After years of waiting and desperate pleas from fans, Charlie Cox returned to the MCU in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - both as the lawyer Matt Murdock and superhero Daredevil. Not only did the superheroes face-off in court and go on their own heroic adventure, but they also struck up a surprising romance.
Prior to the series premiere, Daredevil popped up in She-Hulk's second trailer. highlighted his upgraded costume, taking close inspiration from his Netflix suit while sporting his iconic red and yellow color scheme from Marvel Comics.
Murdock's updated attire was made by superhero tailor Luke Jacobson, who also made She-Hulk's latest look and her specialized business suits. Jacobson replaces Daredevil's Melvin Potter as his suit designer, likely for reasons that can be found in Season 3 of the Netflix series.
"Ribbit and Rip It" didn't explicitly state why Matt Murdock decided to trade his old costume for a comic-accurate one, but the explanation, much like that of the Man Without Fear's new tailor, can be found in Daredevil Season 3.
What Happened to Daredevil's Suit in Season 3?
Season 3 introduced a storyline where Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter (Bullseye) wore the hero's original red suit to wreak havoc in Hell's Kitchen, assaulting policemen and ambushing The Bulletin dressed as the Marvel hero. As a result, it effectively tarnished the Daredevil name, with Murdock resorting to wearing his homemade costume to fight both Dex and Kingpin in the finale.
At this stage, the full canonicity of the Netflix shows is not yet known - although Marvel appears to have indicated they are connected - so it's possible that the events that transpired in those series didn't happen in the main MCU. Still, this angle could be worth looking at when trying to explain the yellow and red suit in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In addition, there's also a compelling reason tied to Marvel Comics as to why Murdock decided to go with this color palette.
Why Matt Murdock's Daredevil Suit is Yellow (Theory)
In Marvel Comics, Murdock fashioned his prototype Daredevil suit out of the boxing materials of his father, Jack, turning his trunks, boots, and robe into his superhero outfit. The Marvel vigilante's yellow costume served as a fitting tribute to his father, honoring the man that he looked up to growing up.
Netflix's Daredevil featured John Patrick Hayden's Jack Murdock, telling a story about a corrupt boxer who later decided to stop becoming one to honor his son, but was killed in the process.
Before his match against Carl Creel, Jack can be seen wearing a red and yellow boxing robe. Knowing that this was going to be his final boxing match, Jack easily defeated Creel, but he was later killed due to breaking his earlier agreement to let his opponent defeat him in five rounds.
Even though the Netflix show's canonicity is still in question, it's very possible that the MCU's Matt Murdock does have a similar origin story to that of his Defenders counterpart, thus explaining his color choices for his new yellow and red suit.
Matt could have donned this suit to honor his late father, with him fighting crime and serving justice to those who need it. Wearing this yellow and red costume could be a driving force for Matt as he is determined to help those who are victims of the corrupted system, seemingly being inspired by the death of his father.
It's likely that this new costume was greatly improved by Luke Jacobson over the one made by Melvin Potter, with the yellow helmet potentially giving the user maximum protection against dangerous impact. While this upgraded garb slightly diminishes Daredevil's access to being stealthy, the Man Without Fear is known to utilize different strengths to make him an effective fighter in any situation.
What Did Charlie Cox Think of His New Daredevil Suit?
Daredevil actor Charlie Cox previously spoke on his latest suit upgrade to Rotten Tomatoes at D23 Expo having shared his initial excited reaction.
Cox revealed he first saw the new suit during a costume fitting around the time Spider-Man: No Way Home was in production, delivering an ecstatic "No way!" to first seeing a design of the gold and red color scheme:
"Yeah, so I had to go to LA to have a fitting, and I walk in, I can say this now, I walk in, I knew I wasn’t going to wear it in Spider-Man, I knew that much. But whilst we’re doing Spider-Man, we were getting ready to do She-Hulk, and so I got to go to LA to a fitting and I walk in, and the suit is hanging there, but then there’s a picture, there’s a drawing on the wall, and it has the gold and red, and I was like ‘No way!’"
How Will Daredevil's Suit Change Next in the MCU?
She-Hulk may not have explained exactly why Daredevil donned a newly-colored suit, but perhaps that explanation will come latter in his Disney+ reboot. Before that rolls around in Spring 2024, Charlie Cox's hero will be back for Echo in Summer 2023, in which he will reportedly switch things out for a black and red attire.
It's a safe bet that that the yellow and red suit has something to do with his late father, Jack, and if it does, it would be a good sign for Netflix's Daredevil to be made MCU canon. But one can only wonder what reasons may be behind his switch to a far darker suit for Echo.
On top of reportedly debuting his black and red suit in live-action in Echo, Marvel Studios will bring to new look to animation as Daredevil returns in Spider-Man: Freshman Year - still voiced by Charlie Cox.
Having already shown up in No Way Home and She-Hulk with appearances lined-up for Echo, Freshman Year, and Born Again, Marvel Studios clearly has major plans for Daredevil in the MCU. One can only imagine this will all lead to joining Earth's Mightiest Heroes for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
The first eight episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are streaming now on Disney+; Daredevil: Born Again will premiere in Spring 2024.
