Marvel just revealed the truth about the fate of Charlie Cox's Daredevil during the Blip with the premiere episode of Echo.
The aftermath of Thanos' snap proved to be an important factor in Phase 4 as fans got a new look at what the death of half the universe meant for the world.
That said, audiences were still left wondering whether some characters survived the Blip, including those who only entered the Marvel Studios fray with post-Avengers: Endgame projects such as Daredevil and Kingpin.
Did Daredevil & Kingpin Survive Thanos' Snap?
The opening episode of Echo included a series of flashbacks to the earlier times in Maya Lopez's life, including moments during the Blip.
As established during Hawkeye, while Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton was on his criminal-killing rampage as Ronin throughout the Blip, some of his targets were members of Kingpin's operation.
Notably, while attacking Kingpin's Fat Man Auto Repair shop, Ronin killed Maya's father William Lopez. This tragedy pushed her into her life of crime, being recruited into Kingpin's operation very shortly after.
It's here fans get to see what one of Kingpin's goons indicates it is her "first assignment" for the crime boss. While taking out this rival gang, Echo is attacked by none other than Daredevil, who has a long-standing quarrel with Kingpin.
As this fight scene seems to take place during the Blip while Matt Murdock was continuing his conquest against Kingpin, this finally confirms Charlie Cox's hero survived Thanos' snap in Avengers: Infinity War.
This offers the first peak into Daredevil's activity between the events of Season 3 of his Netflix show - which was recently confirmed to be canon - and his Marvel Studios comeback in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Subsequently, after the fight ended with Daredevil fleeing the scene, Echo returned to Kingpin who told her, "None of my men have ever held their own with him like that," referring to his many years of history with the Man Without Fear.
But what about the fate of Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin during the Blip?
As Wilson Fisk and his criminal empire were still active at the time during the Blip, he also survived Thanos' snap. but D'Onofrio has revealed the slaughter did still harm his hold on the city.
The actor explained to CinemaBlend around the time of his Hawkeye return how, as a result of the Blip, he "lost the power that he had in Daredevil:"
“It was always established to me that it's after the Blip and that he has lost the power that he had in Daredevil, and he wants it back. … In Hawkeye, he considers that he's lost a bit of the control of his city, and he wants his city back.”
He added in a post on X (formerly Twitter) - via ComicBook - how he played Kingpin as a "survivor of the Blip" which had "weakened his crown," and, as such, he is now on a mission to restore his rule:
"Trust me in Hawkeye I'm playing the character as if the character from [Daredevil] survivor of 'the blip' is now set on getting back his city. The blip weakened his crown, his authority over his kingdom. Now he wants it back. He's in damage control mode."
Daredevil's Snap Survival Explains a Lot About His MCU Return
Having started their rivalry with Daredevil Season 1 in 2015, Daredevil and Kingpin have been at each others' throats for several years by the time of the Echo flashbacks. And it's now clear that the feud very much continued during the Blip as the Man Without Fear never slowed down his crime-fighting efforts.
Daredevil: Born Again is set to continue that feud, likely in 2025, meaning the endless back-and-forth between the hero and the crime boss will have been going on for around a decade when the Disney+ series starts.
During his appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, many were quick to point out how Daredevil had changed greatly since his Netflix show, portraying far more wit and a more acrobatic fighting style. And now knowing that Daredevil had been active for almost 10 years by then, it makes complete sense.
Matt Murdock had the entire duration of the Blip to hone his craft, therefore explaining his new tricks, the improvements in his fighting style, the costume change, and his increased sense of humor that were seen in She-Hulk
It's also important to note how this means that in the current MCU timeline, around eight years have passed since the finale of his three-season Netflix show. So, it makes sense how those events wouldn't be referenced an awful lot anymore, and perhaps why some of his old friends may no longer be around.
All five episodes of Echo are streaming now on Disney+.
