Charlie Cox Reveals Why Daredevil's 'Variant' Plan Backfired

Charlie Cox says the original concept for 'Daredevil: Born Again' painted the Marvel Netflix heroes as alternate versions of their former selves. He told Deadline's podcast the idea was to treat them as 'variants,' similar to characters on 'Loki,' to welcome new viewers.

According to Cox, that approach created a problem with the audience. He explained that when his statements contradicted events from the original series, fans assumed he was lying rather than playing a different iteration of the character.

Per TVLine, Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays Kingpin, pushed to halt production in 2023 when they felt the show was off course. They reportedly had meetings with Marvel Studios leadership, including Kevin Feige, who supported their creative direction.

D'Onofrio told Reel Rejects that Feige and co-president Louis D'Esposito gave them 'complete freedom' to steer the project. The actor also stated the team is working to make the upcoming third season distinct yet faithful to the gritty tone of the 'Daredevil' brand.