Charlie Cox Called Vincent D’Onofrio “Delusional” for Thinking Marvel Studios Would Cast Them in Daredevil: Born Again

Charlie Cox had no hope of being recruited by Marvel Studios for Daredevil: Born Again, and went so far as to call Vincent D’Onofrio “delusional” for believing they would be asked to reprise their former roles.

Five years have passed since Netflix announced the cancelation of Daredevil, shocking fans of what had become one of the most popular shows on the platform at that time. From that moment, it became a goal of fans to petition for the stars of the series, along with other popular characters from The Defenders universe such as Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, to get a new lease of life within the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity. In 2021, their dream came true as far as Cox and D’Onofrio were concerned, as the pair made their MCU debuts in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye respectively. In 2022, at San Diego Comic Con, Kevin Feige took things one step further and announced Daredevil: Born Again, a new 18-episode series that would see both stars, and more, back in their roles on a more permanent basis.

However, before being part of any conversations with Feige, Cox was massively pessimistic about possibly reprising his role as the Man without Fear ever again, to the point that he balked at his former costar’s optimistic outlook on their possible return. Appearing recently at Wales Comic Con, Cox shared his original thoughts on the matter, and how he did not believe it was ever likely he would join the MCU. He said (via GamesRadar):

“I really thought that ship had sailed, you know? I thought it was over,” Cox said during an appearance at Wales Comic Con about the prospect of his character returning. “It had been a couple of years since [Netflix’s Daredevil had been canceled]. What I didn’t know was there was an embargo on that. So, there was an amount of time – I think it was probably two years – after the show was canceled before Disney and Marvel could approach us. So, during that time, I didn’t know that. I just thought it was over. And Vincent [D’Onofrio], who plays Wilson Fisk, him and I would chat occasionally on the phone. And he would kind of say, ‘I’m sure they’re gonna bring us back.’ I’d be on the phone being, like, ‘Mate, the guy’s delusional! He’s got to let it go.”

Released in 2015, the first season of Daredevil was the first chapter of a shared universe focused on different Marvel Comics characters, which released another four other series; Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher, in addition to a limited series that united the heroes of the franchise, The Defenders.

Related: Spider-Man, Daredevil & More MCU Heroes Face Kingpin in Amazing Spider-Man 4 Fan Poster

In addition to the returns of Cox and D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal will also participate in Daredevil: Born Again, reprising his role as Frank Castle. Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter was rumored to also appear as the famous investigator but was unable to join the project due to scheduling conflicts. Unfortunately, neither Deborah Ann Woll nor Elden Henson, who played Karen Page and Foggy Nelson on the Netflix show, will be part of the new series.

However, there was one big worry among fans of the old Daredevil series was the possible toning down of its violence under the direction of Disney. It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise when it was revealed that the new series would retain a TV-MA rating. Furthermore, following the arrival of the first trailer for Echo, it became clear that Marvel Studios is finally seeking to target fans that want to see some of Marvel Comics’ more graphic and mature content finally get a chance to shine.

Daredevil: Born Again is currently still slated to debut sometime in 2024, although like many Marvel projects, this is still unconfirmed.