Daredevil: Born Again is the latest mature-rated MCU production, but it was the first to break Kevin Feige’s “No cocaine” rule established in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, and I think I’ve worked out why. Three episodes into the acclaimed MCU show, Daredevil: Born Again hasn’t wasted its TV-MA rating, pulling no punches with visceral fight sequences that rival even those of its predecessor. It additionally explores some fairly mature themes that would feel particularly out of place in a typical PG-13 MCU production.
These mature themes eluded ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, partly thanks to the fact that it was more concerned with keeping the tone relatively lighthearted. Nevertheless, while Daredevil: Born Again being bereft of irreverence might open up a few darker themes for the show to explore, I find it hard to believe that casual drug use is officially consigned to more grounded depictions, particularly as ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s previous outings under Fox were rife with it. Thankfully, following comments made by ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, I think I know why drugs were off-limits for one and not the other.
Kevin Feige’s “No Cocaine” Rule For ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine Explained
Wade Wilson Reveals That Kevin Feige Banne Cocaine Use In ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine
When it was announced that ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool would be joining the MCU, concerns arose around how Disney would approach the no-hold-barred R-rating in which he typically thrives. Thankfully, it was swiftly confirmed that ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool would be allowed to engage in his typical shenanigans with little to no limitations. When the first ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine trailer was released, however, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool revealed in a classic fourth-wall-breaking joke that Kevin Feige himself had ruled against depicting cocaine use.
The veracity of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s statement was unclear at the time. It was the perfect jab at Disney’s more straitlaced sensibilities, after all, and could have existed even if Feige had stipulated no such thing. However, in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via YouTube) just a week after ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine was released, director Shawn Levy confirmed that not only was this true, but it became one of the first jokes written into the movie. His full quote can be seen at the very beginning of the interview below:
“Kevin was like, ‘Look, we want a fully ‘ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool movie. The only thing maybe is, maybe we don’t do all the drug use, the cocaine use with Al and Wade. And we were like ‘Yes sir, yep, copy that,’ and we went home and literally wrote the joke about Feige requesting no cocaine, and it became one of the first jokes that we wrote.”
It was a stroke of genius that I’m glad was approved, with Feige evidently greenlighting the mention of cocaine even if its usage was off-limits. Ultimately, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine made the best out of the situation, and it’s hard to argue that ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool actually using cocaine would have been a superior moment to his candid interaction with Al. It’s somewhat confusing, however, to see that the “No cocaine” rule was only just broken in Daredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 3 Broke Feige’s “No Cocaine” Rule
Cherry Gives A Bag Of Cocaine To Star Witness Nicky Torres
Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 centered on Hector Ayala’s trial after being wrongfully charged with killing a police officer. Initially, the only route that Matt Murdock saw towards victory was bringing a key witness to the stand: Nicky Torres. Torres’ testimony would have nullified the falsehoods put forward by corrupt cop Officer Powell, helping to verify Ayala’s account that he intervened in Torres’ beatdown. The challenge (before Torres was intimidated into lying anyway) was to get Torres to the courtroom in one piece before the corrupt cohort of cops could get to him first.
Matt Murdock was forced to reveal that Ayala was White Tiger to help win the trial after Torres failed to testify.
This meant stashing Torres away in a safe-house, where the drug-addicted police informant had to be kept compos mentis through the rationed supply of cocaine. There is a brazen hand-off of the drug (though it is admittedly used off-screen) as Murdock’s personal investigator, Cherry, hands a small bag of white powder to Torres. It certainly isn’t out of place in this particular context, and helped to establish Torres as a somewhat unreliable witness ahead of his testimony, but it caused me to wonder why Feige sanctioned the depiction of cocaine in Daredevil: Born Again just months after ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine.
Why Daredevil: Born Again Could Use Cocaine When ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine Couldn’t
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool Is Now A Bona Fide MCU Hero
Put simply: Nicky Torres isn’t ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool. ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is a huge addition to the MCU’s roster of superheroes, while Nicky Torres is a minor character – and a particularly unsavory one at that. As much as ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is touted as an “anti-hero,” the truth is less nuanced, especially in the context of the MCU. He’s one of Marvel Studios’ new flagship protagonists, and having any of its most beloved roster of superheroes use drugs on the silver screen does not strike the right tone, no matter how it’s spun.
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is now a part of a much larger universe.
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is now a part of a much larger universe. His general exclusion from the core X-Men franchise may have afforded him more reckless freedom, but it would be harder to reconcile his appearance in a movie like Avengers: Secret Wars fighting alongside the noble Avengers when, just one big-screen appearance prior, he was using hard drugs. In contrast, Nicky Torres’ use of cocaine was not only additionally useful to establish his debauchery, but it is unlikely he’ll have a larg
er role to play in or after Daredevil: Born Again.
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Thunderbolts*
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
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May 7, 2027
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