Warning: This article contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Ever since the rights to the Matt Murdock character reverted back to Marvel Studios, the MCU has welcomed Charlie Cox’s Man Without Fear without hesitation. After a cameo appearance giving legal advice to Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Cox reprised his titular role from Netflix’s Daredevil series alongside Jen Walters in the penultimate episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s first season (and again, briefly, in the finale).
This was no mere cameo; for one episode, Daredevil became the co-lead of the show. But the Daredevil seen in She-Hulk is very different than the one fans are used to from his Netflix series. He now has quippy one-liners, comic-booky action scenes, and a new golden costume design.
His New Threads
Daredevil’s appearance in She-Hulk was first teased when his new mask was glimpsed in the office of superhero fashion designer Luke Jacobson. When he finally showed up a few episodes later, fans got to see the whole outfit. Daredevil’s new costume has the same devilish design, but with a snappy new golden color scheme.
Some fans prefer the look of the old all-red design, but Daredevil’s new costume is a fitting tribute to his late father. The gold colors are inspired by the trunks, boots, and robe that his dad Jack wore in the boxing ring.
Quippy One-Liners
Ever since Robert Downey, Jr.’s ad-libs defined the comedic tone of the MCU, every superhero to grace this universe has traded in quips. Matt Murdock never fired off quippy one-liners in his Netflix series, but he has plenty to hand in his She-Hulk cameo appearance. When he first tangles with Jen in her She-Hulk form and she removes his mask to see a fellow attorney hiding behind it, he asks her, “You ever destroy a parking lot before?” She promptly goes back to “leave a note.”
When Daredevil first teams up with She-Hulk and tells her, “Just let me do my thing,” and she replies, “Yeah, and I will do my thing,” he sarcastically scoffs, “You don’t have a thing. You don’t ever do this.” It’s a safe bet that Daredevil will have even more quips in his future MCU appearances.
Less Grounded Physicality
Daredevil’s fight scenes in the Netflix series were always very grounded and realistic. By comparison, in She-Hulk, the character’s action scenes are much more comic-booky. He’s suddenly acquired superhuman physicality that was never seen in the Netflix show.
In She-Hulk, the Man Without Fear somersaults off of rooftops, gets flung from a speeding sports car without hurting himself, and effortlessly parkours down the side of a parking garage. This advanced athleticism will make Daredevil worthy of rubbing shoulders with the Avengers in the wider context of the MCU.
Self-Aware Humor
Daredevil’s appearance in the MCU doesn’t just give him a sense of humor; it also gives him a comical self-awareness. When he explains his powers to Jen, he’s aware of how far-fetched it sounds for a visually impaired superhero to use “echolocation” to fight crime. He concedes that Jen has a point when she says, “I’m sorry that I assumed the guy dressed as the Devil was the bad one.”
In one particularly meta moment, he explains the difference between goons and henchmen: “Goons and henchmen are two completely different animals; henchmen believe in the cause, goons are just there for the paycheck.”
Leaving Hell’s Kitchen
In Netflix’s Daredevil series, Matt was on his home turf in Hell’s Kitchen, the crime-ridden corner of New York that he defends with the help of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the Iron Fist. But in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, he leaves Hell’s Kitchen behind in favor of sunny Los Angeles.
The relocation isn’t permanent. Matt only stopped by L.A. to pick up his new costume from Luke, defend him in court, and save him from Leap-Frog’s “Lilypad” lair. The morning after sleeping with Jen, he caught a flight back to the Big Apple.
Joking During Action Scenes
The MCU is notorious for filling its action scenes with dialogue. The franchise’s heroes and villains never come to blows without exchanging plenty of banter and insults. Spider-Man has Ned and MJ taped to his chest on a video call when he swings out into the woods to fight Electro.
In She-Hulk, Daredevil bickers with Jen while they dispatch Leap-Frog’s “tadpoles” and discuss possible legal strategies for the low-rent supervillain at the same time. In his Netflix series, Daredevil would never crack a joke during an action scene.
His Lighthearted Attitude
In his Netflix series, Daredevil was a dark, brooding antihero who took himself seriously, both in court as a lawyer and on the streets as a vigilante. In She-Hulk, he has a much more lighthearted attitude. He uses air quotes to describe his heightened sensory abilities and he delivers almost all of his lines with a smile.
At the Legal Ease, he sends a bright green appletini across the bar as a peace offering to Jen (and a wink to her superpowered alter ego). In the years since the events of his Netflix series, Matt has really mellowed out.