No Way Home’ Cameo Brings Back Fan-Favorite
- Warning: There are massive spoilers ahead for “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
- An unexpected actor shows up briefly at the film’s start from an older Marvel show.
- His return comes the same week as another actor from the same show appeared on “Hawkeye.”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” brings back the long-awaited return of a beloved hero who fans have hoped to see on-screen again one day. They just weren’t expecting to see him make his reentry in a Marvel movie.
One of the film’s biggest surprises comes early on when an unexpected actor appears on screen alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.
This is your last chance to head back before spoilers.
Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures
At the start of “No Way Home,” Peter finds himself in deep water. Everyone knows he’s Spider-Man and he’s accused of murdering Mysterio.
After he’s brought in for questioning, he’s told he’s going to need a good lawyer. If only there were a few good Marvel characters who happen to study law in New York City.
As Peter, his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and Happy (Jon Favreau) sit around a table, none other than Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock joins them for some legal advice.
Netflix
That’s right. Three years after
‘s “Daredevil” series was canceled, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is back. Murdock quickly gets the charges for Spidey dropped off-screen.
Though we don’t see Murdock in his Daredevil gear (he only appears in “No Way Home” for one brief scene), Peter did get the sense that something was different about his lawyer. While sitting around the table, a brick flies in through a window. Before Peter can move a muscle, Murdock effortlessly catches it with his back turned.
Peter, astounded, asks how he did that. Murdock brushes it off, saying: “I’m a really good lawyer.”
Cox’s return wasn’t a huge shock to everyone.
Charlie Cox was in a Broadway show called “Betrayal” with Marvel star Tom Hiddleston in 2019.
Walter McBride/Getty Images
Many predicted Cox’s reprisal of the character in “No Way Home” after several outlets reported Cox was spotted on set.
After the release of the movie’s initial trailer, many were convinced they spotted Cox’s arm hair in the video. (Marvel fans are relentless.) We now know that wasn’t the case.
In December, Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige confirmed to Cinemablend that if anyone was going to play Daredevil again in the MCU that it would be Cox.
“If you were to see Daredevil in upcoming things, Charlie Cox, yes, would be the actor playing Daredevil,” Feige said. “Where we see that, how we see that, when we see that, remains to be seen.”
He’s not the only ‘Daredevil’ actor to make his big return this week to the Marvel universe: Kingpin is back, too!
Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin in “Daredevil.”
ABC Signature / Netflix
On episode five of the Disney+ series “Hawkeye,” Vincent D’Onofrio made a huge return as the iconic Daredevil (and Spider-Man) villain in a small cameo.
It turns out, Kingpin is in cahoots with Kate Bishop’s mom, Eleanor. According to Yelena (yes, lots of Marvel characters to keep track of), Eleanor went to Kingpin to take out Hawkeye. We see the two of them together in a fuzzy image at the end of episode five.
Marvel Studios
In the comics, Kingpin is the uncle of Echo/Maya Lopez (Darnell Besaw), something which was hinted at earlier in the season.
Why we’re seeing Daredevil and Kingpin now: Disney and Marvel Studios had to wait to use the characters again.
Ever since “Daredevil” was canceled on Netflix in November 2018, a legion of fans campaigned to save the series. At the time, Disney and Marvel Studios’ hands were tied.
Because of a deal with Netflix years ago, Marvel Studios didn’t have the rights to use any of the Marvel/Netflix characters, including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher, and Iron Fist, until two years after the shows were canceled.
As of November 2020, Mashable reported that characters associated with the “Daredevil” series were back in play with Marvel.
Is this the same Matt Murdock and Kingpin we know from the Netflix shows? Unclear.
Netflix
Murdock only appears in one scene of “No Way Home,” so it’s tough to say whether or not this is the same version of Matt Murdock or a parallel universe version of him.
It’s possible he could be the same version of Matt we saw on the Netflix series since all of the
shows took place in the same world as 2012’s “The Avengers.”
Should we expect a new ‘Daredevil’ show? It may be too early for that.
Marvel Studios has announced a long lineup of Disney+ Marvel series. There are definitely enough shows rolling out without a more mature “Daredevil,” for now. That doesn’t mean we may not see Murdock or Kingpin again soon.
Since Matt’s a lawyer, it’s possible that Cox could appear again in next year’s “She Hulk” series. Since Kingpin is also a Spider-Man villain, there’s a chance he could appear in a future “Spidey” sequel.
