Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to rbe the topic of conversation amongst fans with many analyzing every frame of the movie's long-awaited first trailer. With the MCU taking its first leap into the multiverse in this movie - setting up the potential of a full-blown Spidey-verse at that - there seems to be something for everybody in the Spidey fandom.
Rumors have pointed to the threequel boasting arguably the most exciting cast in MCU history thanks to the potential that Sam Raimi and Marc Webb's Spider-Man movies could now be canon. From villains like Doc Ock and the Green Goblin to heroes like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's web-slingers, Tom Holland's third solo movie is almost guaranteed to be something truly special.
After one particular rumor from late 2020, fans have also been ecstatic about the possibility that Charlie Cox from Netflix's Daredevil could be making his way into the prime MCU as Matt Murdock.
A recent fan theory opened up the possibility that Cox's forearms could be seen in the shot of Tom Holland's Spidey in interrogation, which has been widely popular online for most of the past two weeks. However, even with that theory and the vocal cries to see him return, he continues to deny any involvement with the film just as he did once again recently.
Charlie Cox Denies Spider-Man 3 Role... Again
Daredevil star Charlie Cox spoke with Irish Examiner about the fan theories surrounding Matt Murdock's return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, once again denying an appearance in the movie.
After being asked about the theory that his forearms were seen in the trailer, Cox revealed that a good friend of his from New York was fooled and believed it was Cox in the trailer:
“One of my good friends in New York, who knows me really well texted me a clip from a leaked trailer that has me in it. I had to write back to tell him that it wasn't real. Like you could clearly see it wasn't real. This is a guy that knows me and he fell for it. I'm like, ‘Do you think I wouldn't have told you?'"
Another Spidey fan on the crew for Kin, in which Cox stars, asked the former Marvel Netflix actor if it was true that Matt Murdock was in line for a comeback in No Way Home. Even working with Cox every day on the set of their own show, "he was so hopeful" that the rumors were real and couldn't help but genuinely ask the man at the center of the rumors:
“There was a fan on the Kin crew. I came to work one day, and the rumour had come out that I was filming in Atlanta, and he asked me like it was a sensible question, and I was like, ‘I've been here every day with you, on set' but I think he was so hopeful that he still was like, ‘Is it true?'; I had to say to him, ‘How would it be true?“
Cox continued to firmly deny the rumors by stating that he wouldn't have been "allowed to fly anywhere" due to the continuing state of the pandemic, joking about the MCU's Captain America saving the day:
'Even if I had a few days off, we're in the middle of a pandemic. I'm not allowed to fly anywhere. What are you talking about?' Did he think Captain America came to get me?”
Humor aside, he expressed how grateful he was to take on the role for three seasons of his own solo series and one season of The Defenders. Crediting the late Stan Lee for all of his work with the character, he celebrated being cast as Matt Murdock and called it "a huge honor" to take on the challenge:
“I will start by saying the credit goes to Stan Lee. When the casting of that character works out it to some degree, and the fans get on board, that's a huge relief, and also a huge honour.“
Cox went into detail on how much he enjoyed the opportunity to bring Matt Murdock to life in a way that "ties in with what the fans imagine Matt Murdock to be like." Delivering a version of the hero that connected "to an older audience," Cox spoke on realizing just how deeply these fans connected with the character they'd grown up within the comics:
"I feel very, very grateful that I was able to capture something that ties in with what the fans imagine Matt Murdock to be like. What our show did that hadn't been done before was that we delivered a superhero show to an older audience. One of the things I certainly learned, I didn't realise that if you grew up buying Daredevil comics, you don't cease to become a huge Daredevil fan. You always are. It's a bit like a football team. He's your guy. He's one of your guys, right?“
While still saying he won't be returning for Spider-Man: No Way Home, Cox concluded by admitting he was "very lucky that (he) got the opportunity" to play Matt Murdock and praised the team behind the show for their work and expertise:
"So the short answer is I feel very lucky that I got the opportunity, and that the scripts were so good, and the creators were so good, and every department top to bottom was so good at their job."
Cox Adamant About Daredevil Rumors
With so many rumors circling around No Way Home, fans have shown an overwhelming passion for the potential of such an expansive cast of heroes and villains in this plot. Even as much as Cox clearly sees this, his denials continue to feel genuine compared to actors in the past that have only fueled rumors like this further with their responses.
Fans are clearly more invested in this rumor than many out there simply because Marvel's Netflix shows could officially become canon, which was pushed further by the rumor that Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin could come back in Hawkeye.
Although nothing can be taken at face value until the movie's final cut comes in December, Cox has remained consistent and doesn't seem to want to lead fans into believing something that ultimately doesn't pan out. Whether he actually shows up in No Way Home, he's clearly grateful for his time playing a superhero and is sure to be one of the fans in theaters for No Way Home's debut.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will release in theaters on December 17, 2021.
