Former Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight has opened up on why the Netflix series only had loose connections to the MCU – and how that ultimately proved to be a good thing for the show.
In response to a question to a fan asking whether there were “any plans on making Daredevil have more connections to the MCU”, DeKnight wrote on Twitter: “The MCU and Marvel Television at the time were not exactly simpatico. We had very, very limited access to the toys and had to basically stay in our lane. Which isn’t a complaint!”
For DeKnight, who would only serve as showrunner for the first season before Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez stepped in for the second season, it allowed the creative team to thrive at what Daredevil would ultimately be known for: gritty, nuanced character work.
“I think it forced us to really concentrate on character and not flashy cameos or gimmicks,” DeKnight added.
For much of its three seasons, Daredevil largely avoided the events of Marvel Studios’ film universe and the MCU.
There were occasional mentions of ‘The Incident’ (aka Avengers’ The Battle of New York), as well as allusions to Iron Man and Thor. But, as DeKnight says, Daredevil mostly stayed in its lane.
In recent years, Netflix’s Defenders-adjacent series (Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones) have been deemed canon in the MCU.
Charlie Cox’s Daredevil even appeared in multiple Marvel Studios projects before getting his own standalone series, Daredevil: Born Again, earlier this year. A second season is now filming and, inevitably, there’s been plenty of speculation that one of the Defenders could pop in for a visit to Hell’s Kitchen.
For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies coming your way very soon – including all the latest on Thunderbolts*.
