‘Black Panther’ and ‘Daredevil’ Could be the Perfect Crossover for MCU Movies and TV

Black Panther is currently claiming its throne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a massive opening weekend haul, and overwhelming critical praise, and an impact with fans that dignify the film’s release being denoted as a bonafide cultural milestone.

Now that the Black Panther movie and character are mainstream crossover hits, fans are already speculating about how the franchise could be woven deeper into the MCU. For our own part, we think that Black Panther is in a unique position to build a significant bridge between the TV and Movie divisions of the MCU.

Here’s why the Netflix Daredevil series is the key to doing it:

There’s Precedent

The first reason why Black Panther and Daredevil are the two Marvel properties to bridge the movie and TV sides fo the franchise, is because there’s already precedent for it happen rooted in Marvel Comics. 

The 2010 “Shadowland” storyline and its 2011- 2012 “Black Panther: The Man Without Fear” follow-up saw Daredevil become the leader of The Hand, only to be corrupted by that mantle. After that conflict was resolved, T’Challa / Black Panther took over being the crime-fighting protector of Hell’s Kitchen, without any of the usual Wakandan technological and personnel resources he once had at his disposal. That milestone crossing of paths between Daredevil and Black Panther is the perfect subject for adaptation:

It Has Crossover Appeal

The great thing about the connection between “Shadowland” and “Black Panther: TMWF” is the two events have are closely-but-not-directly related, making them attractive prospects for any number of crossover formats. “Shadowland” can be contained to the Netflix Daredevil world, while the “Black Panther: TMWF” followup would be a movie event. They could affect one another heavily, without violating the seemingly iron-clad red-tape rules of the MCU (more on that later).

Or, Marvel could even do something significantly more groundbreaking and bold, by actually using the crossover “event” hype to have the Netflix TV heroes make major or minor appearances in a Black Panther movie, or vice versa. It’s really a win-win for both franchises:

It Works for ‘Black Panther’

Right now, Black Panther has put T’Challa firmly on the throne of Wakanda, with his first major acts as king being thwarting a major coup, and enacting revolutionary new policy, which will open Wakanda’s borders to the world. 

We know that in Avengers: Infinity War, Wakanda’s new policy of openness and aid will be put to the test, as T’Challa tries to protect The Vision’s Infinity Stone from Thanos and an army of alien invaders (The Outriders). After the war is done, the Wakandans may not be so keen on helping the world at such cost to their country – and T’Challa’s growing role as a world leader / Avenger (and not solely Wakanda’s king), could put his position on the throne in peril. 

It wouldn’t be surprising if Black Panther 2 saw T’Challa lose everything he has and end up exiled into the outside world he loves so much. By Black Panther 3, the character could be perfectly poised to start a whole new chapter as an urban Avenger – a role that leads him to cross paths with Daredevil and become Hell’s Kitchen’s new protector. Black Panther 3: Man Without Fear would create massive crossover hype from the title alone!

It Works for ‘Daredevil’

Daredevil season 3 will see Matt Murdock dealing with the fallout of The Defenders, with the world at large thinking he’s dead. Early details point to the show using at least part of the “Born Again” storyline from the comics, which brought drastic changes for Daredevil, The Kingpin, and Karen Page. The emotional impact of that storyline, combined with other bits pulled from Marvel Comics, could leave Daredevil in a perfect place for “Shadowland” to be the inspiration for season 4. Combined with the progression of the Black Panther franchise, we could get some nice MCU synchronicity: 

It Works for Phase 4

Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been its longest and most epic chapter yet – so there’s no reason to think Phase 4 is going to be reducing the scope of things. 

Phase 4 is already being touted as a major reset of sorts for the MCU, with new characters stepping into the limelight, while the old vanguard is rotated out. We also expect some bigger and better crossover stories to be worked into the mix; by midway through Phase 4, we should be ready for both Black Panther 3 and Daredevil season 4 to arrive, and bring that first true Marvel TV/Movie crossover along with it!

It Works Behind-The-Scenes

As stated, by the time that Phase 4 of the MCU arrives, Marvel Studios is going to have achieved even more big successes (Avengers: Infinity War) and industry game-changing milestones. At that point, the notion of there being continued division between the TV shows and movies is going to seem more silly than it already does. 

Behind the scenes, a Daredevil / Black Panther crossover storyline works well, logistically, for several reasons: 

• The Black Panther costume wouldn’t require a movie star like Chadwick Boseman to appear in the Daredevil TV series himself – just his voice, if we’re being technical. Charlie Cox’s Daredevil is already costumed like he could appear on the big screen, so that wouldn’t be a transitional challenge, either. 
• Any number of the Black Panther supporting cast (Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright) are already bigger TV stars than movie stars, while the pivotal character of Everett Ross is played by an actor (Martin Freeman) who is popular in both worlds (see: Sherlock, The Hobbit). That’s an easy way around the stigma of movie stars “slumming it” for TV. 
• As Netflix becomes a bigger platform for blockbuster movies as well as TV hits, the divisional stigma will become even more obsolete, and the crossover incentive higher for Marvel. 

It’s What the MCU Needs

Right now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe lives by its brand of being a multi-platform interconnected universe – but it’s branding that has mostly been fashioned out of perception, rather than reality.

With every new Phase, film, or season of an MCU series, it’s getting harder and harder to justify how the Butterfly Effect never seems to properly resonate across TV and film equally, or how big events (like Phil Coulson’s resurrection) are never fully acknowledged or referenced. For Marvel Studios to make good on the true promise of the franchise, the TV and movie worlds need to eventually seem like one big, seamless sandbox, where true “crossovers” can happen – even if they happen rarely.

The intersection between the worlds of Black Panther and Daredevil are a great way to dip a toe in those waters, while still pushing each respective character and franchise forward in organic and exciting fashion. The only question really left to ask, is: what is there to lose? 

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Black Panther is now in theaters. It will be followed by Avengers: Infinity War on May 4th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

Jessica Jones season premieres on Netflix starting March 8th. Daredevil season 3 and Luke Cage season 2 are currently in production, with Iron Fist and The Punisher both already renewed for second seasons.