Marvel StudiosDaredevil: Born Again has a Spider-Man problem, and it’s an issue that sort of spoils what makes the MCU so special in the first place.
If you’ve not been keeping an ear out for MCU news, it’s possible you missed the latest tidings on the upcoming Marvel show. According to Marvel Exec Brad Winderbaum, Spider-Man can’t appear in any of the Disney+ live-action series.
“They [Sony] have long-form television rights,” Winderbaum told the Phase Hero Podcast. “[Spider-Man] can do like 30-minute animation.”
That poses an issue for Marvel, specifically their plans for Daredevil: Born Again. If you watched Echo (there are dozens of you), you’ll know that Kevin Feige and the other MCU boffins have grand plans for the supervillain Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin.
The Devil’s Reign
Disney+Specifically, they want to adapt arguably his most impressive modern story, Devil’s Reign. This comic series saw the kingpin of crime swap the criminal underworld for the bright lights of politics. Fisk ultimately became the new Mayor of New York City and used his new political powers to persecute the superhero community.
It was a fun run and a really compelling story, and it’s clearly one, judging by the Born Again trailers, that resonated with the writers on the new Daredevil series. After all, we know that Fisk is going to become the Mayor of New York in the show, and that’s going to bring him into conflict with Daredevil; it seems to us (and other MCU commentators) that the series is undoubtedly adapting parts of Devil’s Reign.
Here’s the rub, though. If Marvel is going that route, their onscreen version of the story risks feeling small if it doesn’t include other heroes. You see, in the comics, when Fisk became mayor, what made him such a threat (and the story so memorable) was the power he held over so many Marvel heroes who call the Big Apple home.
From memory, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Moon Knight, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man (of course) all live in New York and were threatened by Fisk’s vendetta. This feeling that Fisk could target any of our beloved heroes is what gave Devil’s Reign its stakes and a sense of jeopardy.
Daredevil: Born Again then, if it is adapting Devil’s Reign, may be hamstrung by the absence of characters like Spider-Man, who should be affected by Fisk’s actions but won’t be because Sony and Disney refuse to play nice. To make matters worse, Spidey’s hardly the only hero who’s affected.
We know Doctor Strange isn’t going to portal into the show – Benedict Cumberbatch is a busy guy, and Marvel is unlikely to “waste” one of his contractually obligated appearances on something as frivolous as a TV show unconnected to his broader story – and do you think other big name heroes (Cap, Hulk, Thor etc) are going to appear? I don’t.
The Spider-Man Problem
Marvel StudiosThis Spider-Man problem (as I’ve decided to call it in honor of the character’s complicated ownership) then is the reality of the movie-making industry butting up against the fantasy of a world full of superheroes living in the same city.
This problem risks turning the MCU’s greatest strength – the fact all of its characters are in one coherent universe and can, in theory, crossover into other stories – against itself because if we don’t see heroes interacting, it completely undermines the idea of a shared universe, and in the case of Born Again potentially leaves it feeling unmoored from the rest of the MCU.
It’s a shame because I think the idea of doing Devil’s Reign is a good one, it’s just I worry we’re not doing it right. Now, it’s possible my fears are unfounded. We know for a fact that Born Again will introduce some new vigilantes to the MCU – like the hero White Tiger – and The Punisher is set to return.
Marvel ComicsThat suggests Marvel knows it needs more superheroes from New York’s streets to tell this story effectively. And who knows, maybe they’ve lined up a few of the Defenders to return as well (wouldn’t that be something?) for a little Netflix-style reunion.
I’m also under no illusion that what Daredevil fans really want from this show is a character-driven conflict between Fisk and Daredevil, not countless cameos. I’m just worried that trying to do Devil’s Reign, one of my favorite stories of the last decade, on a small scale could leave it feeling less like The Devil’s Reign and more like The Devil’s Drizzle… geddit cos reign sounds like rain… the best jokes need explaining.
If you want more Marvel news then check out our explanation of Daredevil: Born Again’s title and who we think is going to die in Born Again. Beyond that we’ve also got a list of all the upcoming Marvel movies coming as we close out Phase 5 and movie into the exciting Phase 6.
