Daredevil Actor Charlie Cox Wants Character To Stay R-Rated In The MCU

Daredevil star Charlie Cox believes that his MCU character is much better suited to being in an R-rated movie.

Cox recently made his MCU debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home, reprising the role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil for the first time since the cancellation of the Netflix series in 2018.

Between Cox's appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the return of Kingpin in Hawkeye, and the moving of the Netflix Marvel shows to Disney Plus, it's clear that these characters have a future in the MCU.

While hugely welcome news, this has predictably raised questions about how much of the Daredevil we remember will make it over to the wider Marvel universe. The Netflix shows were bloody, brutal affairs, after all. We can't imagine Kingpin will be taking anyone's head off with a car door next time he shows up in a Disney Plus show.

While the exact nature of these characters' next appearances remains a secret, Cox has admitted he feels Daredevil works better when it's allowed to lean into its grittier nature. However, he added that it can still work in a more family friendly setting.

“It absolutely can work, but I guess what you can’t deny is Daredevil is never going to work as well in a PG world as Spider-Man does,” Cox told ComicBook.com. “Do you know what I mean? That’s the point. I think that the age of the character, the Christian guilt, his history with women and stuff, it’s like it’s a little bit more mature, it has to be.”

While he may have his doubts, Cox said he wouldn't bet against Marvel finding a way to make it work.

“I wouldn’t put it past the folks at Marvel to be able to accomplish that,” he explained. “I’m such a fan of everything they’ve done so far, I wouldn’t underestimate them at all. So, if they wanted to make a more PG version of Daredevil, I back them to find a way to do where it feels totally in keeping with everything we’ve done [on the show]. And maybe there’s a little less blood, maybe there’s a little whatever, but I back them to do it.”

With the arrival of the Netflix heroes in the MCU and the news that Deadpool 3 is likely to remain R-rated, there's still hope that Daredevil will retain that edge. For now, we just have to wait and see.