Just when we thought Netflix's Daredevil series was canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a new report has thrown those claims into question.
As? According to The Hollywood Reporter(opens in a new tab)(THR), Daredevil: Born Again, the upcoming MCU superhero television series, has added Jon Bernthal to its casting ranks. Bernthal, who played Frank Castle/The Punisher on Netflix's Defenders-Verse, is set to reprise his role as the bloodthirsty vigilante on the Disney Plus Daredevil show, which is slated to hit in late 2024.
We previously reported that Bernthal is coming to the MCU as part of Marvel Phase 5, so we're excited to see The Walking Dead alum gearing up to play the fan-favorite character once again.
As good as Bernthal's return is, it raises some big questions about how Netflix's Defenders-Verse fits into the MCU (if at all); if the MCU's Daredevil is the same one we've seen before; and what it all means to Marvel if it decides to incorporate other non-MCU TV shows into its colossal cinematic universe.
Let's start with Daredevil's MCU canonicity. Marvel announced that an MCU Daredevil TV show was in development during its Comic-Con panel in July 2022, confirming that Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio would reprise their roles as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk from the Universe. MarvelTV. .
Immediately, fans began theorizing if the pair would be the same characters we saw on Netflix's Daredevil TV show. After his cameo and supporting roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, viewers didn't know if that was the case.
However, Daredevil's supporting role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law seemed to confirm that this iteration of the superhero was the same one we saw on Netflix's Daredevil series. It was Episode 8 of She-Hulk that all but confirmed that Netflix's Daredevil series was canon in the MCU, seemingly putting an end to the confusion.
Bernthal's Punisher return, however, calls that into question. For starters, The Punisher is a far more violent character than Daredevil, doling out deadly punishments *ahem* for the bucketful of blood in the comics and in his recent live-action appearances.
If the MCU's Punisher is the same version that Bernthal portrayed in Daredevil season 2 and his standalone series on Netflix, Marvel will have to rein in his brutality, which reduces his effectiveness as a character juxtaposed with Daredevil.
Charlie Cox exclusively told TechRadar that Daredevil: Born Again won't have a full R rating, so it won't be as violent as Netflix's Daredevil series was anyway. Even so, the best part of Bernthal's Punisher was its raw, uncompromising, and vicious crusade against the criminal underworld. Removing that R-rated aspect of the character dilutes him and, in the eyes of some fans, could make The Punisher too Disney to be considered the same individual we've seen before.
Then there's the other elephant in the room: the absence of Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page.
Daredevil season 3 ended with Foggy, Page, and Murdock teaming up once again to form a new law firm called Murdock, Nelson, and Page. However, THR suggests that Woll and Henson were not asked to return as their characters for Born Again, noting that it's unclear whether or not they were recast as part of the show.
If the MCU's Daredevil, Fisk, and The Punisher are the same character iterations of Netflix's Daredevil, wouldn't it make sense to bring back Matt Murdock's business partners, not to mention extremely loyal friends? Foggy and Page are as integral to Daredevil's comics and live-action journeys as anyone else, if not more.
Leaving these characters, especially the versions played with such emotional gravity by Woll and Henson, for Born Again indicates that Netflix's Daredevil show might not be fully canon in the MCU after all. It also raises the question of whether Born Again would respond to his absence. If not, audiences can view this as Marvel by simply choosing the elements they want to carry over from the Netflix TV adaptation.
The studio also has the above form for selecting content and characters for its non-MCU productions.
Agent Carter, a Marvel TV show that airs on ABC and takes place after Captain America: The First Avenger, isn't technically an MCU project. However, Marvel took bits and pieces of that show, like Howard Stark's butler Edwin Jarvis, and incorporated them into Avengers: Endgame. Anson Mount reprized his role as Black Bolt from another ABC Marvel show, Inhumans, in Doctor Strange 2, albeit as a cameo.
Finally, there is speculation that Chloe Bennet's Daisy Johnson/Quake, first seen on ABC's Agents of SHIELD, will appear in Secret Invasion later this year. Marvel's decision to include certain characters and subplots from non-MCU projects into its cinematic universe only further muddies the waters on what is canon.
Unlike its sister shows, however, it felt like Netflix's Daredevil series was fully integrated into the MCU. The inclusion of The Punisher, along with the obvious lack of other key characters from the Netflix TV adaptation, suggests that might not be the case.
Of course, there is still time for the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction. Marvel has already confirmed that Deadpool 3 will be their first full R-rated movie, so there's still a chance that Born Again could be the first MCU TV-MA/18-plus TV series. Page and Henson could also appear in cameos, despite what THR reported.
Marvel, Cox, and company may be trying to confuse us in an effort to save a few surprises for when the show begins airing. At a time when fans are starving for all the information about upcoming Marvel projects, withholding those secrets until the release date would be a welcome change.
Right now, though, it seems like only one character's return has blown our theories, about Netflix's Daredevil being canon in the MCU, out of the water. Since principal photography on the series will begin shortly, we hope Marvel confirms if Born Again is a full sequel to the Netflix TV series.
For more Marvel coverage, find out how to watch Marvel movies in order. Plus, find out which MCU TV series make our list of the best shows on Disney Plus and how we've ranked every Marvel movie so far.