Marvel is continuing its slow absorption of the Netflix Marvel Cinematic Universe series, as reports have it that Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are set to reprise their respective roles as Daredevil and Kingpin in the upcoming Echo Disney+ series.
Both Cox and D’Onofrio have already been folded into the MCU, with the former’s Matt Murdock cameoing in Spider-Man: No Way Home and the latter’s Wilson Fisk revealed as the big bad in Hawkeye. Rumors that the two would appear in the Hawkeye spin-off centered on Alaqua Cox’s Echo/Maya Lopez have been swirling for some time, and now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the news.
What’s more, reports from the Weekly Planet podcast indicate that Cox’s Murdock/Daredevil will have a specific goal in the series: tracking down an old ally, one greatly familiar to MCU fans. That would be Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter in the Netflix MCU series now called AKA Jessica Jones on Disney+.
Prior to launching its own streaming service, Disney relied on other platforms to carry the serialized side of the MCU. Daredevil and Jessica Jones both lasted for three season on Netflix, with Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher getting two seasons each. The characters all crossed over in The Defenders limited series. However, when Disney+ was gearing up for a launch, Netflix unceremoniously canceled all the shows, leaving fans wanting more. (Yes, even of Iron Fist, which ended its much maligned two-season run on a promising note.)
With the rights reverted back to Marvel, plans are clearly in the works to bridge the Netflix MCU with the MCU proper. A new Daredevil series is reportedly in the works for Disney+, though whether it will be a true Season 4 or a re-quel (half sequel, half reboot) situation is yet to be seen. It could turn out that the MCU versions of these characters aren’t exactly the same as their Netflix counterparts; after all, we are in the era of the multiverse.
Regardless, Marvel seems determined to bring back fan-favorite characters from its Netflix days, which is sure to excite MCU diehards. Cox and D’Onofrio received widespread acclaim for their portrayals of Daredevil and Kingpin, and Ritter’s Jessica Jones is one of the most complex and beautifully performed characters in the entire franchise.
As for Echo, Alaqua Cox delivered a breakout performance as the deaf Native American mafia boss in Hawkeye. (As an actual deaf member of the Menominee and Mohican nation, the casting could not have been more spot on.) Turning her from antagonist to protagonist, the spin-off series will find Echo/Lopez returning to her hometown and trying to reconnect with her cultural roots, only to have her criminal past catch up with her.
Zahn McClarnon is set to reprise his role as Lopez’s uncle, William Lopez (who’s death on the orders of Kingpin set off Maya’s journey to becoming Echo). Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, and Graham Greene are also part of the cast, with Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie directing from scripts spearheaded by head wrtier Marion Dayre. Echo is expected to debut in 2023.
Now, who’s up for an Echo vs. Daredevil vs. Kingpin hallway fight?
