What next for Daredevil as Marvel hero returns to the MCU?

Fans were understandably disappointed, launching petitions and online campaigns to #SaveDaredevil – and it seems that Marvel has been listening.

Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater, the comic giant instead appears to be cherrypicking what worked best from its collaboration with Netflix and ditching the rest (so don't expect to see Danny Rand fighting alongside the Avengers any time soon).

However, now Marvel has begun to makje clear the future for Daredevil and one of his key supporting characters in the MCU and we break down how.

**Spoiler warning for Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye episode 5**

Is Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Though only appearing in a brief cameo, Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock and makes his big-screen Marvel debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In a short sequence following Peter Parker's unmasking as Spidey, Murdock visits May's apartment to offer our hero and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) legal advice and while his horned alter-ego doesn't appear, there's a nod to Matt's other life when he uses his enhanced instincts to intercept a brick thrown through the apartment's window. "How did you just do that?" asked a startled Peter (Tom Holland).

"I'm a really good lawyer," he replies.

The Kingpin returns in Hawkeye

But wait, there's more! Taking a two-pronged approach to its Daredevil revival project, Marvel also reintroduced series antagonist Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), aka the crime lord Kingpin, in the latest episode of its Disney Plus series Hawkeye, confirming that the fan theory speculating he was the secret Big Bad of the series was indeed accurate and not a Mephisto-in-Wandavision style misdirect.

Perhaps the most interesting thing here is the way in which Marvel is revisiting these characters – rather than, as many fans suggested, simply reviving the existing Daredevil series on Disney Plus or hand Cox his own solo film, there's a more considered approach at work, seeding these established characters in separate-but-linked projects. (In what was either a happy coincidence or a spectacular bit of planning, Spider-Man: No Way Home and the episode of Hawkeye in which Kingpin first appeared were released on the same day, 15th December – which also happens to be Charlie Cox's birthday.)

This being Marvel, presumably, these appearances aren't just mere fan service but are building to something larger – but what exactly?

What next for Daredevil and Kingpin in the MCU?

The most obvious route, at least in the short term, is for Matt Murdock to remain a supporting player in the MCU. He – and indeed Kingpin – would slot quite naturally into the upcoming spin-off series Echo, which will see Alaqua Cox reprise her role of Maya Lopez from Hawkeye. Matt's lawyer skills could also see him factor into the She-Hulk series starring Tatiana Maslany, what with her character Jennifer Walters also working in the profession.

Having been established as an ally of Peter Parker, there's also scope of course for Murdock to continue to serve in that capacity in future Spidey projects – and don't forget that Wilson Fisk was originally introduced to Marvel Comics as a nemesis of Spider-Man, before being reimagined as Daredevil's greatest foe.

The dream, of course, would be to see either a Daredevil series or film with Cox in the lead and it's certainly not impossible that these appearances are teasing just that. But any such project would be a way off.

The series slate at Disney Plus is packed, with the likes of Ms Marvel, Moon Knight and Secret Invasion lined up throughout next year, while the already-announced Armor Wars, Ironheart and an untitled Wakanda-set series are all waiting on release dates beyond that.

On the big screen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania take us all the way up to summer 2023. It's true there are two cinematic release slots set aside for as-yet-unconfirmed Marvel movies – 13th November 2023 and 16th February 2024 – but with the Mahershala Ali-starring Blade and Shang-Chi 2 (as well as possibly Deadpool 3, Captain America 4, and an X-Men feature) contenders for those slots, the odds of us getting a Daredevil movie any time soon look increasingly long.

Whatever happens next though, fans can at least take heart from the fact that the first steps have been taken – no longer in limbo, the version of Daredevil that we came to know and love through the Netflix series is now very much active in the wider MCU. The Man Without Fear is back – and it's now just a question of when, not if, we see him again.

Read more:

• Spider-Man: No Way Home ending explained
• Are Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
• Spider-Man: No Way Home review – The best superhero movie in recent years
• Spider-Man: No Way Home end credits scenes explained
• New Doctor Strange detail revealed in Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Does Spider-Man: No Way Home tease Andrew Garfield/Venom crossover?
• Spider-Man: No Way Home includes major reference to Miles Morales

Spider-Man: No Way Home is in UK cinemas now. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide. Know a Marvel fan? Don't miss our round-up of Marvel gifts.

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