Marvel's Daredevil Is Canon, So These Excellent Villains Are Now in the MCU

The DefendersVerse, by all accounts, officially finds itself part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon. Though Marvel Studios has introduced characters like Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) to the MCU through properties like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye, fans still debated whether Netflix's Daredevil and The Defenders were part of the studio's Sacred Timeline, or the one realm where all Marvel Studios projects reside. Now, Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum says the production house considers Daredevil and its extensions, by default, as part of the Sacred Timeline.

"We were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but there was a lot to balance anyway," Winderbaum told ScreenRant earlier this month. "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."

Now, Marvel Studios has found itself a surplus of villains that are some of the most complex, best-constructed characters comic book cinema has ever seen. There's Luke Cage's Cottonmouth, played by Mahershala Ali, and Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard). Then there's David Tennant's Kilgrave from Jessica Jones and naturally, Kingpin, The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) from the three seasons of Daredevil.

Given the shows were each 13 episodes in length, writers were able to put the utmost care into each and every one of them and craft characters with tremendous depth and complexity. Though some of the characters were killed off in their respective shows, there are plenty of ways to bring them back—it is, after all, comic book cinema. No matter what the case, given Echo is the official beginning of a larger street-level output from Marvel Studios, there now have a treasure trove of characters to bring back.

What is Echo about?

Starring Alaqua Cox, all five episodes of Echo will debut exclusively on both Disney+ and Hulu on Tuesday, January 9th. The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. Vincent D'Onofrio will reprise his role as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin, and Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil. Echo will also star Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene and Zahn McClarnon.

Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, and Jason Gavin (Blackfeet) are executive producers of Echo. Amy Rardin, Sydney Freeland, Christina King (Seminole), and Jennifer Booth are co-executive producers.