Ever since he was first cast as Daredevil for the Netflix series, actor Charlie Cox has recognized the honor and privilege he has of playing a superhero in the Marvel Universe. Years later, that feeling still hasn’t subsided.
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While speaking with Collider about his role in The Defenders, Cox spoke about his character’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what it means to him.
“…When I was in my 20s and I was an actor in London, I’d come out to Los Angeles and try to get work,” Cox said. “Some of my dear friends, who were all trying to look for jobs, ended up being superheroes.”
He wasn’t lying. Some of Cox’s friends ended up playing some Spider-Man and Superman, two of the most popular superheroes in the world.
“I was mates with Andrew Garfield, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, and a ton of these guys who all ended up becoming these superheroes,” Cox added. “When I hit 30, I thought, ‘Well, that ship has sailed, and I won’t get that opportunity.’ And so, it was a wonderful surprise to learn that there was a character who they were interested in me for.”
Cox has frequently mentioned his desire to fight alongside Marvel counterparts like the Avengers on the big screen, but due to the stalemate between Marvel Studios and Marvel Television that’s unlikely to happen.
But The Defenders featured a major crossover of the heroes on the Netflix series teaming up to take on the Hand in New York City. Cox was asked if seeing those other characters changed his perspective of Daredevil‘s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“You know what? Only in so far as I would find myself wondering what Matt would think of these people,” Cox said. “Would he admire them? Would he respect them? What would his opinion be of them, when he meets them for the first time? And then, maybe to some degree, would he learn anything from them? Would there be something that he would take away from working with them and getting to know them? But that was really done for me, in the writing of the show. What’s interesting about the four shows is that tonally, they’re all very different. It’s fun to find a way for all those four tones to come together in one show.”
The Defenders is now streaming on Netflix.
