Daredevil has been born again in the MCU. With Disney Plus’ Echo very much serving as a spiritual sequel to the beloved series starring Charlie Cox as the Man Without Fear, a Marvel exec has gone and made a bombshell revelation: the former Netflix series is part of the franchise’s canon and takes place within the Sacred Timeline.
“Up until this point, we’ve been a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not Sacred Timeline,” Echo producer Brad Winderbaum admitted when dropping the continuity-shaking announcement. “That was born of, frankly, a period at the studio where we were like, ‘we have to stick the landing with Avengers.’ You know, it was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff. We were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but it was a lot.”
As Winderbaum alludes to, when Daredevil kicked off in 2015, the MCU was much more insular and focused on the world of the Avengers. In the days of the Multiverse Saga, however, things are vastly more spread out, which leaves room for Marvel to accept that the adventures of Matt Murdock can fit into established canon.
“But now that some time has passed,” Winderbaum continued, “now that we see how well integrated the stories are, I think that I, personally, Brad Winderbaum, can be confident saying it is part of the Sacred Timeline.”
Combining Winderbaum’s assertion with another hefty piece of evidence we’ll come to in a minute, it certainly seems like Daredevil is unquestionably canon, just in time for the rebooted Daredevil: Born Again coming to Disney Plus in 2025. And yet this news creates some major ramifications for the MCU at large that fans, and perhaps even Marvel itself, might not have accounted for.
10. All of the Defenders exist on Earth-616
This goes without saying, but let’s say it anyway: if Daredevil is canon, then that means the entire Defenders Saga is canon too. Sure, this was implied by Jon Bernthal’s return as the Punisher in Born Again, but now it’s an irrefutable fact. Given how closely those former Netflix heroes crossed over, you can’t have one or two without the rest — yes, even Danny Rand. So Daredevil getting the official MCU stamp means The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all do as well.
9. The Kingpin’s backstory is canon
Winderbaum’s comments are exciting, but do you want the real proof that Daredevil is MCU canon? For the first time ever, Marvel just used footage from a Marvel Television series in one of its trailers. The Echo promo above makes use of copious Daredevil clips to reacquaint audiences with the grim childhood of Wilson Fisk. This more than anything assures us that the OG DD‘s storylines will be paid off going forward.
8. The dark fallout of The Avengers
If Daredevil is now officially part of the Sacred Timeline that means we can review elements of the series through the wider MCU lens. For example, season 1 of the show makes clear that there were some shocking after-effects of the Battle of New York, as depicted in The Avengers, that was entirely skirted over in the films. Although it’s portrayed in the movie as a straight-up victory for the heroes, DD reveals that the conflict between the Avengers and the Chitauri — or “The Incident,” as it’s always called in the series — decimated Hell’s Kitchen, leaving it vulnerable to be taken over by the Kingpin.
7. There’s only one Iron Fist
If the Defenders Saga happened in this universe that means that Marvel Studios is honor-bound to actually follow up on those cliffhangers that went nowhere when Netflix brought the axe down. Case in point, after two painfully tedious seasons, Iron Fist finally got interesting at the end of season 2 when Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing took Danny Rand’s powers and became the new Iron Fist. Let’s not overlook that when it comes time for a Heroes for Hire Disney Plus series.
6. Luke Cage is a crime boss
Likewise, if Marvel does intend to ever follow-up on all the hints that Luke Cage and Iron Fist could form a Heroes for Hire team-up at some point, they’ll have to address the Godfather in the room. At the end of Luke Cage season 2, Mike Colter’s musclebound good guy pulled a Michael Corleone and decided to take over from Bushmaster as Harlem’s new crime boss. This set the stage for a fascinating third season, one where Luke attempted to clean up his town without getting corrupted, that sadly never happened. If Luke returns, though, it would be disingenuous to wipe his massive status quo shift under the rug.
5. There’s a dragon skeleton under New York, you guys
By rights, The Defenders should’ve been the small screen’s answer to The Avengers, but instead it was more like DC’s Justice League (the Whedon cut!). Marvel TV elected to go with a gonzo storyline that saw these street-level heroes pitte against an ancient ninja cult called the Hand whose ultimate goal is to dig underneath New York City to uncover the skeleton of a dragon, so they can use its bones to brew an elixir that bestows immortality. So anytime you’re watching one of the dozens of MCU movies set in New York, just remember that Iron Man and co. are traipsing around over dragon bones.
4. The strange case of the missing Avengers Tower
One of the few unfortunate things about Daredevil getting the official stamp is that a curious continuity error is now 100% canon. You see, anytime we get a glimpse at the NYC skyline in the Defenders shows, an iconic MCU landmark is notable by its absence. Due to the lack of CGI funds, the Avengers Tower is never seen, with the real-life MetLife Building captured in its place. We used to be able to look at this as proof that DD took place in another timeline, but now we’re left stumped by this bizarre vanishing act.
3. Stan Lee’s character finally has a name
The much-missed Stan Lee was even more of a fixture than the Avengers themselves across Marvel’s Infinity Saga, appearing in each and every film in one of his customary cameos. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we eventually learned that Lee’s mysterious, well-traveled character was an informant for the Watchers. However, it was Daredevil that actually gave Lee’s character a name. Posters used as set dressing throughout the show feature Lee as Captain Irving Forbush, a senior NYPD officer apparently chosen as the face of a widespread ad campaign. Now that name is canon.
2. If Daredevil is canon, so is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
OK, but here’s the thing, though. Sure, Daredevil being part of the Sacred Timeline means that the whole Defenders Saga is too, but it doesn’t just stop there. DD also slipped in some subtle but meaningful crossovers with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For example, biker gang the Dogs of Hell first appeared in AoS before becoming important to DD season 2 and various New York Bulletin headlines refer to AoS events. Therefore, Daredevil becoming canon means Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has to be. Yes, folks, Phil Coulson lives!
1. Whatever happens in Born Again can’t be ignored
Finally, all the Marvel TV shows are canon to the MCU! It’s an exciting time, right? Well, yes, but only so long as the franchise treats these characters with the respect they deserve. According to rumors, the original plan for Born Again involved both Foggy and Karen being killed off. Now, it’s important to stress that the series is currently being retooled from top to bottom, so this is hopefully no longer the case. Still, whatever creative decisions Born Again makes about what happened after DD season 3, fans will have to accept them as 100% in keeping with the continuity of the Netflix show and cannot dismiss them as taking place in alternate timeline. It really is all connected, and we just have to hope that this will prove to be a good thing in the long-term.
