The return of Charlie Cox as Matthew Murdock and Daredevil has been one of the most hotly discussed topics in the superhero landscape. Once believed to be a relative impossibility following the Netflix cancellation, this portrayal of Daredevil has been given a second wind of energy that will continue into in his own 2024 Disney+ series. While his return in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been met with general praise from audiences, some level of debate has amassed on the differences in portrayal of Matthew Murdock on Disney+ as opposed to Netflix. The somber tones of the original Netflix series are not present in the recent Disney+ series, though that’s absolutely logical with the latter being distinctly comedic in nature. It has, however, led to some questions about how this will translate to Daredevil: Born Again.
While speaking with Variety about his return to the role, Charlie Cox took some time to speak about the different side of his character shown in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
We’ve never really had an opportunity to explore the levity that there is in the comics. Obviously Daredevil at his core works better as a show that’s geared toward a more mature audience, but even life that is very serious has comedic moments in it. I felt like this was a really good opportunity to put Daredevil in a world where tonally there is a lot more fun to be had, it’s a lot more lighthearted, tongue in cheek. It was a really great experiment, both for me and for the character, to see how we fit into that world. It was just a question of freeing up a little bit and allowing myself as an actor to go toe-to-toe with Tatiana and make sure that Daredevil didn’t become the butt of the joke because he’s overly serious, to make sure he had his charisma, charm and wits. Whether that will play into what we do next year with “Daredevil: Born Again,” I don’t know, but it was certainly a fun experiment.
Charlie Cox
Charlie Cox makes a strong point about the importance of moments of levity despite his character being commonly associated with darker themes. Matthew Murdock’s role in She-Hulk doesn’t necessarily negate the character’s other experiences in the Netflix Defenders-verse. While the tone of Daredevil in She-Hulk was different from the Netflix series, it was also greatly in-line with the seminal Mark Waid run on the character in the comics.
Whether or not this tone will remain for Daredevil: Born Again does remain a question. But if the quality of his material remains the same, it shouldn’t really matter what tone Daredevil will have for this upcoming series.
Source: Variety
