Charlie Cox on the “mad experience” of playing Daredevil in the MCU

When Netflix cancelled Daredevil after three seasons back in 2019, fans were up in arms. The show was the most popular Marvel project outside of the all-encompassing Marvel Cinematic Universe. It seemed like all hope was lost for more Daredevil action; even actor Charlie Cox was ready to move on. But then he got a call from Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, thus beginning his transition into the MCU proper.

Daredevil’s introduction to the MCU has been gradual. In 2021, Matt Murdock made his first appearance in a brief cameo as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Most recently, he played a role in She-Hulk, where he started out on the opposite side of the courtroom to Jennifer Walters, then they fought, then he began working alongside her, and then they slept together.

And this is only the beginning of his MCU journey. In 2024, Disney+ will premiere the 18-episode series Daredevil: Born Again. While he was ready to leave his Daredevil days behind, Cox is delighted to have the opportunity to continue the story. “It’s mad. It’s a mad experience,” he told GQ. “I have spoken about the fact that, emotionally, I had moved on. We’d had a really great experience making the shows that we made, and I’d loved playing the character. I felt like it had been a success. Did I feel like there were scratches left to itch? Yes. Sometimes, it’s just the way it goes. I think it had been almost two years since I’d heard from anyone, so I really expected everything to move on.”

Daredevil will have more levity in the MCU

Netflix’s Daredevil TV show was dark and gritty, in stark contrast to the lighter tone of the MCU. As a result, Cox has had to rethink his approach to the character, allowing Murdock to crack a few jokes occasionally, or be the butt of them. This side of the character is more often seen in the comics. “I felt like I had the opportunity to really play with the tone, which I’d say, is not completely alien to some of the print runs over the years,” he said.

"To play with the levity and have more fun with the character and see it as slightly outside of the Daredevil world that we had created all those years ago. To see that really as a challenge, as well as a kind of an experiment. Does it work? Can it play that way?"

Looking ahead to his upcoming solo series, Cox is excited by the possibilities of an MCU show with a bigger budget. “I believe it should be used sparingly—but we’ll hopefully be able to use a tiny bit more CGI in the action sequences,” he said. “Just to emphasize his gymnastic abilities that have been basically impossible to do.”

We saw him perform some great CGI-assisted moves in She-Hulk. Expect more of this kind of thing:

All nine episodes of She-Hulk are now streaming on Disney+. Daredevil makes his first appearance in Episode 8!

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