Summary
Daredevil: Born Againmight still be shrouded in mystery for the most part, but fans have come one step closer to confirming which of the character’s many iconic storylines the show might be adapting, and its one that eagle-eyed fans already saw coming.
Daredevil: Born Againhas been on the fan wishlist for years, being the Marvel Studios answer to fans of the Marvel NetflixDaredevilshow requesting that the character portrayed by Charlie Cox be brought back after the rights to all the Marvel characters on Netflix’s roster reverted to Disney.Kevin Feige would eventually confirm Cox’s returnand announceDaredevil: Born Again,which got far in the production process before being scrapped for further development. The new iteration of the series would see the returns of many more characters from the Netflix era, including some iconic villains.
Many fans have long speculated thatthe MCU could be adapting the Devil’s Reign storylinefrom the comics that saw the Kingpin ascend to a mayoral seat, and now it’s been al but confirmed by the man behind the muscle himself, Vincent D’Onofrio. As relayed byPopverse, D’Onofrio was asked about his interest in reprising his role for a future adaptation of the Devil’s Reign storyline at Dragon Con, and his sly response pretty much gave the game away. “That’s a very interesting question. I cannot answer that because we have a new season coming out of Daredevil,“ D’Onofrio answered before giving the excited audience another verbal wink. “I’m sure you get it. Otherwise, I would just flap my lips for the next thirty minutes, and it would be so much fun, but that’s not happening.”
If the upcoming project, which theDaredevil: Born Againactor insists outdoes the Netflix version’s TV-friendly violence, is indeed adapting Devil’s Reign, then things could get really interesting. In the comic storyline, Wilson Fisk uses the power of his elected office to outlaw unsanctioned heroes, mobilizing an iteration of theThunderboltsto be his enforcers as he takes down many heroes. A lot of the plot points in Devil’s Reign are quite consequential, with at least one major character dead by the end and Luke Cage set up as teh new mayor. The original storyline is a bit more of an ensemble event than aDaredevilaffair, but the general structure of the plot could certainly be used to awesome effect in the upcoming Disney+ series.
Despite the name,Daredevil: Born Againwas never likely to adopt the storyline it’s named after, as the Netflix-era series did a version of that already. With Devil’s Reign, there’s a lot more new material to work with, especially for D’Onofrio’s newly canon MCU antagonist.Kingpin could even be the perfect new villain for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, and the man himself has spoken out about his desire to go toe to toe with the webslinger on at least one occasion. Using facets of the Devil’s Reign storyline to make the character more prominent in the MCU would open up all sorts of useful doors for a franchise that seems determined to tell more grounded stories with its upcoming slate of projects. A villain like the Kingpin is a great choice for an MCU post-Deadpool & Wolverinewith projects like the political thriller-inspiredCaptain America: Brave New Worldand the equally groundedThunderbolts*.Despite having powerful characters like a Hulk and Sentry involved, these projects give off a very different vibe from the pre-Endgamefare, and D’Onofrio is already a perfect fit.
D’Onofrio’s genuine interest in the character and his rapport with fans surrounding his reprisals are just some of the reasons why the creator of Netflix’sDaredevilthinks it’s impossible to recast the roleof the Kingpin. If Devil’s Reignisgoing to be the order of the day inDaredevil: Born Againand other future MCU projects, then there’s no better actor to portray the character at the height of his political power and influence. For now, fans will have to sit patiently until the show actually premieres.
Daredevil: Born Againis currently set to hit Disney+ in March 2025.
