With Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark and Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers stepping away, the Kevin Feige-led Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has transitioned into a new era called the Multiverse Saga.
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The timeless tale of young Peter Parker, a hero of the people from Queens, New York City, embodies the message “With great power comes great responsibility.” Various actors have brought Spider-Man to life on screen, paying tribute to the enduring legacy crafted by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in Marvel Comics.
The Marvel Comics storyline introduces an iconic cast of characters, heroes, and villains, including Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, Green Goblin/Norman Osborn, and Doc Ock/Doctor Octopus, all set against the atmospheric backdrop of vigilanteism in New York City.
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And perhaps there is no franchise that represents this Multiversal madness better than Spider-Man.
A timeless cornerstone of superhero storytelling, Spider-Man’s narrative and characters have been reimagined across multiple media forms, from animated series to blockbuster movies.
Now that all former cinematic Spider-Men have been grandfathered into The Walt Disney Company's MCU narrative, the next part of the grounded, street-level story for the MCU will involve the much-beloved Daredevil (2015) series from the Netflix-era of Marvel Television.
Long rumored to be merging under this new “street-level” band of vigilante heroes based in NYC, a recent hint from one of the most prominent Daredevil stars indicates a fascinating superhero future.
Will Daredevil and Spider-Man Team Up?
It definitely seems likely, now.
Vincent D'Onofrio, the actor who plays the Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, and set to return to the MCU in upcoming Disney+ (Disney Plus) series Daredevil: Born Again responded to Popverse during the recent Dragon Con. The star dropped a major hint about the future of the Daredevil franchise and the MCU at large, which has gotten Marvel fans abuzz.
When asked by the outlet if D'Onofrio would be interested in playing Fisk for a hypothetical adaptation of the Marvel Comics “Devil's Reign” storyline, “where Kingpin becomes mayor and uses the power of his office to launch war on the street-level heroes”, the Daredevil star immediately started acting coy. Answering “cautiously,” according to Popverse, D'Onofrio hinted:
That’s a very interesting question. I cannot answer that because we have a new season coming out of Daredevil.
The audience is then described as letting out “audible gasps,” with many fans clearly picking up on the implications, particularly for Born Again centering around Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Continuing his statement, D'Onofrio added:
I’m sure you get it. Otherwise, I would just flap my lips for the next thirty minutes and it would be so much fun, but that’s not happening.
What does this actually mean? Well, for the uninitiated, the Devil's Reign crossover event—think how The Avengers and Avengers: Endgame brought separate solo heroes together—in the Marvel comic book world is about Wilson Fisk, who has become Mayor Fisk of New York City and bans all vigilantes.
This act forces characters like Daredevil, Spider-Man, and the Avengers into hiding or risking arrest within NYC.
Fisk deploys his Thunderbolts, a team of villains working under the law to enforce this anti-vigilante ban, targeting Daredevil and Spider-Man, with both Peter Parker and Miles Morales caught in the crosshairs of Fisk's personal vendetta.
Doctor Octopus plays a significant role as one of Fisk’s key allies, using Multiverse technology to further his own plans, creating the “Superior Four.” As the heroes fight against political corruption and technological threats, Devil's Reign explores power struggles and moral dilemmas, pushing the characters to their limits in a fight for justice.
As Reddit user u/Xenoslayer2137 had to share, the “other NYC vigilantes” needing to turn up effectively means Daredevil: Born Again is unlikely to follow Daredevil alone:
Can’t do Devil’s Reign without having cameos from other NYC vigilantes 👀
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This absolutely seems like an indication of Spider-Man's future, falling in line with previous reports and scoops indicating Feige's and Brad Winderbaum's “ground-level” plan.
What do you think about Marvel Studios adapting Devil's Reign? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
More on Spider-Man
Spider-Man’s theatrical journey began with Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002 to 2007), who is currently rumored to make a possible return. After Maguire, Andrew Garfield took over the role in The Amazing Spider-Man movie series, with the first film debuting in 2012 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Tom Holland’s Peter Parker faced the consequences of his secret identity being exposed by Mysterio. This led to a series of events involving Doctor Strange, mind-wipe spells, and accidentally tearing open the Multiverse in a universe-ending “Incursion event,” leading to an epic team-up among all previous Spider-Man portrayals.
