She-Hulk: Attorney at Law may be the debut of Tatiana Maslany's Jennifer Walters in the MCU, but her character's appearance isn't necessarily the one that some fans are most excited about. Anticipation is running high for Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, to enter the fold after being showcased in several trailers for the Disney+ show, as well as being teased at the end of last week's installment.
Not much is known about his specific role, but Daredevil will don a brand-new yellow-and-red suit inspired by his classic comic look. Cox will appear both as the lawyer Matt Murdock and superhero Daredevil to assist She-Hulk, and there even seems to be a romantic spark going on.
The Man Without Fear already starred in three seasons of his own Netflix series and cameoed as Peter Parker's lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but that's just the beginning. Daredevil will soon return in She-Hulk, as well as have appearances in Echo and Spider-Man: Freshman Year. And on top of that, he'll also have his own 18-episode solo series titled Daredevil: Born Again.
Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Episode 6 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Thanks to the tease of the superhero trailer Luke Jacobson making his suit in Episode 5, the assumption was that Daredevil's one-and-only She-Hulk appearance would be coming in Episode 6, and yet there was nothing. But Walters did allude to his absence in one of her classic fourth-wall breaks.
She-Hulk Episode 6 Explains Daredevil's Absence
The latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law explained why Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, didn't appear despite having his imminent arrival teased in the final moments of Episode 5.
The opening scene of Episode 6 sees Jennifer Walters preparing to attend her friend's wedding as a bridesmaid. During one of her famous fourth-wall breaks, Walters reveals that this week's installment is "a self-contained wedding episode" at an "inconvenient time in the season" because "that’s how weddings always are:"
“Yes, it’s a self-contained wedding episode. And if you think this is happening at an inconvenient time in the season, you’re right. ’Cause, that’s how weddings always are. But I’m gonna look great so let’s go.”
The line appears to poke fun at fans' expectation of Daredevil appearing in the sixth installment along with She-Hulk finally donning the superhero suit she was given at the end of Episode 5.
Even the title of the episode, "Just Jen," appears to be a nod to the expectation that Walters wouldn't be alone as Daredevil was expected to tag along this week.
She-Hulk Episode 5 ended with Jennifer Walters' visit to superhero tailor Luke Jacobson to collect her custom-made suits, leading to the reveal of Daredevil's new yellow helmet. The tease naturally led most to assume Cox's Daredevil would enter the fold the following week.
This isn't the first time She-Hulk has referenced the show's cameo hype as Walters pointed out in Episode 3 before Wong's debut that this isn't a "cameo-every-week" show, calling for viewers to "remember whose show this actually is:"
“I know you can’t wait to see Wong, I get it… I just wanna make sure that you don’t think this is one of those cameo-every-week type of shows. It’s not. Well, except Bruce. And Blonsky. And Wong. Just remember whose show this actually is.”
When Will Daredevil Appear in She-Hulk?
When Daredevil first showed up in the second She-Hulk trailer, the Man Without Fear can be seen in his superhero outfit opposite Jennifer Walters in hers. While Walters received this outfit from Luke Jacobson in Episode 5, she has yet to actually wear it through six episodes.
So far, Walters still remains firmly opposed to becoming a superhero as she stays laser-focused on her legal career. That would appear to indicate Daredevil won't show up until Episode 8 of She-Hulk, allowing her time to become a superhero and embrace her super suit in Episode 7 while keeping the final ninth episode to herself to avoid removing focus from Walters.
This aligns with the mid-season trailer's hint that Matt Murdock will be crucial to helping Walters through her superhero transformation as he explained how she can help people both as herself and as She-Hulk, just as he has done both in the courtroom and on the streets of Hell's Kitchen.
"I think you're in a unique position to do some real good. Jen Walters can use the law to help people when society fails them. She-Hulk can help people when the law fails them."
Director Kat Coiro also teased previously that Daredevil will show up "later in the season" in a "pretty big episode," which appears to suggest that it will come toward the end of the story:
“…and without giving too much away, there’s a certain someone who comes in later in the season, and it’s a pretty big episode.”
How the Daredevil Hype is Hurting She-Hulk
Fans have been dying to see Charlie Cox's Daredevil back in action ever since his Netflix series ended in 2018, and even more so since Matt Murdock briefly appeared as Peter Parker's lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home. So it's fair to say his She-Hulk appearance may be the most anticipated part of the show for many.
With Daredevil only expected to show up in one episode of the Disney+ series, albeit for a major role, there's no denying he's dominating the discussion more than he should be. After all, Walters herself called for viewers to "remember whose show this actually is," and yet a majority of the weekly discussion revolves around Daredevil.
Simply put, the excitement for Cox's Daredevil has led to a lot of focus being taken away from She-Hulk in her own show. The writers even seem to be leaning into fans' growing impatience with jokes such as the apparent tease that Daredevil would appear in this week's episode.
Perhaps the smarter move for She-Hulk would have been the leave Charlie Cox and his superhero out of the trailers altogether and make his arrival a surprise. Although it's clear to see why he was revealed early as leaks had already spoiled his role while his inclusion proved to be powerful for marketing.
Daredevil looks to be at the forefront of Marvel Studios' plan for Disney+ going forward with roles planned for Echo and Spider-Man: Freshman Year ahead of going solo with an 18-episode season of Daredevil: Born Again. Only time will tell if these same problems of Daredevil hype will harm series such as Echo as well.
The first six episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are streaming now on Disney+ with new installments hitting the service every Thursday.
