Daredevil's She-Hulk Debut Won't Be as Dark as His Netflix Show (Exclusive)

Daredevil fans have been clamoring about Matt Murdock ever since his reemergence in the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And following his suited Disney+ debut in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, theories have been flying about the character's new look and castmates already praising actor Charlie Cox's work on the series portraying a fellow lawyer.

Of all the fresh ideas She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is poised to bring to the MCU, one of the most interesting is the decision to dive into the superhuman legal world using a less-serious tone than Daredevil. 

Amid the excitement over the return of Charlie Cox's Daredevil, there are still a few questions as to his new status in the MCU proper, with many wondering just how different the character will be going forward.

What to Expect From Daredevil's Appearance in She-Hulk

During a conversation with The Direct's Pamela Gores, Jessica Gao, series creator and head writer of Disney+'s upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, spoke about the approach taken with Charlie Cox's Daredevil.

Sharing her excitement about working with Cox, Gao noted that the writing team was "shocked that we were able to use him."

"Well, first of all, we were shocked that we were able to use him. Like, when we first heard that he was on the table, I mean, we couldn’t believe it. We kept thinking like, ’Okay, at some point, someone’s gonna say ‘Just kidding.‘’ Like, ‘It’s a cruel joke, and you actually can’t have him.’ And it just kept going and kept going."

Gao also praised Cox's work and behavior, calling him "a wonderful actor, and a wonderful human being."

"And Charlie is so wonderful. He’s so game to do whatever, and he’s such a wonderful actor, and a wonderful human being. What was so fun about bringing him and Daredevil into our world is that people have already seen a Daredevil who is very dramatic, little bit on the heavy side, very dark, brooding."

Asked specifically about Daredevil's characterization in She-Hulk, Gao talked about the fun of expressing "a lighter side of that character."

"And it was so fun to be able to do–and we do this with every character cameo from the MCU–is we take them from the environment that you know them from, which is a much more dramatic and action-oriented role, much more on the serious side, and we bring them into our world and they get to play in the tone of She-Hulk. And they got to explore and we get to see a lighter side of that character."

Daredevil's Characterization Going Forward

Beyond Gao's clear appreciation of Daredevil, her comments about the approach taken with the character are quite telling. It seems that for his re-introduction to the MCU, Daredevil may come off more than a tad bit less serious. This fits with what fans have seen so far from She-Hulk, with an updated costume suggesting, at least literally, a more colorful take on the vigilante.

However, this doesn't mean the character won't dip into his darker roots in future appearances. As Gao notes, She-Hulk lightens up all the elements it pulls in from the wider MCU, focusing more on the humor that can be extracted from them. As such, Daredevil's lean towards the lighter side of things may be more indicative of the show itself than the character going forward.

Echo, the next project Daredevil appears in, will possibly offer the space to dip back into the darkness, with the series focusing on the titular character's violent past. Rumors have already suggested that not only will Daredevil be a significant part of the show, but also that he will be back in a red and black costume to boot.

Additionally, this lightness may not emanate directly from the character himself. Spider-Man: No Way Home, for instance, saw the character of Matt Murdock in a more humorous situation than fans are accustomed to seeing him in. Even so, this humor was more a result of the context than the character himself, with Cox sticking to the deliberateness that made him such a fan favorite in the first place. 

She-Hulk may be looking to do something similar, placing Murdock in more absurd situations while still maintaining the character's sober manner, possibly even using that as another source of comedy.

From Gao's comments, it seems that She-Hulk's less serious approach won't necessarily extend into the tone of Daredevil: Born Again, though it will introduce a slightly lighter take on the vigilante. For fans sincerely worried about Daredevil's characterization in the MCU, it seems She-Hulk is the place to turn for a better sense of the character's future.