Like an unloved ginger step-child, the Marvel shows that originally lived on Netflix were generally not talked about by Marvel themselves. They were hidden away when they had visitors. They would smile awkwardly when the banging and shrieking in the basement filtered through to the drawing room.
Some of the shows may have been of variable quality, but Daredevil was superb. So it was no surprise when Marvel started cherry-picking aspects of Daredevil to make their way into the MCU. Even so, Marvel itself failed to fully commit. Were these the same characters? Multiverse versions of Murdock and Fisk? Or completely new characters who happened to be played by the same actors?
Finally, Marvel has clarified their position. Giving an interview to Screen Rant, MCU executive producer Brad Winderbaum took ownership of the wayward children:
“I can say that up until this point, we’ve been a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline, what’s not Sacred Timeline. That was born of, frankly, a period at the studio where we were like, ‘We have to stick the landing with the vendors.’ It was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff.
We were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but there was a lot to balance anyway. But now that some time has passed; now that we see actually how well integrated the stories are, I think that I personally, Brad Winderbaum, would be confident in saying it is part of the Sacred Timeline.”
Daredevil: Born Again remains in stasis, as it is being re-tooled. Rumors are that it is going to be closer to the old show, and further away from the breeziness of something like, for instance, She-Hulk. Both Murdock and Fisk will feature in Marvel’s Echo, which is the first R-rated (or TV equivalent) offering from the MCU, at least until Deadpool 3 lands later this year.
In an interview with Slashfilm, Winderbaum hinted at this:
‘Echo’ marks a new beginning for the studio. It’s a new tone for us, and it is a truly grounded and emotional journey, not just for the audience, but certainly for all of us who are lucky to be behind the scenes.”
All five episodes of Echo will arrive on Disney+ tomorrow, January 9th.
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