At long last, Daredevil: Born Again is now officially filming, finally granting the wish that every MCU fan had after Netflix cancelled the beloved series four and a half years ago in Fall 2018. Following on from his roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Charlie Cox is back as Matt Murdock, alongside old enemy Vincent D’Onofrio (who himself already returned in Hawkeye).
Given that these characters have pre-established ties to the wider franchise, then, it’s entirely possible that Marvel Studios will use Born Again to pave the way for various MCU movies and TV series that are due to follow in its wake. In fact, the fans would be downright disappointed if it doesn’t, as the revival needs to make the most of the fact it’s now fully connected to this shared universe, unlike during the Netflix days.
But which MCU projects could Daredevil: Born Again feasibly set up, once it starts streaming on Disney Plus in early 2024? We have some ideas…
Spider-Man 4
This is the pie-in-the-sky possibility that’s probably highly unlikely to happen, but, hey, we can dream. Given that Cox cameod in No Way Home, maybe Born Again could continue the newfound connection between DD and Spidey and have Tom Holland show up in the finale’s post-credits scene, revealing he needs Matt Murdock’s help to fight, uh, let’s say the Grizzly. You never know, it could happen!
Heroes for Hire
Defenders Saga fans were patiently waiting on a Heroes for Hire spinoff back in the day, but of course it never happened. Marvel Studios has the power to set up such a show on Disney Plus, however, in Born Again. Seeing as Luke Colter seems happy to let Luke Cage go and Iron Fist will no doubt be rebooted (even if Finn Jones wants another chance), the series could find room for new incarnations of Luke and Danny Rand.
Wonder Man
This would be one of the easiest ones to tee up, should the Born Again team decide to make this crossover happen. Wonder Man is set to star Aquaman‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, the actor-turned-superhero. All Daredevil would need to do to establish the character in the MCU, then, would be to have posters for Williams’ movies dotted or around or else have him show up on a TV somewhere in the background. Job done.
White Tiger
A White Tiger series isn’t something we know to be on the cards right now, but we weren’t aware Echo was coming until we met her in Hawkeye. Rumors are pointing to the Latina superheroine featuring in Born Again, with certain stories suggesting Wednesday‘s Jenna Ortega has even secretly landed the gig, so it would make a lot of sense for the character to debut in DD before pouncing into her own show.
Thunderbolts
This one could go either way. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Val has already marked herself out as the Nick Fury of the Multiverse Saga, thanks to appearances in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, so she has the potential to turn up in any contemporary Earthbound MCU project on either the big or small screens ahead of her coming to the fore in Thunderbolts.
Captain America: New World Order
Similar to Wonder Man, Born Again has the ability to sow the seeds for Captain America: New World Order in a subtle, world-building way. While Dermot Mulroney’s President Ritson will be in office in Secret Invasion, Cap 4 is believed to see Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross rise to the position of POTUS. Maybe some newspaper headlines here and there in DD could establish the political shakeup happening off-screen?
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law season 2
Considering how adorable the duo were in She-Hulk, everyone’s hoping we’ll see more of “Sharedevil” (is that their ship name? If not, it should be) in Born Again. Unfortunately, at this stage we don’t know if Tatiana Maslany’s Jen Walters will turn up or not. Either way, the relationship between Matt and Jen will have to be addressed in some form, which may provide some clues as to where Shulkie goes next in a potential season two of her own series.
The Punisher revival
Jon Bernthal began his MCU career as Frank Castle in Daredevil season two so it would only be appropriate if he was brought back into the fold in Born Again. We’ve yet to have any kind of comeback for him confirmed, although some social media activity has given us hope. Fingers crossed Bernthal will drop by to mow down some mobsters ahead of the studio announcing a Punisher revival coming to Disney Plus. Which is not something we’d ever thought could happen not long ago, but here we are.
Jessica Jones season 4
The good news is that of all the Defenders, Krysten Ritter is the most likely to feature in Born Again, given that the Jessica Jones actress appears to have all but confirmed her return as the acerbic private eye on Instagram. Having her back at all is wonderful, but lets hope her role in DD is Ritter’s own equivalent to No Way Home and precedes her own Netflix show getting a new lease of life thanks to the Mouse House.
Midnight Sons
Marvel is expected to announce a Midnight Sons team-up at some point, and Daredevil is one of the most popular suggestions for who should be on the roster. The Hornhead doesn’t actually have any history with the team in the comics, but his inclusion would work if the group was expanded from just supernatural heroes to comprise the MCU’s more mature, hard-edged vigilantes (like the Marvel Knights). If that’s the case, then Born Again could be the perfect place to set the stage for these heroes to assemble.