Daredevil: Born Again represents the serial rebirth of one of the most popular characters on the Marvel small screen, initially part of the Marvel Television micro-universe, a separate division from the Marvel Studios and now ready to debut within the MCU. In perfect continuity with what happened in these two years of Phase 4, with television products linked to the films of La Casa delle Idee, this too show dedicated to the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen I will aim to reintroduce the vigilante, this time giving him a breath and a wider field of action. Apparently, however, in Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (played by Charlie Cox) will not be the only hero to reappear, as confirmed to the recent official of the effective return of Frank Castle in the series. Considering this important news, let’s try to understand if the work in question could represent the restart for that small forgotten universe that could now better express its potential.
The Death of Marvel Television
Marvel Television it was a television ecosystem that lasted for 9 years, from 2010 to 2019, a real parallel world to the MCU, which, barring some quotes or some deeper connection, never represented a correlation with the larger universe managed by Kevin Feige. As evidence of this, among other things, the division was managed separately, with Jeph Loeb and Dan Buckley to control everything. Dwelling in particular on the Netflix series that had joined this choral project, namely Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron FistJessica Jones, The Punisher and The Defenders, it’s never been clear if those projects died just because of Marvel Television’s takeover of Marvel Studios or if there are some other deeper reasons behind this choice. It is certainly true that not all show that we have nominated have had the same reception from audiences and critics, with Daredevil e Jessica Jones which, in terms of popularity and ratings, have been a staple of the universe. Unfortunately, however, once this microcosm has been eliminated, even these heroes have apparently remained homeless, disappearing for a few years.
Marvel Television Shuts Down, In-Production Series Return to Marvel Studios!
The saga of the Multiverse as an opportunity
After the first three Phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which go to make up the so-called Infinity Saga, starting from Phase 4, the MCU has expanded with a new course totally at the antipodes, where the Multiverse seems to be the binding theme. It is also important to underline that, with this new direction undertaken by Marvel, the television series have also begun to have a crucial value, not only connected to the films of The House of Ideas, but an integral part of the universe as never happened up to that moment . Precisely starting from this element, we have progressively noticed how the character of Daredevil and his nemesis Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) have again had more and more centrality appearing in Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. At first it could be thought that the company had chosen only Murdock and Fisk as exponents of that “old television” now canceled, but some details have indicated a broader strategy.
The return of the Punisher
The most complete element in our possession is the news of the involvement of Jon Bernthalwithin Daredevil: Born Again, as Frank Castle. The character originally appeared in the second season of the Netflix series Daredevilin 2016, to then become the protagonist of one show dedicated in 2019. At the moment we don’t know what will be the binder that will unite the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen to the Punisher, but, being Castle in fact an anti-hero, it is not excluded that the two will be enemies, at least at the beginning. Another possibility is that, however, in the series it will be assumed that the vigilante couple already know each other, on the other hand it has never been specified that the events we have seen in the Netflix works are not canonical, indeed, Born Again has always been presented as a product somewhere between a sequel it’s a reboot. A characteristic that could also concern the other “colleagues” of the blind lawyer.
Luke Cage and Jessica Jones in limbo
If the presence of Frank Castle is taken for granted within Daredevil: Born Againit is not clear whether in the show they will also appear Luke Cage e Jessica Jonesrespectively played by Mike Colter (Zero Dark Thirty, Men in Black 3) and Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Big Eyes) which, however, also orbit around the same world as Murdock. A partial clue may have arrived a few days ago, when the two actors shared a story on Instagram while they were in New York and Ritter referred to Colter as Power Man, one of Luke Cage’s own nicknames. If we then consider that the filming of Daredevil: Born Again started a few weeks later right in the vicinity of the Big Apple, the two things could be connected. It is true that, if this theory were confirmed, the Marvel series would become a sort of reunion for all these characters and the risk of decentralization towards Daredevil could be quite concrete, if it is not a question of simple cameos, of course, but we cannot know this.
Daredevil: Born Again, the return of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage confirmed by new photos?
E Iron Fist?
The great absent from all this talk seems to be Iron Fistthe superhero with the golden fist played by Finn Jones (Game of Thrones, The Adventures of Sarah Jane). The actor has always stated several times that he wants to return as Danny Rand, but in fact, so far, he is the only one with a nebulous destiny. It should also be emphasized that, among the characters we have mentioned, Iron Fist is the one that has been received more coldly, with critics and the public not considering Jones suitable for the role and, in parallel, not appreciating the characterization of the vigilante. Despite this, many rumor for some time suggest that the character may be involved within Shang-Chi 2 and this is perfectly consistent with the tone of the film and its background. As a result, Danny Rand is also unlikely to appear in Daredevil: Born Againboth because it would crowd the field too much, and because it could be destined for another introduction.
