Throughout the Multiverse Saga, one surprising hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made so many back-to-back appearances that they are standing out as the new face of the franchise. The MCU’s Multiverse Saga kicked off with in 2021 with a slew of new releases, including popular projects such as WandaVision, Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The mᴀssive increase in MCU installments since 2021 has made it harder for characters to make regular appearances like several did in the Infinity Saga. However, one hero is setting a new standard for the MCU.
There is one recent MCU hero who has appeared in live-action almost every year since they officially joined the MCU in 2021. This is reminiscent of several characters from the Infinity Saga’s Phases 1, 2 and 3, who appeared far more frequently, with some even showing up at least once every single year they were in the MCU. This trend has been practically ignored in the Multiverse Saga, but Marvel Studios appears to be learning from its mistakes by featuring one fan-favorite, street-level hero in a number of projects before his debut solo series, Daredevil: Born Again.
This Marvel Hero Has Appeared In The MCU Almost Every Year Since 2021
Daredevil Is The Multiverse Saga’s Most Frequent Hero
Ever since he made his official MCU debut in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, has made appearances every year except for one. Daredevil’s appearances in No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo have perfectly set him up to once again don the iconic red costume as the Man Without Fear and oppose Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, in Daredevil: Born Again. Despite not appearing in his solo project until March 2025, Daredevil has already become the Multiverse Saga’s most frequent hero.
Daredevil’s MCU Project |
Year |
Role |
---|---|---|
Daredevil Season 1 |
2015 |
Lead |
Daredevil Season 2 |
2016 |
Lead |
The Defenders |
2017 |
Main Cast |
Daredevil Season 3 |
2018 |
Lead |
Spider-Man: No Way Home |
2021 |
Cameo |
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law |
2022 |
Supporting Cast |
Echo |
2024 |
Cameo |
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man |
2025 |
Cameo (Animated) |
Daredevil: Born Again |
2025 |
Lead |
Marvel integrated the Defenders Saga into the MCU’s main continuity in 2024, meaning Charlie Cox has now appeared as the MCU’s official Daredevil for a whole decade. He has played a key role in the Multiverse Saga, despite only having brief cameo appearances. He was Peter Parker’s lawyer in No Way Home, Jennifer Walters’ ally and lover in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and fought Maya Lopez while she was working for Kingpin in Echo. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has now debuted a variant of Daredevil who knows Norman Osborn’s secrets, though he’s still played by Charlie Cox.
MCU Heroes Appeared Much More Frequently In Phases 1-3
Fewer Projects Meant Heroes Could Appear More Often
The Infinity Saga’s more spread-out schedule and focus on feature films meant that it was far easier for actors to pop up in any number of MCU installments, and many took advantage of this opportunity. This created a stronger sense of interconnectivity that has unfortunately been missing from the Multiverse Saga, though it seems steps are now being taken to redeem this. Heroes including Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and Nick Fury appeared continuously throughout Phases 1, 2 and 3, popping up almost every year of the Infinity Saga.
For example, Chris Hemsworth appeared as Thor in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 before taking a brief hiatus. Robert Downey Jr. showed up in 2008, 2010, 2012 and then every year between 2015 and 2019, while Chris Evans appeared every year that Steve Rogers was in the MCU, between 2011 and 2019, sometimes making multiple appearances. Even Mark Ruffalo, who has never had a solo MCU project, has appeared almost every year since his debut in 2012’s The Avengers, but this has not been continued by heroes in the Multiverse Saga.
Daredevil Is Setting The Standard For How Heroes Should Appear In The MCU
Charlie Cox’s Frequent Appearances Prove How Heroes Should Show Up In The MCU
Many of the heroes introduced in the Multiverse Saga haven’t been seen in live-action since their debuts. This has befallen the likes of She-Hulk, Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, the Eternals, Love, Hercules, America Chavez, Shuri’s Black Panther, G’iah and many more. The lack of appearances from these Multiverse Saga heroes has spurred criticism that Marvel Studios isn’t focusing so much on connecting the narrative of its ever-expanding MCU. Daredevil, however, has not been a victim of this at all, and has instead been following in the footsteps of his Infinity Saga predecessors.
Daredevil could mark a return to the previous success of the MCU, and his routine appearances in the franchise prove why. Marvel Studios seems dedicated to showing that Daredevil is a crucial character in the MCU, and one who connects a wide array of exciting new heroes, such as Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Echo and more. It would be great to see more heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe copy Charlie Cox’s Daredevil by appearing in several concurrent projects in the future, better establishing the Multiverse Saga as a continuation of the connected Infinity Saga.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027