do you like and why?
“There is absolutely no question. Daredevil is meant to be dark and gritty. Charlie is one of the best actors I have ever watched on or off-screen, and I can’t wait to see what he does with this character. However, I truly hope they let Charlie channel the depth and true levels of Matt Murdock. “
Amidst the buzz that Daredevil generated when he first appeared in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, fans, and media wanted to find the root cause of such a tonal shift. Given that Marvel is facing a lot of backlash for its treatment of one-serious moments now turned into gags. Daredevil’s recent showcasing begs the question of why the studio is doing all that again.
She-Hulk became so meta as the series approached its season finale that it felt like the writers just wanted to end the series with an ultimate fourth-wall break. It basically just fell flat on the ground.
In another interview, Charlie Cox was asked this question, the actor took a middle ground and explained how the show gave the creators a chance to “explore the levity that there is in the comics.” Netflix’s Daredevil catered to a more mature audience, while the recent narrative followed by Marvel after Avengers: End Game stated otherwise.
The writers, for no reason, just took an opportunity to reuse Marvel’s rights to Daredevil in the MCU to save the already drowning script. This ‘lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek.’ take on Daredevil was indeed an experiment for the actor and the studio to see how far they could fit the superhero in a world that itself seems out of place.
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Charlie Cox did an exceptional job again, no questions about that; but Marvel got a little scared for Matt Murdock becoming ‘the butt of the joke’ because he’s overly serious, and She-Hulk would crack another fourth-wall break on him for not passing the vibe check. (Why so Meta?)
Well, it should be safe to say that the Studio would take lessons from the criticism that followed She-Hulk and the lighthearted Daredevil. At least, we could expect the upcoming solo series, Daredevil: Born Again, to bring back the old Matt Murdock we all know and love, with his charm and wits staying intact.
As for the fans, the arguments don’t seem to get resolved. But we can only speculate that K.E.V.I.N.’s next decision will favor us. Hopefully, Daredevil gets reborn the way he was always meant to be.
What are your views on the MCU Daredevil? Would you like to see Daredevil feature in an R-Rated project in the future? Do tell us what you think in the comments, and visit averagebeing.com for more superhero updates.