‘Daredevil: Born Again’ to feature the MCU’s most unlikely crossover cameo yet and resurrect a franchise we feared was prematurely dead

Just when you thought Deadpool & Wolverine had claimed the crown and couldn’t ever be beaten, Daredevil: Born Again has come along and delivered what could be the most unexpected crossover cameo the MCU has ever given us.

Marvel Studios unveiled a first look at the much-anticipated relaunch of the Man Without Fear’s adventures at this August’s D23 — at least, to those in attendance. Unfortunately, the trailer has yet to be officially released online, but thanks to the wonders of leaks and first-hand reportage we know what the teaser contained.

On top of glimpses of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, not to mention the return of Bullseye, Karen Page, and Foggy Nelson, and the introduction of Muse and White Tiger, the trailer also confirmed another addition to the cast that’s left fans scratching their heads.

The Marvels star confirmed to return to the MCU for Daredevil: Born Again

Sorry, Channing Tatum. Move over, Wesley Snipes. The most out-of-left-field MCU cameo surely has to come from this Daredevil: Born Again trailer. The D23 first-look footage confirmed that Mohan Kapur will feature in the series, reprising his role as Yusuf Khan — father to Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan — from both Ms. Marvel and The Marvels.

Aside from the relative obscurity of the character — sorry, Yusuf, but Kamala’s mom Muneeba is the supreme Khan family member — the fact that the world of Ms. Marvel is crossing over with Daredevil at all is something of a head-scratcher. For starters, Born Again promises to be an extension of the street-level side of the MCU — inhabited by the Defenders, the Punisher, and Echo — rather than the cosmic side Kamala dwells in. On a geographic level, too, the Khans live in Jersey City, not Matt Murdock’s Hell’s Kitchen home turf.

What’s more, it’s surprising that the studio would elect to call back to The Marvels so soon after its infamous box office devastation last November. All signs had pointed to Marvel throwing the Brie Larson sequel under the bus — see Deadpool’s “You’re joining at kind of low-point” joke to Wolverine in D&W — and quietly cancelling projects like Captain Marvel 3, a Photon spinoff, and perhaps even the Young Avengers movie (notice the lack of an update at either Comic-Con or D23). And yet here Yusuf is to remind us of Marvel’s greatest financial failure.

Filming restarted on Born Again, after it was overhauled from top to bottom, in January 2024, so it’s not like this decision was made prior to The Marvels‘ release. Those who miss Ms. Marvel can likely take this as a good sign, then, that Kamala is still very much a tentpole figure of this franchise going forward. If we get a Daredevil/Ms. Marvel team-up before Daredevil/Spider-Man, though, then something’s definitely up with the timeline.