Charlie Cox teases a “tonal shift” in Daredevil: Born Again

For three years between 2015 and 2018, Netflix had its own mini-Marvel Cinematic Universe. It followed a group of street-level heroes, including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. Unfortunately, Netflix axed all of these shows in 2019, but the Defenders are slowly creeping back.

Most notably, Daredevil, aka Matt Murdock, is stepping back into the spotlight. Still being portrayed by Charlie Cox, the character made his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and will return for another appearance in the next installment of She-Hulk.

By far the most exciting news is that Daredevil will return for his own, 18-episode series on Disney+: Daredevil: Born Again. The tone of the original Daredevil series doesn’t really fall in line with other MCU projects. It’s dark, violent, and an all-around grittier show than what Disney usually turns out. Cox understands this and promises that while there will be comedic elements in the new series, they won’t dominate. “I don’t think that’s truthful enough to the source material for that to really work,” he told Variety. “But, there are plenty of Daredevil comics where there is levity, there is light-heartedness, there is fun, and I think with 18 episodes you have time to do a bit of both.”

I think we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. One of the best things about Daredevil was that it took itself seriously compared to other Marvel shows. We can all deal with a few comedic beats, so long as it doesn’t stray too far from the tone of the original.

Charlie Cox teases Daredevil’s role in She-Hulk

Before Daredevil: Born Again hits screens, Murdock will appear in She-Hulk. And because She-Hulk, that appearance will be comedic:

"What was fun about being in She-Hulk for this one episode is… obviously the tone of this show is radically different, and in order for it to be appropriate for me to be in that show, I had to adapt a little bit my Matt Murdock so he was in a place in his life where he’s having fun. Where life is good and he’s a bit cheeky and a bit flirty and it’s tonally slightly different.It was a bit of an experiment, but it was really enjoyable, and I really had a good time, and the chemistry I had with Tatiana [Maslany] was amazing. So, if they do lighten the tone a little bit, I’m not afraid of that."

In his No Way Home cameo, we didn’t see him fully kitted out as Daredevil, but instead as lawyer Matt Murdock. I’m super excited to see him in his costume in She-Hulk!

Born Again won’t follow Frank Miller’s Daredevil comics. 

Daredevil: Born Again sounds like a perfect title for a show that brings the Marvel hero back to our screens for the first time since 2018. It’s also a nod to Frank Miller’s Daredevil graphic novel Born Again, which was published back in 1986. But that’s where the similarities end.

“I don’t think it means we’re gonna tell the Frank Miller story of Born Again in the comics,” Cox told IGN. “I don’t think it means that. I think it means that we made the show, it ended, and now we’re making another show. It’s a perfect title.”

Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t have a release date yet, but it will begin filming in 2023. New episodes of She-Hulk air Thursdays on Disney+!

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