Last Christmas, Marvel treated fans of the cancelled Marvel-Netflix shows to a combo of surprises. Firstly, Matt Murdoch — aka Daredevil — had a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Secondly, Kingpin turned up as the Big Bad for the Disney Plus Hawkeye series that finally made Hawkeye cool.
Most surprisingly, both of these characters were portrayed by the same actors as their Netflix incarnations. Both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio returned, much to the excitement of fans. However, there does seem to be one unhappy chappy: Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight.
Steven DeKnight on Daredevil MCU return
After the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, the Netflix Daredevil series exploded in a new wave of popularity. As MCU viewers wanted more of the characters, they turned to Netflix’s fantastic three-season story.
In response to the high ratings, DeKnight tweeted: “Congrats to the cast and crew who poured their hearts into Daredevil for three wonderful seasons!” This led to fans clamouring for the showrunner to return to the franchise for an MCU revival.
One commenter said that the showrunner “deserves another shot” at the series. After the show’s cancellation three years ago, many have expressed a desire for the original team to finish their story in the MCU.
DeKnight simply responded that he “like[s] to end on a high note.” Alongside his tweet, he posted a classic Seinfeld GIF of George Costanza leaving the room and proclaiming , “Alright, that’s it for me!”
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What does this mean?
Fans have taken DeKnight’s comments as disdain towards the MCU versions of both Daredevil and Kingpin. While the MCU incarnations keep the Netflix shows’ actors and vague mannerisms, they appear to be “multiverse versions” of them, likely for legal reasons.
It’s possible that DeKnight doesn't have faith that the MCU will honour the characters the way the Netflix show. This isn't a unique thought. Netflix’s mature nature allowed the showrunners to create truly brutal conditions and realistic situations for its characters.
The MCU’s more family friendly tone will certainly limit what new Daredevil stories can do compared to the shows. While Marvel and Disney could make a more mature show, they very likely won't. However, it could still be very cool.