Here’s Why Matt Murdock Abandons Daredevil In The Defenders

In just a matter of weeks, Netflix will catch back up with all of its favorite heroes. Marvel’s The Defenders is slated to debut in August, and the miniseries will see Netflix’s vigilantes team up to save New York against one seedy threat. However, when the team first assembles, it doesn’t look like Matt Murdock will be all too eager to suit up as Daredevil.

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Recently, the cast of The Defenders stopped by San Diego Comic Con to hype the miniseries. It was there Charlie Cox sat down for a round-table interview to talk Daredevil, and CinemaBlend got an answer to why the blind hero wants to leave his vigilante roots behind.

“At the end of Daredevil Season 2, everyone failed. Matt failed, and the consequences were devastating. Six or so months have passed, and he’s had to completely reevaluate everything that he believes, everything that he does. And he’s decided to hang up the suit, as it were,” Cox explained.

“He’s focusing all of his energies on being a pro bono lawyer. And I don’t think he has any interest, really, in being Daredevil anymore.”

Daredevil fans shouldn’t be too surprised by Murdock’s change of heart; After all, the hero did have a rough time of it in the show’s second season. The Punisher couldn’t be brought down, Elektra apparently died, and Daredevil was not able to stop Hell’s Kitchen from becoming a makeshift war zone. With his life in flux, Matt is more than ready to re-center himself, but The Defenders will follow the lawyer as he ultimately turns back to his superhero ways.

“Of course, what we know about Matt is it’s like a drug to him, and I think whenever Matt is not doing that, his life becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Because really, Matt Murdock is the lie with DD,” Cox continued.

“He pretends to be blind. He pretends to use a cane. he pretends to find things with his hands. He’s living a lie as Matt Murdock. And so one of the things I love about that superhero, DD is the authentic one. I don’t know how much it would take in order for him to break, but happily for him — or unhappily for him — it’s a disaster. And so he finds himself in a whirlwind of trouble with these other guys, and he needs to step up to the plate.”

The Defenders will bring phase one of the Netflix Marvel universe to a close, and will likely set up the next big phase of the universe. In addition to the core four shows (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist), the universe will also be adding a Punisher series to its schedule, though no release date has been announced.

The Defenders stars Charlie Cox (Daredevil/Matt Murdock), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Finn Jones (Iron Fist), Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing), Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple), Sigourney Weaver (Alexandra), Elodie Yung (Elektra Natchios), Babs Olusanmokun (Sowande), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), Simone Missick (Misty Knight), Rachel Taylor (Trish Walker), Scott Glenn (Stick), Eka Darville (Malcolm Ducasse), Debbi Morgan (Delores), Carrie-Anne Moss (Jeri Hogarth), and Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page).

Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, Luke Cage season 1, and Iron Fist season 1 are all available on Netflix now, while The Defenders is expected later in the year. The Punisher does not currently have a release date. Netflix has announced a second season of Jessica Jones and a third season of Daredevil, but no release dates have been announced for those either.

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