As much as we’re being well-fed on Disney Plus, many Marvel fans clearly long for the halcyon days of Netflix’s Defenders Saga. There was something about these longer-form, street-level shows that just hit different from the miniseries Marvel Studios makes. And yet, let’s be honest, there’s one thing we don’t miss about them: the wonky way they connected to the wider MCU.
Although these days Daredevil and its ilk have been officially added to the Sacred Timeline, for a long while there they seemed to operate in their own little bubble universe, one where the Avengers were only obliquely referenced and Stark Tower couldn’t be glimpsed in shots of the NYC skyline. The joy of Daredevil: Born Again, then, rests in bringing many of these characters back but in a context that is intrinsically connected to the larger lore. And, going by the latest late-in-the-day casting for the show, this may extend to cementing a Spider-Man crossover that Netflix could never hope to achieve.
Daredevil: Born Again casting addition only strengthens the ties between Matt Murdock and Spider-Man
As per Deadline, Genneya Walton has officially been added to Born Again, which is currently shooting with reckless abandon on the streets of New York. No character name has officially been given, but she’s reported to be portraying “a young journalist with connections to a character from the original series.” But who could this be? If you believe rumored intel, the answer has already been provided: Walton is said to be playing B.B. Urich, a relative of Ben Urich.
You all remember Ben Urich, right? As played by Vondie Curtis-Hall in DD season 1, Ben was a veteran journalist working for The New York Bulletin who was fighting to uncover Wilson Fisk’s crimes… right up until Kingpin killed him. This was a shocking twist as Urich is a major character in Marvel lore. Traditionally an employee of The Daily Bugle, he’s an ally to both Daredevil and Spider-Man in the comics. Unfortunately, rights issues prevented Netflix from referencing The Bugle, hence the creation of The New York Bulletin as a replacement.
With the introduction of Walton as B.B. Urich, Marvel has the perfect opportunity to redo history and re-establish this shared connection between the hornhead and the webhead. Perhaps B.B. could be a cub reporter for J. Jonah Jameson’s Daily Bugle website — sure, it’s a bit of an InfoWars thing in the MCU, but Betty Brandt’s internship suggests it might be hiring a new generation of journalists to change its reputation. If that’s the case, there exists the potential for B.B. to interact with Peter Parker at some point, much like Urich hops between helping both heroes on the page.
At the very least, it’s heartening to here that the legacy of the sadly short-lived Ben Urich — Daredevil‘s own answer to Barb from Stranger Things — is being honored in Daredevil: Born Again. Although if Fisk kills B.B. as well, the fandom will riot.
