MCU Theory: Matt Murdock Will Be In Spider-Man: No Way Home (Not Daredevil)

By now, all the evidence points to Charlie Cox appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home – but he'll likely appear as Matt Murdock, not Daredevil, and here's why. The MCU Phase 4 is already shaping up to look far different than the first three phases that saw Marvel through the Infinity Gauntlet arc. With Marvel Television having been rolled into the studio division and Sony and Marvel having re-upped a new contract, Marvel has far more characters to play with than they did before.

That will never be more evident than with this year's No Way Home, which will dive deep into the MCU multiverse concept. Already, multiple characters from Sony's Spider-Man franchises have been confirmed to be appearing in the third MCU Spidey movie: J.K. Simmons, who was last seen in a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home, will be reprising his role of J. Jonah Jameson, which he first played in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Also joining the movie from that trilogy is Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, and Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role of Electro from Sony's Amazing Spider-Man 2.

It's not just villains rumored to be returning, however. Both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire are reportedly also reprising their roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man from their various movies, with each Spider-Man franchise being treated as an alternate universe. Though Andrew Garfield recently denied even getting a call from Marvel, considering the evidence, it's fair to assume Marvel has him under one of its infamous NDAs and he's bluffing his way out of revealing anything – even though, at this point, it's been all but confirmed considering leaked set photos.

Lost in the excitement of all the Sony Spider-Man characters returning, however, is the rumor that Charlie Cox would be reprising his role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil from Marvel's Netflix series, Daredevil. Marvel in the form of Kevin Feige has regularly dropped its historically vague hints that it would be open to bringing back some of the Netflix characters. As always, Kevin Feige addressed the rumors of Daredevil's return as an open-ended possibility rather than a confirmation. The reports of Cox returning to No Way Home was the first somewhat tangible evidence it might actually happen, furthered by the reports that Charlie Cox had wrapped filming on Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, even if Cox returns, it almost certainly won't be as Daredevil, but only as Matt Murdock. Here's why it makes sense.

Peter Parker Won't Run From Far From Home's Murder Accusation

Spider-Man Far From Home J Jonah Jameson JK Simmons Post-Credits

At the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland's Peter Parker seemed to have won the day. However, as mentioned above, J. Jonah Jameson appeared in a takeover video outside Penn Station with a doctored video by Mysterio claiming Spider-Man was about to kill him. He also claimed Spider-Man was the one to call the drone attack and it was he, Mysterio, who stopped it and saved the day. After airing the video, JJJ followed it up by accusing Spider-Man of the murder of Mysterio before unmasking Peter Parker as the identity behind Spider-Man. There's virtually no way to avoid the fallout from the accusation for Peter.

Plenty of people have speculated that the plot of the third movie might involve Peter going on the run and trying to clear his name. It's a fair guess – after all, fugitive superheroes going on the run was pretty much the theme of Phase 3. But that theory doesn't make much sense if who Spider-Man is is truly considered. Peter's just a 16-year-old kid; he has no resources to go on the run. Further, he wouldn't want to hurt his Aunt May or his friends like MJ and Ned by just disappearing and leaving them to wonder, and it's not as though there are even many Avengers left who can help him. Plus, the MCU version of Spider-Man is still extremely naive. Plucky, optimistic Peter would absolutely believe that if he just told the truth, the courts will see he was framed. It's a likelier outcome that he'd turn himself in and trust in the system to clear up the misunderstanding and get to the bottom of the fake video.

Matt Murdock Is The Best Lawyer To Represent Him

Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock Daredevil Tom Holland as Spider-Man MCU

That means he'll need a lawyer: enter Matt Murdock. The beloved hero Spider-Man being accused of murder is a high-profile case, but neither Peter nor Aunt May have a high-profile bank account. Nor is Tony Stark around any longer to bankroll his defense with a hotshot lawyer. That means whatever lawyer agrees to take his case would have to be open to working very cheaply, or to do it pro bono – and there is no defense attorney in New York City who does better pro bono work than Matt Murdock, Attorney-at-Law.

Peter Parker could hear of Matt Murdock's work and contact him, but it very well could be that Matt is the one to seek out Peter and offer to defend him. It's unclear if Matt Murdock is still serving in the role of Daredevil in the MCU, or if his role, similar to the returning Sony villains, is being treated by Marvel as an alternate universe version of Matt Murdock. However, it's impossible to think Matt Murdock wouldn't be Daredevil wherever he is, and if that's the case, then the Devil of Hell's Kitchen would definitely know about Spider-Man and his exploits. Being a fellow vigilante, and one who had been framed himself by Wilson Fisk and Benjamin Pointdexter, Daredevil would have sympathy for Spider-Man's plight, especially once learning Spidey is just a kid. There's no better character to represent Spider-Man in a criminal trial than Matt Murdock, who is uniquely suited to understand both the law and the specific pressures Peter Parker is facing as a superhero. That's why it's likely that Charlie Cox will return in his role as an attorney, not a superhero.

Why It's Better To Have Matt Murdock, Not Daredevil, In Spider-Man 3

Granted, Charlie Cox appearing as Matt Murdock to defend Peter Parker in court doesn't completely rule out him suiting up as Daredevil at some point in the movie, especially not if, as it seems, Spider-Man will have multiple villains to fight. However, if he does, it will likely only be briefly in the third act, not a major plot. But that's alright – better, even. Having Charlie Cox appear as Daredevil would further clutter an already packed movie. The Sony villains and Spider-Men returning, as exciting as it is, already threatens to undermine the importance of the MCU Spider-Man and take the focus off Tom Holland. Throwing Daredevil into the mix would surely be chaos. As a few recent franchise IP blockbusters have shown, too much fan service isn't necessarily a good thing. It's smarter to use Cox in a limited capacity now and then Daredevil back later – for example, in the upcoming She-Hulk series.

Bringing Matt Murdock in, not Daredevil, also allows Marvel to test integrating the Netflix characters into the MCU and formulate a uniform approach. It appears more and more that Marvel Studios is determined to make the non-Disney+ Marvel TV shows non-canon. So if Marvel does indeed decide to bring back characters from the other TV series, then it needs to decide how it wants to handle the in-universe continuity. Will these characters all be considered canonical to the main MCU? Will they be treated like the same characters but from alternate universes, allowing Marvel to make tweaks? Will each TV platform be considered its own alternate universe, i.e. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in one, the Netflix heroes in another, the Hulu and Freeform series another? It's not worth rushing Charlie Cox's Daredevil into the MCU for shallow fan service if it means his return is built on a shaky narrative foundation. Matt Murdock, but not Daredevil, appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, makes the most sense with the story Far From Home set up and ensures a smoother integration back into the MCU.

Next: Every Way Charlie Cox's Daredevil Could Be Used In MCU Phase 4