D23 Expo 2022 highlights, Charlie's shout out to #SaveDaredevil, and calming the reboot conversation

The D23 Expo is billed as the ultimate Disney fan event that “celebrates the Walt Disney Company and all of its beloved stories and worlds.”

We had heard whispers that this year’s Marvel Studios presentation would be of particular interest to us, and when a fan spotted Charlie Cox on a flight to California our curiosity was officially piqued. Although we didn’t have any team members on the ground in Anaheim, we know Kevin Feige served up a variety of announcements advancing The Multiverse Saga, which was originally introduced during SDCC 2022. Here are our top highlights from yesterday’s event:

 

An Update about Echo

Photo Credit: Marvel.com

One of the most exciting dispatches was for Echo, with Alaqua Cox and her supporting cast taking the stage to answer questions and introduce new footage from her titular series, set to debut in the summer of 2023. The Disney Insider had this to say about what he saw: 

“Almost feels like the tone of Netflix shows” has a pretty nice ring to it. 

 

A Daredevil Reunion At Last

When Echo’s panel was finished, one actor remained on stage with Kevin Feige. Vincent D’Onofrio wanted to talk about his show, but a very British voice chiming in offstage took exception and set the record straight: 

“Wait. Your show? I think you mean my show.”

Photo Credit: Marvel.com

At which point we were all Brett White:

Photo Credit: Marvel.com

Kevin and Charlie exchanged some light banter, and absent footage from the yet-to-be-filmed Daredevil: Born Again, fans were treated to an upcoming scene from She-Hulk:

Courtship confirmed? Either way, we can’t wait to watch this Daredevil-centric episode of She-Hulk on Disney+ very soon!

 

Charlie Expresses Appreciation to #SaveDaredevil and the fans

When it was time to talk to the press, Charlie wore his heart on his sleeve as he spoke of his second life playing this character: “It’s been really emotional. I never thought that this would happen.” 

He told Variety, “my life has changed since having a phone call with Mr. Feige.”

And what about a “slapstick” Daredevil? Charlie doesn’t think pratfalls are truthful enough to the source material, but over the course of eighteen episodes there will be room for levity, fun, and lightheartedness. 

What could possibly top listening to Charlie Cox, at long last, musing over the future of Matt Murdock? For the #SaveDaredevil team the icing on the cake was an unexpected shout-out from the Devil himself (and only the first seen of many other interviews!):

“You know, I feel like I owe them a huge thank you. The #SaveDaredevil campaign, campaigned so hard for this… and I would be there thinking oh guys, I think it’s over. It’s so nice, but I think we need to give up. And they didn’t, and here we are.”

Suffice it to say that we are deep in our feels after yesterday, and our sense of gratitude and optimism continues to grow. 

 

Addressing fandom Reboot Concerns

Now that the immediate excitement of the day is behind us, it hasn’t escaped our attention that not everyone in the fandom is on the same page. Articles declaring Daredevil: Born Again a “complete reboot” are circulating, despite the words having never been uttered by Kevin, Vincent, or Charlie. In fact, when asked whether there were specifics he could share, Charlie was careful to point out that he hasn’t read anything yet from Corman and Ord:

There is nothing. Everything they've said is all I know. And I actually had dinner for the first time with some of the gang last night, some of the writers and stuff, and I was like what can you tell me, and they're like "nothing!”

It’s a good reminder to fans that Daredevil: Born Again is still in such early stages of production that most things said on record will remain mostly speculative in nature, no matter which side of the “reboot” conversation you choose to be on. In fact, hearing Charlie’s own words regarding the subject clarifies that his thoughts remain opinions rather than facts. When asked by Extra whether the new show would be a continuation or something new, and whether he had seen any scripts, Charlie replied:

I don’t know anything…I haven’t seen a script, and it’s like the best feeling ever, because I currently have no secrets. And I’ve had so many secrets for so many years…so I can’t, I literally can’t give anything away. My feeling is, based on the title ‘Born Again,’ I think that the sense is it is a new beginning, it is going to be different, it is going to be tonally different. It is going to be new stories, and new ideas.

So what can we actually extrapolate from these responses, especially the potentially concerning quote he attributes to Feige saying the series is “a Season 1, it’s not Season 4”? Well, we can start by laying out some simple facts. The first being that nearly four years have passed since season three of Daredevil dropped on Netflix. In the time since, Marvel TV was absorbed by Marvel Studios, meaning any hope of a revival would see Charlie’s Daredevil being inserted into the MCU proper, and anyone following the MCU knows a hell of a lot has happened since then. Approximately eight years’ worth of new stories, including Thanos’ snap and a multiverse of madness, has surely altered everyone’s paths in ways big and small. 

Given all that, for better or worse, a season four picking up directly after the events of “A New Napkin” would be wildly out of step with the rest of the universe, and simply unrealistic. There are also important details that are still up in the air, like whether or not Matt Murdock / Daredevil was snapped or if he remained on Earth through the blip, something that could have fairly major ramifications on the Matt we see in present-day MCU vs. the season 3 finale. And lest we forget, Vincent D’onfrio already confirmed that his Fisk in Hawkeye was the same as his Fisk from Marvel Netflix Daredevil, so why should we assume any differently for Matt?

In a more recently posted video interview with ComicBook.com, Charlie expresses his enthusiasm for returning to Daredevil in more encouraging words, saying:

"You know, to be starting on this journey again, to have the body of work we have behind us, but to be able to take some of that and some of the experiences we've had and now tell more stories again," Cox said. "It's like a dream come true."

Charlie did share some details about tonal shifts required to bring his Matt Murdock into the MCU, and it doesn’t sound a million miles from how we found him brimming with superhero swagger at the beginning of Daredevil season two. He spoke about how it was necessary for him to adapt the character to fit the tone of She-Hulk:

What was really fun about being in She-Hulk…is that obviously the tone of this show is radically different. And in order for my character to really, for it to be appropriate to be on this show... I had to adapt a little bit... my Matt Murdock, so that he was in a place in his life where he is having fun, and you know, life is good, and it's a little bit cheeky and you know, a bit flirty, and it's tonally slightly different. And it was a bit of an experiment, but it was really enjoyable, and I had a really good time.

At the end of the day, we’ve always firmly maintained that any revival or return of Daredevil the series would necessitate at least a soft reboot, which you can hear us talk about in more than a few #TalkDaredevil podcast episodes and minisodes. A soft reboot can easily honor the original story arcs and emotional journeys of the first series, and lay the groundwork for Born Again to tell “new” and “different” stories rather than telling stories that have already been told before. There is no reason to believe DD:BA is suddenly tossing everything in the bin and starting from scratch. The fact that Matt Murdock as shown to us on screen and through trailers in Phase 4 have been so clearly and recognizably the Matt Murdock we’ve known since 2015 remains excellent proof of that, like this latest clip of him in the She-Hulk midseason trailer:

When a comic book series relaunches a new #1 that doesn't erase everything that came before it, so until we have more facts (not conjecture) about what is in store for the Disney+ show, there is no point in allowing ourselves to spiral into a pit of despair, and letting perfect become the enemy of good. Because Charlie Cox as Daredevil is, without a doubt, a good thing.

And on the off chance you’re reading this, Charlie, thank you.  

updates, commentarySaved Daredevildaredevil, d23, echo, charlie cox, discourse2 Comments