Charlie Cox’s Daredevil was off-limits to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a couple of years, and the actor’s thoughts about it include one key comment that I believe to be extremely accurate. Cox’s three seasons of Daredevil on Netflix stand not only as the best in the street-level franchise, with Daredevil as a whole being more exciting than all of Netflix’s The Defenders Saga series, but also the MCU’s shows on Disney+, including Daredevil: Born Again.

The recent MCU TV series is great, don’t get me wrong. However, I felt like Netflix’s Daredevil was more consistent in terms of quality. That said, Daredevil: Born Again‘s announced season 2 could be on the same high level as the Netflix series, as it will be fully developed with the darker tone in mind by showrunner Dario Scardapane instead of being put together after a major creative overhaul like season 1. Marvel had to wait a few years for Daredevil to be available, and I’m glad the studio did so.

Charlie Cox Had To Stay Away From Daredevil Due To An Embargo

The MCU Was Blocked From Using Cox As Daredevil For Years

Daredevil season 2 was released on Netflix in 2018. Despite being arguably the show’s best, Daredevil was canceled alongside the rest of Netflix’s The Defenders Saga once Marvel’s plans for MCU shows on Disney+ became clear. Fans would campaign for Marvel to save Cox’s Daredevil series for years, with few updates on the matter until Marvel brought him back as Matt Murdock for a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, while Kingpin actor Vincent D’Onofrio played Wilson Fisk again in Hawkeye. The actors’ returns in 2021 happened after a specific period in which Marvel could not use their characters ended.

On Variety‘s Actors on Actors, Charlie Cox opened up about how Marvel could not use Daredevil for two years after the show’s cancellation. Cox was initially unaware that there was a two-year embargo, which he came to understand when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige called him out of the blue to see if the actor had any interest in coming back as Daredevil. While his comments about the MCU’s behind-the-scenes are interesting, Cox saying, “There was a lot of pleasure from the fans that the previous show was considered canon,” is the key part of them to me.

I Agree With Charlie Cox’s Comments About How Netflix’s Daredevil Becoming MCU Canon Was Reason To Celebrate

The Defenders Saga Enrichens The MCU In Many Ways

Not only is Daredevil now canon to the MCU, but all Marvel series from The Defenders Saga are, too. That becomes even more clear with the confirmation that Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones will return in Daredevil: Born Again season 2. I believe Cox is completely on the right about just how excited fans were to see Daredevil become MCU canon, and the franchise can only get better from having his version of Matt Murdock in it.

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When looking at the MCU shows on Disney+, I would say that only WandaVision and Loki come close to the level of Netflix’s Daredevil — this excludes Daredevil: Born Again from the conversation. Most of the other series Marvel has released in the past few years have struggled in some form, be it with subpar runs, like Secret Invasion, bad CGI, rushed finales, or something along those lines. While not all of Marvel’s Netflix shows were perfect, Daredevil is the golden standard, so it being considered MCU canon helps it serve as something to look up to for the whole franchise.

How Daredevil Can Be A Major MCU Player Moving Forward

Matt Murdock Is Building A Formidable New MCU Team

Kevin Feige has said that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be the faces of the MCU’s street-level corner. At the end of Daredevil: Born Again season 1, Marvel Studios set it up perfectly. Since Kingpin took over New York City, Daredevil will need to build an army to take it back. Season 1 teased that characters like Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and Tony Dalton’s Swordsman could become part of Daredevil’s new MCU army.

With Jessica Jones confirmed to be back, it seems like the rest of Netflix’s Defenders are also likely to join her as members of Daredevil’s team. I think that Cox’s Marvel hero could be the effective face of the MCU’s gritty street-level corner on TV, while Holland’s Spider-Man is the face of the bigger events in that pocket of the franchise in the movies. If Daredevil ends up joining a Spider-Man or Avengers movie, that would serve as the ideal culmination of all the work Cox has put into the role, becoming an even bigger celebration of his Daredevil return.