Crossovers That Should Exist: The Mighty Ducks Is a Daredevil Prequel

Do you ever watch a movie or TV show, see an actor you recognize from another movie or TV show, and think to yourself, "Huh, aren't those characters are pretty similar?" That's normally a pretty meaningless thought — until you keep thinking about it. And thinking about it. And thinking about. Eventually you get to a point where you're lying awake in bed in the middle of a Tuesday night, wondering how you can convince the rest of the world that Fulton Reed from The Mighty Ducks did, in fact, grow up to be Daredevil's best friend and sidekick, Foggy Nelson.

Obviously the more popular half of the Bash Bros didn't end up moving to New York and opening a law firm with a blind mixed martial artist. The only actual connective tissue between Fulton and Foggy is that they're both played by Elden Henson. Actors play different characters all the time. It's quite literally their job. But I couldn't help thinking how easy it would be to connect the dots if Disney ever just wanted to drop all of its labels and throw everything under its towering Mouse Ears into one inter-connected franchise.

Let's just think back to Fulton in the first Mighty Ducks movie, shall we? A young Elden Henson first played the character in 1992, and he was discovered by Gordon Bombay when he accidentally shattered a car window with a stray slapshot. All of the other kids had heard rumors about Fulton, but when he became part of the team, they all learned that he was actually a swell guy.

Fulton was asked to step up on occasion in D1, but he clearly showed that he works best when attaching himself to a stronger, more alpha ally. He goes from a timid sharpshooter in the first film, taking on the role of the enforcer only when necessary, to a full-on force of nature in D2. What changed? He met Portman, the kid who represented the version of himself he always wanted to be. From that moment on, there was no more Fulton, only one half of the Bash Brothers.

He was no different as an adult, either, awkwardly forced into a role as the "leading man" until he learned that his partner didn't actually need his help. When Matt became Daredevil, Foggy unlocked a new level of potential.

There's also Fulton's loyalty to consider. When the Hawks were preparing a prank on the Ducks at the beginning of D2, Fulton was the one who showed up and put them in their place, keeping his friends from harm. Foggy consistently tried to do the same for Matt Murdock, even when he was embarrassingly ill-equipped for the job.

As far as the whole "lawyer" thing is concerned, Fulton's coach and mentor likely laid the groundwork for that. Gordon Bombay was a hot-shot criminal defense attorney when he was forced to take over as the coach of the Ducks in order to fulfill a community service sentence. However, he learned that sticking up for the little guys and doing what's right would prevail in the end (it was kind of the point of the movie). So Fulton saw that change, and saw what kind of power Bombay was able to wield as an attorney, and put two and two together. He went on to become a lawyer, like Bombay, only fighting on the right side of the courtroom instead.

Finally, there's the name change to consider. Why drop a great name like Fulton Reed for Foggy Nelson? The Ducks were a big story in the state of Minnesota after winning it all at the end of the first movie. But they gained a level of national fame in D2 by representing the United States of America and beating Iceland to in the Junior Goodwill Games. He was a celebrity, and he didn't want that to deal with while trying to chart a new path as a lawyer. So he moved out East, changed his name, and the rest is history.

Look, I know this is all ridiculous. Fulton Reed isn't Foggy Nelson, and The Mighty Ducks is in no way a prequel to Netflix's Daredevil series.

But it absolutely should be.