Daredevil's arrival in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been highly anticipated ever since Marvel Studios confirmed the hero's involvement. The character has been heavily featured in the show's marketing, with Episode 5 fully teasing his return via the arrival of his new costume.
A good chunk of the discussion about the vigilante's return was centered around the question of whether or not Netflix's Daredevil is canon to the MCU. In an interview, Charlie Cox sets the record straight by saying that he "(doesn't) know anything," but has a "feeling" that this "is a new beginning," with "new ideas" and won't be tied to the Netflix series.
The Marvel star also pointed out that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige "talks about it as being a Season 1, rather than a Season 4."
Now, She-Hulk's latest episode has offered more clues about how different the MCU's Daredevil really is from his Netflix counterpart. Spoiler alert: he's actually more similar than expected.
Warning - the rest of this article contains spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 8.
1.) Daredevil Still Has a Lighter Side
Based on the character's overall presence, She-Hulk's Daredevil can be best described as an exaggerated version of Season 1's Marvel hero, where he is notably serious but still capable of throwing quips that further cement the fact that he still has a sense of humor.
Throughout Daredevil's three-season run on Netflix, Matt Murdock occasionally jokes around Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, and it looks like this trait will continue heading into Daredevil: Born Again.
2.) 1 Daredevil Line References Season 3's Ending
“I run my practice in Hell’s Kitchen, and we mostly do pro bono work.”
While telling Walters about his practice in Hell's Kitchen, Murdock mentioned that he is not alone in doing "pro bono work." This reveal lines up with the ending of Daredevil Season 3 where Foggy Nelson suggested to Murdock and Karen Page to start working together again.
This could indicate that Season 3's ending is at least canon to the MCU, suggesting that Born Again is indeed a soft reboot.
3.) A Certain Theme Song
When She-Hulk uncovers Matt's identity under the mask and asks him about his superhero-ing pursuits, Daredevil fans will instantly recognize a certain musical tone.
A riff on the opening theme song of Netflix's Daredevil plays as it pulls in on Matt Murdock's face, another suggestion that this is the same version of Charlie Cox's character from the original show and an implication that those show's events are still relevant to this iteration.
The MCU has recently been using certain other musical motifs to harken back to properties, so it seems that this could become an even more common occurence.
4.) Daredevil's Flirty Nature is Still Present
Daredevil: "I can hear their heartbeats."
She-Hulk: "You can hear their heartbeats? Come on. That's a little far-fetched."
Daredevil: “I can hear yours too. Your heart’s beating pretty fast.”
She-Hulk: "What? No, it's not. I'm healthy."
At D23 Expo, Cox described this Matt Murdock as "a bit cheeky and a bit flirty," and this comment was validated by the actor's portrayal in the series. The way that Murdock acts around Walters reminds fans of how he would act when around Karen Page and Claire Temple, the two characters who he ended up sleeping with throughout the Netflix series.
The fact that the episode ended with Murdock and Walters hooking up cement the idea that his flirtatious nature is present, and the charm that he is known for from the Netflix series is still there. Matt's still got it.
5.) Luke Jacobson is Daredevil's Suit Designer, Not Melvin Potter
She-Hulk's fifth episode established that Luke Jacobson is now Daredevil's costume designer, taking over from Melvin Potter from the Netflix series.
Murdock told Walters during their brief encounter inside the bar that Jacobson "made a couple of new suits" for him, indicating that the yellow and red suit is not the first piece of wardrobe that the LA designer made for him.
This would also mean that Jacobson is his first choice when it comes to crafting his costumes now, potentially addressing the fact that Potter is behind bars after the events of Daredevil Season 3 and Matt can no longer use him.
6.) Daredevil's New Suit Is the Same as Netflix's Version, Minus the Color
Based on the overall design, it seems apparent that Murdock's new suit still has similar elements to the Netflix version, just with a different color scheme.
One theory suggested that Murdock could have donned this suit to honor his late father, Jack, with him fighting crime and serving justice to those who need it. For context, Murdock's dad can be seen wearing a red and yellow boxing robe in the Netflix series before his final bout against Carl Creel which led to his death.
The reputation of Matt's original suit design was also tarnished by Benjamin Poindexter's use of the suit in Season 3. Therefore, the redesign could be a way of following on from this continuity by addressing to the MCU's general public that the original Daredevil is indeed back.
7.) Daredevil Still Knows What it Takes to be a Leader
While Daredevil is shown to be capable of working with others in Netflix's Defenders series, Murdock served as the de-facto leader of the team, leading them to battle while also arguing with others, mostly against Jessica Jones.
This trait was clearly apparent in his team-up with She-Hulk, with him persuading Walters to go stealth while also telling her that he was "the lead superhero on this."
Although he is a good team player at times, his trait of often coming to blows with his allies is still there, and this would be a good way to explore how he could butt heads with other major heroes, such as Spider-Man and Captain America in the future.
While the MCU's Daredevil is certainly more exaggerated that his prior interpretation, Marvel Studios' care in keeping a sense of continuity from the Netflix shows does hint at this being the one and the same Devil of Hell's Kitchen. While it still remains to be seen if the prior series are counted as fully MCU canon, Matt Murdock's She-Hulk portrayal is certainly a good piece of evidence for that being the case.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's latest episode is now streaming on Disney+.
