Daredevil: Born Again is back for Season 2, and it's finally time for the Disney+ series to properly bridge the gap between the Netflix and MCU eras. Daredevil began as a Marvel show on Netflix before the rights reverted to Marvel Studios, which revitalized the show with Daredevil: Born Again. Ahead of the show's revival, the MCU staked its claim on Charlie Cox's character by including him in several other projects, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Echo, and She-Hulk.
The problem is that when Marvel Studios officially made Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the other Defenders series canon, it opened up a world of potential continuity problems, because all of these series are set in New York City, which is a frequent playground for MCU films and shows. It's hard to believe that the activities of the Defenders and the Avengers would go unnoticed by each other, but Marvel has managed to skirt around these issues, mostly by never acknowledging them.
In the decade since Daredevil began on Netflix in 2015, none of the Netflix New York City-based shows have featured an appearance from a theatrical MCU hero. For many years, this was due to a rights issue, but now that the Defenders are part of the MCU, there's no excuse. Marvel Studios has laid the groundwork in reverse, via some crossovers with Cox and the upcoming appearance of Jon Bernthal as Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but it's time for the MCU to return the favor and end an 11-year streak.
With Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and Punisher: One Last Kill actively playing into wider MCU events, like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is taking place in New York City around a similar time, there's only so long that Marvel can get away with keeping its fictional TV New York separate from its fictional movie New York.
Fans are now actively questioning how Daredevil and his friends reacted to canon Marvel events, such as the Battle of New York from Avengers, or the Void's darkness takeover of the city in Thunderbolts*. On the flip side, there are also questions of how Daredevil: Born Again's plot, particularly Wilson Fisk's elevation to Mayor, is impacting the wider MCU and its New York-based heroes.
While it's easier to avoid addressing these things to keep each narrative focused, Daredevil: Born Again feels trapped in a silo, where its characters are free to go and play in the MCU, but no one from the MCU can come in.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 has introduced another local MCU New York character via Tony Dalton's Jack" Duquesne, a.k.a. the Swordsman, who appeared in Hawkeye alongside Jeremy Renner. However, Swordsman is still only a Marvel TV character; no MCU movie heroes have appeared.
Having a superhero from an MCU film appear in Daredevil: Born Again would be the swiftest way to blend Marvel's TV and movie New Yorks, and further establish the former Netflix shows as an official part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Which MCU Movie Heroes Should Crossover in Daredevil: Born Again?
There is no shortage of New York-based heroes in the MCU, and many of them would make a huge impact by appearing in Daredevil: Born Again. The most called-for crossover is definitely Tom Holland's Spider-Man, though licensing deals between Sony and Marvel might prevent it from happening in a Disney+ show.
Still, the MCU has plenty of other potential, like the newly pronounced Avengers, formerly Thunderbolts, who are operating out of Avengers Tower in New York City (and already have a connection to Daredevil: Born Again). An appearance from any of the New Avengers in Daredevil: Born Again could quickly bring the street-level and theatrical side of the MCU together.
Doctor Strange is another character operating out of a different corner of New York, although it's not clear how the creatives would make the magic and fantasy aspects of Benedict Cumberbatch's character gel with the street-level realism of the Marvel Netflix shows.
However, they decide to do it, adding a big-screen MCU hero could majorly revolutionise the worldbuilding and stakes in Marvel's new Disney+ TV universe, and further establish connections between the different MCU sectors currently in operation.
