All eyes are on Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield this December, but Charlie Cox is a not-too-distant number three.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has long been rumored to include Cox's Matt Murdoch, the titular character from Netflix's Daredevil. Fans have clamored for various Marvel Television characters to make their way into the proper Marvel Cinematic Universe. James D'Arcy's appearance in Avengers: Endgame as Jarvis from Agent Carter remains the only time a Marvel TV character crossed over into the films.
While it's unlikely that Marvel Studios would ever make the Netflix Marvel shows canon, the door is open for those actors to show up in the MCU as new iterations of their characters. Actors like Vincent D'Onofrio and Jon Bernthal have entertained the idea of bringing their takes on Kingpin and the Punisher into the MCU in the past, but they have remained silent about any actual plans.
While Cox's rumored No Way Home role has gained significant traction over the months, not much has rumbled about his Daredevil love interest. Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page starred opposite Cox for three seasons of Daredevil, as well as making appearances in The Punisher and The Defenders.
Even if there are no current plans for Woll to reprise her role in the MCU, the actress already has plenty of ideas for how Karen Page could factor into future films.
Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page in the MCU?
Netflix's Daredevil roster is eager to leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speaking at an MCM London panel recorded by DriiftyFilm, Daredevil stars Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll admitted they know nothing about their Marvel futures, but both agreed there is more to do with each of their characters. Cox specifically cited "Bullseye" and the "unfinished history" between Matt Murdoch and Karen Page as elements he'd like to explore further.
"God knows if anything can happen for us in the future. I really don't know. Obviously, if something were to happen, that would be brilliant, but because enough time has passed, I imagine it would have to be a kind of reimagining. That's assuming they choose to use us, it would be an interesting scenario because it would be a reimagining but with the same foundation. I don't know what it would look like. I know there are many great storylines to tell. We never really got into the Bullseye stuff. There's an unfinished history with Karen and Matt that we got to almost get there in Season 2."
Woll jokingly responded that their duo, as well as Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson, was "the future."
"Nelson, Murdoch, and Page. That is the future."
Cox wrapped the question by noting he wants to rectify the cliffhangers they ended the show on.
"There's a lot of loose ends we'd like to tie up."
As for how she'd factor into the MCU, Woll believes that Karen Page has a lot to offer from an undercover perspective.
"When I think of Karen, I think of scrappy, unapologetic, gonna get the story, gonna get the truth. I like the idea that if we have more [Wilson] Fisks, more of these sort of big tyrants that she can look into, because Daredevil could use his fist but Karen gets to use her pen. I would love to see that kind of strengthen and continue in that direction. Karen could work for the Avengers and stuff. I go out and get information and bring it back. I could be an investigator for hire for SHIELD going undercover. Things like that."
While both dismissed the idea of definitive MCU futures for their characters, Cox left fans with an optimistic reminder.
"Daredevil was an Avenger in the comics."
What's Next for Daredevil Stars?
December will be a very revealing month for that very question.
Cox's Matt Murdoch has long been rumored to factor into Spider-Man: No Way Home, specifically serving as Peter Parker's lawyer in his ongoing identity crisis. Most recently, Vincent D'Onofrio has been speculated to be making multiple appearances in the upcoming Hawkeye series on Disney+. If both of those rumors prove true, Woll's leap into the MCU as Karen Page becomes significantly more likely.
That said, there's no guarantee that the Netflix Marvel characters joining the MCU is an "all or nothing" situation. Marvel Studios could very likely be picking individual actors to return to their roles in a re-imagined portrayal, while also recasting others. Mahershala Ali has already been cast as the MCU's Blade, ruling him out of returning as Cottonmouth from Luke Cage. It also doesn't help that he falls to his death in that series, but the point stands.
If Woll were to fulfill her proposed idea as an investigator for SHIELD, she would have plenty of projects to potentially play in. The ground-and-pound side of the MCU will be fairly active throughout the rest of Phase 4, with projects like Armor Wars, She-Hulk, and the rumored Thunderbolts movie focused more on Earth-bound conflicts.
Fans can expect some answers when Spider-Man: No Way Home premieres in theaters on December 17.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
