With Daredevil’s first appearance in the MCU thanks to his guest role in She-Hulk: Lawyer She-Hulk, we finally have a glimpse of what Daredevil’s future will look like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We already had that quick Matt Murdock cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but this time we have the Man Without Fear in his full superhero persona, complete with a hallway fight scene (well, almost).
Technically, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil has always been a part of the MCU, but his Netflix series stayed on the sidelines and never got to meet the likes of the Avengers. With the rights to Daredevil now back at Marvel Studios and the new Daredevil: Born Again TV series set for Disney+, the Man Without Fear is finally joining the MCU. But not without some changes. She-Hulk gave us a taste of what’s to come for the MCU’s Daredevil, so here are three noticeable ways the character has changed.
Daredevil’s new suit
The most obvious change for Daredevil is his new suit. Although the yellow and red look is new to MCU viewers, comic book fans will recognize it as Daredevil’s original costume when he debuted in 1964.
In the comics, Daredevil created the suit from his father’s boxing clothes. as a tribute to his death, but in the series, it is superhero fashion designer Luke Jacobsen who creates the new suit. That said, in the Netflix series we did see Jack Murdock sporting a red and gold robe, so perhaps Matt asked Jacobsen to use his father’s colors as inspiration for the new suit. Or maybe he’s just a big fan of condiments, as Jen Walters pointed out with her ketchup and mustard joke.
The evolution of Daredevil’s suit was an important element of the hero’s story in the Netflix series, and that trend seems to continue in the MCU. We hope that Matt’s superhero costume will continue to evolve as he continues his journey in the MCU. We know that the character will next appear in the upcoming Disney+ series, Echo, and then star in his own series. The logo for the new series is the iconic DD chest symbol of the horned hero, so we have a feeling the series will finally introduce that classic suit.
Daredevil’s new attitude
Daredevil’s more colorful look not only serves to reference the character’s roots in the comics, but to match his most carefree attitude now that he’s joined the MCU in earnest. The Netflix series was an appropriately dark take on the character, but while the MCU has its dramatic moments, he generally has a more light-hearted tone and plenty of banter. She-Hulk: Lawyer She-Hulk, in particular, bills itself as a half-hour-long superhero legal comedy, so it’s not exactly the first place you might expect the moody Matt Murdock to fit into. However, in the comics, Daredevil has a long history of being a more roguish superhero who smiles in the face of danger and indulges in romance, and that’s precisely the character we saw in She-Hulk. Plus, having the two Marvel superhero attorneys argue a case against each other was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Matt doesn’t divulge much about his story to Jen Walters., leaving us in the dark as to what he’s been up to since the end of his Netflix series, but his change of heart may imply he’s had time to heal. Matt went through a lot of struggles on that show, so it’s possible that he’s finally reached a point where he can move on and start enjoying the thrills that come with being a superhero. You can’t say he hasn’t earned it.
Daredevil’s new powers
Daredevil appeared in She-Hulk with all the same classic powers we’re used to seeing. However, there was a great improvement in the way his athletic prowess was represented. Specifically, the maneuver it performs when effortlessly sliding down the side of a parking lot. That impressive series of cartwheels is head and shoulders above anything we’ve seen him do on screen, and it’s perhaps a sign that Daredevil is getting a bit of a power boost to better align him with the other MCU characters.
Fans were shocked to see how the Kingpin suddenly had a wildly increased strength and cartoonish amount of durability in Hawkeye, so it seems like there’s a concerted effort to bring these characters out of their more grounded portrayal in the Netflix series and elevate them to the most elegant and elevated level of the MCU. That could mean that we will see Daredevil face more villains with superpowers in the future.
If Daredevil is going to be a major part of the MCU in the future, and it certainly looks like he will be, then it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to eventually join the avengers, as it has in the comics. Considering Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will be facing Kang the Conqueror at the end of Phase 6, Daredevil is going to need all the power he can get.