Marvel Studios teases the MCU canon status of Netflix's Daredevil series following the character's long-awaited debut in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The Disney+ series sees Tatiana Maslany take on the role of gamma-powered lawyer Jennifer Walters. The series debuted on August 18 on the streaming platform, with Charlie Cox's Daredevil making his appearance in episode 8 on October 6.
In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 8, "Ribbit and Rip It", Jennifer Walters is dragged into a complex case where she must represent amateur super-hero wannabe Leap-Frog (Brandon Stanley) against super-hero outfit designer Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews) over a potential suit malfunction. Despite losing the case and damaging her relationship with Luke, Jennifer does strike up a friendship with Luke's lawyer, New York-based attorney Matt Murdock. When Luke is kidnapped by Leap-Frog in an attempt to force him to make costumes for himself and his goons, Jennifer teams up with Daredevil to rescue the designer while growing closer and understanding one another in how they approach their superhero lives. With Daredevil set to receive a Disney+ series of his own in the form of Daredevil: Born Again and Vincent D'Onofrio returning as Kingpin in Hawkeye, many viewers are excited to see the legacy of Netflix's Marvel series be continued into the wider MCU, but are also wary to whether what this may mean for the older series' canonicity. However, a recent article released by Marvel may have shone a light on the Netflix series' current MCU canonicity.
In an article published on Marvel.com following the release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 8, the cast and crew of the series discussed Daredevil's long-awaited MCU appearance. However, in the opening paragraph of the article, it was hinted that Cox's Murdock who appeared in both She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and will lead Daredevil: Born Again, is the same character who appeared in the Netflix series. Check out the extract below:
While the character was teased earlier in the season, he’s finally reintroduced to audiences in Episode 8 of Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk — and he’s very much the same Matt Murdock audiences have come to know and love over the years, once again played by Charlie Cox returning to the role.
Will Marvel Ever Reference The Netflix Shows?
While Netflix's Marvel series were added to Disney+ in March, their canonicity to the MCU has been a hotly disputed topic among audiences, only increasing as Daredevil's future in the MCU has been revealed. Though initially considered as being part of the wider MCU during its earlier years, many have assumed that due to Marvel Studios producing their own television for Disney+ may lead to Netflix's projects being retconned out of the continuity of the wider MCU. However, alongside Cox's and D'Onofrio's recent appearances in shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, it is rumored that Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones may make appear in Echo, leading to many assuming that Marvel Studios is sustaining the continuity set by those productions, or at the very least taking a "soft reboot" approach. With a "soft reboot", Marvel Studios' future productions involving characters like Daredevil may not be explicit continuations of Netflix's Marvel series but may contain subtle nods that hint at the events of those series have taken place in the MCU.
With Murdock having shared scenes with both Jennifer Walters and Tom Holland's Peter Parker, the character's place in the MCU has been firmly set. Despite this, the issue surrounding the Netflix series' place in the MCU continuity has been a widely discussed subject that surrounds the character's appearances. However, with Marvel's article hinting that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's Daredevil is indeed the character from the Netflix series, longtime dedicated fans may be relieved to finally have more clarity before he and Kingpin face off once more in Daredevil: Born again.
Source: Marvel.com