Although Daredevil already ended its run on Netflix, it was made clear that the story of Matt Murdock is far from over, especially when the rights of the character reverted back to Marvel alongside the other Defenders. The continuation began when Charlie Cox's Marvel hero and Vincent D'Onofrio were integrated into MCU films and series, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye.
After the impactful MCU debuts of both characters, rumors began to swirl online about where fans could expect Cox and D'Onofrio's next MCU appearances. It has been heavily rumored the pair will reunite in Alaqua Cox's Echo Disney+ series, but details about their roles are still being kept under wraps.
It was eventually reported that Daredevil would receive a Disney+ series, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that it is the first Marvel Netflix series to get a "new yet continued" show.
During San Diego Comic-Con, this news became reality when the confirmation came straight from the Marvel boss himself.
The MCU's Daredevil Has a Lengthy First Season
During Marvel Studios' mega panel at Hall H at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, president Kevin Feige confirmed that the MCU's Daredevil will receive his own Disney+ series via Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox is set to return as Matt Murdock aka the Devil of Hell's Kitchen alongside Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin.
The upcoming Marvel series will have an 18-episode first season on the streaming service, and it is set to premiere sometime in 2024.
The 18-episode season of Daredevil makes it the longest MCU series on Disney+, surpassing the nine-episode count of WandaVision, What If...?, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. This episode count also exceeds Daredevil's Netflix run, since the first three seasons of that series included 13 installments each.
For comparison, here are the lengths of the other MCU series on the service so far:
- WandaVision - 9 episodes
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - 6 episodes
- Loki - 6 episodes
- What If...? - 9 episodes
- Hawkeye - 6 episodes
- Moon Knight - 6 episodes
- Ms. Marvel - 6 episodes
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - 9 episodes
Daredevil: Born Again also holds the record for the longest first season of a live-action series on Disney+, beating other non-MCU shows like The Mandalorian, Diary of a Future President, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series:
- The Mandalorian Season 1 - 8 episodes
- The Mandalorian Season 2 - 8 episodes
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 1 - 10 episodes
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 2 - 12 episodes
- Obi-Wan Kenobi - 6 episodes
- The Right Stuff - 8 episodes
- The Book of Boba Fett - 7 episodes
- The Mysterious Benedict Society - 8 episodes
- Diary of a Future President Season 1 - 10 episodes
- Diary of a Future President Season 2 - 10 episodes
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers - 10 episodes
- Big Shot - 10 episodes
- Turner & Hooch - 12 episodes
- Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. - 10 episodes
- Just Beyond - 8 episodes
Will Daredevil Receive a Season 2 After Record-Breaking Length?
Charlie Cox's Daredevil has yet to debut on the small screen, but the Marvel hero is already making Disney+ history.
Based on the math, an 18-episode season would end up being about 12 hours of content if each episode has a 40-minute runtime. As a result, this length is similar to that of a season of Netflix's Daredevil, which was around 13 hours a season. That said, this episode length may be planned since it could be intended to match what people have expected from Daredevil as a series.
The 18-episode first season of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is a fitting comeback for the character, and it allows him to develop even further while still incorporating elements that made the Netflix series work.
Given the historic length of Daredevil's first season on Disney+, this would indicate that this isn't a typical MCU series. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that Daredevil: Born Again is "very special," meaning that it has the potential to be a massive small-screen event on Disney+.
The 18-episode season could do a plethora of things, not just for Daredevil, but for the MCU.
For starters, Born Again could finally answer the lingering question of whether the events that transpired during the three-season run of Daredevil on Netflix are canon to the MCU or not. This could be explained through various references, returning cast members, and incorporating big MCU events such as the Decimation to previous occurrences from the Netflix show.
The lengthy season could also give room for more MCU characters to make an appearance. Given the timing of its release in the latter half of Phase 5, Daredevil: Born Again could showcase other street-level heroes and catch up with viewers on what they are doing now before the next big crossover event in Phase 6.
Characters like She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Echo, and even the other members of the Defenders (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist) could make appearances. It is unknown if Tom Holland's Spider-Man will be involved, but Feige did tease that he has a bright future in the street-level department alongside Daredevil, so Sony Pictures could make an exception.
Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2024.
