When the Netflix’s band of Marvel TV shows ended unexpectedly, it left many viewers shocked. Characters such as Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) all had TV shows end suddenly, which came as a huge blow for many Marvel fans. However, fans of the hit TV show Daredevil took the news the hardest, especially as the series was coming off a very successful Season 3.
With Marvel entering Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they have chosen to resurrect the franchise and continue where they left off, with many of the actors reprising their roles again. But this could also clash with a Phase 5 movie that is currently in development, Blade, with the namesake character being played by an actor from a Netflix-Marvel TV show.
How Blade Is A Big Problem For Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again is the second reboot of the franchise, following the popular Netflix series that ran from 2015-2018 before being unexpectedly canceled. Now that Marvel has once again secured the screen rights for the IP, they are bringing a new show based around the blind superhero to Disney+ in 2024 as part of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Another IP that is being revived in Phase 5 is Blade, which will star Mahershala Ali playing the iconic Day Walker. This could prove a problem for some, as Ali was previously on a Marvel-Netflix Luke Cage which exists in the same world as Daredevil. In the Netflix era of shows, Ali portrayed Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes on Luke Cage.
Many cast members from Netflix’s corner of Marvel are set to reprise their roles. Charlie Cox will once again take the lead as Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio will become the Kingpin again, and Bernthal will again become the iconic Punisher character. While Ali will not be reprising his role in the show, it will be a curious to see him as the titular character in Blade knowing the actor is part of the Daredevil world by extension.
The Multiverse Can Fix The Problem (And Make More)
It would be very easy to simply explain away the fact that the new Daredevil show is a different series from the Netflix show. And while that could be the case since it is part of the MCU, with so many iconic roles being reprised, there will always be the obvious connection between the two. Since actors such as Cox and Fisk are returning, we would have to see an important character such as Jessica Jones portrayed by another actress to be able to set it apart from its predecessor.
Another option is that Marvel can quietly never mention it or refer to Cottonmouth and Blade, and act like the two don’t aren’t portrayed by the same actor. It wouldn’t be the first time that an actor has played more than one Marvel character. Other examples include Josh Brolin, who played both Thanos and Cable, and Chris Evans played both Captain America and Johnny Storm.
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