Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio Dive into Matt Murdock and Kingpin’s Complex Relationship in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

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As a fan of Daredevil and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I am beyond excited about the upcoming season. Charlie Cox’s insights into the relationships between Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page at the start of Daredevil: Born Again are intriguing. It seems they have found a good balance in their lives, but as we all know, things can change quickly in the world of superheroes!

At New York Comic Con 2024, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio provided fans with a thrilling backstage peek at “Daredevil: Born Again,” sharing insights on how the upcoming Marvel series will preserve its Netflix heritage while progressing within the MCU.

Starting from 2021, Marvel has been preparing the ground for a comeback of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk. After some adjustments in production in 2023, the series titled “Daredevil: Born Again” is now moving closer to its premiere on Disney+.

At the Marvel Fanfare panel, Cox and D’Onofrio astonished viewers by revealing unique footage and setting the release date for March 4, 2025. To heighten the anticipation, Marvel Studios disclosed that production on a second season has already started.

At the Marvel Fanfare panel, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio unexpectedly appeared, and later sat down for an exclusive conversation with Joe Deckelmeier from ScreenRant during New York Comic Con 2024. This special event was a collaboration between the convention organizers and ScreenRant, allowing them to broadcast key panels live.

Discussing upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) developments related to “Daredevil: Born Again,” they offered behind-the-scenes perspectives on how their characters have progressed since the original Netflix series.

Discussing their past involvement with the initial show, Cox and D’Onofrio disclosed the methods they employed to depict Matt Murdock and Kingpin’s character development for the new series. They also shared an amusing anecdote about discovering that Daredevil would be renewed for a second season, and admitted one of them nearly uncovered a significant Marvel Cinematic Universe plotline leak.

Screen Rant: Will there be further transformations for the characters Charlie and Matt, hinting at potential additional changes in Daredevil: Born Again? Could you share some insights into how their characters might develop throughout this upcoming series?

Charlie Cox: Gosh, that’s tough. One point I believe Matt Murdock realizes early on in our series is that his obsession with Wilson Fisk, his determination to eliminate him, and his belief that he’s the root of all evil, might have actually caused more harm than good to the city he cherishes.

In this season, we’ll observe Matt attempting to chart a new course, yet something deep within him continues to draw him back towards familiar grounds. This inner force is his instinct, which he can’t ignore, guiding him back to his roots.

Vincent, can you tell us where Wilson Fisk is at the start of Daredevil: Born Again?

Vincent D’Onofrio: Indeed, he’s embarking on a different course. He’s aiming to establish himself in the city and exert more influence. He’s strategically maneuvering with the city government and anyone he believes can financially support his ambition to build his domain. This is where he stands, and you’ll witness his progress unfold as he navigates this journey alongside his wife, Vanessa.

It seems to me that Daredevil is growing increasingly frustrated with his own violent nature and the harm he’s caused to many innocent people. His constant patrolling of the city in his costume has become problematic, and I get the feeling he wants to bring an end to this cycle. There appears to be a larger strategy at play regarding that situation.

Could you two share your thoughts on discovering a fresh role after portraying these characters in three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil? Were there any unique aspects from the comics that you were eager to incorporate into Daredevil: Born Again?

Charlie Cox: It’s quite challenging, actually. You have to balance things out, as you want to keep the traits that made the character appealing in the series, which fans are eager to see again.

Additionally, you shouldn’t aim to completely wrap up the discussion, but rather add some fresh perspectives. On our part, the passage of time has been considerable, so I might as well admit that I have grown older, indeed [laughs]. Matt may seem a tad older, perhaps a bit more weathered, possibly also a touch wiser.

His approach towards law has shifted significantly. For now, I won’t delve too deeply into the specifics, but he’s choosing an alternate route in his legal career, seeming to make a conscious effort to step away from the role of someone who believed they knew what was best for the city. This is quite challenging for him, given his character traits – though it’s still the same character we know, our past experiences provide a rich tapestry of details.

As a huge fan, I can’t help but be captivated by the dynamic between you two, both on-screen and off, particularly during your appearances at various Comic Cons. Has there ever been a desire within you to collaborate on a project outside of Marvel? Have the two of you perhaps discussed this idea before?

Vincent D’Onofrio: I would love to! We haven’t ever discussed [that.]

Are there any actors that aren’t in Marvel that you’d like to see on Daredevil: Born Again?

Vincent D’Onofrio: All the good ones.

Given that Daredevil has now been officially integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was the experience of filming “Born Again” any distinct from what it was during your time on the Netflix series since you’re now part of a broader universe?

Charlie Cox: It had some impact, but I’m having a hard time pinpointing exactly why. Over time, I’ve been asked this question quite frequently, and, similar to Vincent’s initial comments, we were worried it might not be as grim and ominous as the shows we’ve produced before.

It wasn’t false, after all. The series maintains the same level of gritty and grim content as our previous work. Quite intriguing! It’s quite a departure from the norm on Disney+.

It’d be interesting to see how all those parents out there who think that everything on Disney+ is like PG; it’s not, make sure you know that! [laughs] But maybe it’s just the feeling the sense that anyone could pop up, not that they do necessarily, but just in terms of the way we think about the world and think about the people around us, what we do, and don’t reference.

This current season features some delightful surprise appearances that were unlikely earlier, which adds a great deal of enjoyment.

Hey Vincent, in our last encounter with your character on Echo, you were pursuing political ambitions which had comic enthusiasts like me pretty thrilled. As we move forward, are there any classic Daredevil or Kingpin tales that you’d be excited to see brought to life in future adaptations?

Vincent D’Onofrio: There are a couple of very brutal scenarios I’d enjoy being part of, like engaging in a family-related conflict. Additionally, there are others where you’d witness him engage in intense, hands-on combat. Some of these sound really exciting, and I believe we haven’t fully explored that aspect yet. We delve into it a bit more in the latest season, hopefully, one day, there will be multiple characters leaping around the room due to my actions.

In the upcoming season of Daredevil: Born Again, we’re aware that Elden Henson’s character, Foggy, will be returning. Also joining us is Karen Paige. So, let me ask you, are they in a relationship at the start of the new season?

Charlie Cox: We’re in a great spot right now. The trio is functioning smoothly, and the law firm is flourishing. It seems that Matt has managed to strike a good balance between his daytime duties and his night-time responsibilities. From what I can gather, the other two also appear to have come to terms with this situation to some extent.

Karen and Matt have never been closer, and there’s definitely a warm connection between them. We begin in a positive spot, but who knows how long it will continue! [laughs]

Hey Vincent, I remember our previous conversation hinted at the Kingpin being akin to the MCU’s Thanos in terms of street-level influence. Are there characters from the past such as Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, or even Spider-Man that you think would make an interesting matchup for Kingpin on the street level?

Vincent D’Onofrio: Indeed, every single one of them. Let them come, it’s fascinating – Charlie’s responses are spot-on. One captivating aspect of working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with these characters is that we actually know very little about the larger scheme. It might sound peculiar to some, but it’s genuinely the case.

Not too long ago, we were engaged in a discussion with our team of writers, and one of them unintentionally disclosed something. In the middle of this, our supervisor was on a Zoom call. I was taken aback, laughed a bit, and asked, “What did you just say?” They both responded similarly, “What?” The concerned boss who takes great interest in the show quickly interjected, “No, I can’t discuss that at this moment.” To which I replied, “Can’t discuss what? What is the situation here?

If you’re wondering if it’s connected to something outside our event, I honestly can’t say for certain. I’m completely clueless about it.

Charlie Cox: We were on stage at D23 a couple of months ago, we were on stage in front of, I think, 12,000 people?

Vincent D’Onofrio: Yeah, he [Kevin Feige] was on one end of the line.

Charlie Cox: At the event, it was Kevin who served as moderator, and he announced live that we’ll be moving forward with Season 2.

And that was news to you?

Charlie Cox: Indeed! We hadn’t a clue! We left the stage thinking, “Until next time!” Only later, we chatted with some Marvel bigwigs backstage, and I said, “I didn’t realize we were announcing it today! I wasn’t even aware we were doing it, but I had no idea we were going to announce it!” They replied, “Neither did we!

Via ScreenRant

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2024-10-26 21:44