After years of speculation, months of confirmation, and days of teasers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe reintroduced Daredevil proper in this week’s episode of She-Hulk on Disney+. The character saw Charlie Cox (Stardust, The Theory of Everything) appear as both Matthew Murdock and his devil-horned alter ego in the episode titled “Ribbit and Rip It.” Comicbook caught up with head writer Jessica Gao (Easter Sunday, Corporate) for details on how this iteration of Cox’s Daredevil came to fruition.
“When they first told us that [Daredevil] was a possibility we just couldn’t believe it,” Gao explained via Comicbook. “And as we were coming up with story and what we wanted him to do, the fact that they kept not saying no was shocking to us. The one thing that I didn’t have control of was the suit. They knew exactly what they wanted the suit to look like.”
For those whose first introduction to Daredevil was Netflix’s 2015 adaptation, his suit is a vibrant departure from the crimson red he sported in the grimy and grounded series. 2022 Daredevil is rocking a yellow and red suit, emulating a signature look pulled straight from the comics. The bold two-toned color scheme is even present on the batons he uses to stealthily wreak havoc on enemies.
Viewers of the show saw this in action as Murdock and Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk, played by Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, Perry Mason), crossed paths in what many describe as the season’s best entry. After meeting on opposite sides of the courtroom in a case of alleged negligence, the two later intersect at the kidnapping of superhero suit maestro, Luke Jacobson, played by Griffin Matthews (Dear White People, The Flight Attendant). Jacobson, who was Murdock’s client, is being held captive by Walters’ client, a spoiled wannabe hero named LeapFrog. After a brief scuffle, the two team up to save Matthews and halt Leap Frog from hopping on crime again.
This isn’t the first time we have seen Cox in the MCU. He first returned as Murdock in last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home defending and clearing Peter Parker of murder charges. And we will see him quite a bit in the televised universe as he’s set to appear in next year’s Echo and eventually his own series, 2024’s Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.
According to Comicbook, episode eight was directed by Kat Coiro (Life Happens, Marry Me) who helmed five other episodes including next week’s season finale. Catch episode nine of She-Hulk next Thursday only on Disney+.