Everything Is Supposed To Be Connected in the MCU, so Why Does That Seem Increasingly Less the Case?

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.

One of the big selling points of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is how everything is connected, but in the numerous projects post-Avengers: Endgame, the universe has felt mostly disconnected. Projects like The Marvels and Captain America: Brave New World have started to stitch the MCU back together, having plot points that tie back to The Incredible Hulk, The Eternals, and even Disney+ series like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Ms. Marvel while also moving the overall narrative of the connected universe towards the multiversal collision in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

However, two out of over 25 projects between films, series, and special presentations, the universe is severely lacking the cohesion it should have at this point in time. The MCU’s latest offering, Daredevil: Born Again, brought fans back to the gritty street-level perspective of the universe, reviving the series that began on Netflix and finally making the events of those series canon. The problem is, the series feels just as disconnected from the greater Marvel universe as its predecessor.

‘Daredevil’ Was Meant To Be a Part of the MCU From the Beginning

When Daredevil first debuted on Netflix in 2015, it was always intended to be involved in the plans of the broader MCU. Season 1 of the series even briefly mentions the events of the first Avengers film. Luke Cage references the showdown that took place in Harlem between The Hulk (Edward Norton at the time) and Abomination (Tim Roth) at the end of The Incredible Hulk. In the same year the series debuted, Marvel Studios became independent of Marvel Entertainment, placing Marvel Television under separate leadership from the films. This shift in leadership led the connected world of The Defenders to distance itself from the MCU. That is until Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) made his MCU debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) made his respected debut in Hawkeye.

Most fans believed that bringing these beloved characters into the MCU properly retroactively made the Marvel Netflix series canon, but that wasn’t the case at the time, at least. When Daredevil: Born Again was first announced in 2022, it was intended to be a soft reboot of the series, with some actors reprising their roles and some being recast, using the newly introduced multiverse to explain away the events that took place on Netflix. A creative overhaul on the series and the newly branded Marvel Television division within the Marvel Studios banner completely reworked the trajectory of the series with showrunner Dario Scardapane and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead tasked with redoing the pilot and final two episodes of the season, as well as stitch together the over narrative to make it mesh.

This retooling brought back integral characters from the Netflix series that weren’t originally involved in the series, such as Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), making the series a direct continuation of the Netflix series and officially making everything MCU canon. So, why does Daredevil: Born Again feel so siloed off from the greater MCU?

Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio's faces cut in half and put next to each other as Daredevil and Kingpin in a Daredevil: Born Again features image

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 1 Ending Explained: Who Will Join Matt Murdock’s Fight Against Kingpin?

“We are the city without fear.”

While Daredevil: Born Again gave an offhand reference to Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and name-dropped Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), when the events of the series have such an impact on the entirety of New York City, more MCU characters should be involved in this story. Especially with Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) forming the Young Avengers, and both either living in or close to the city, leaving them out of the oncoming war between vigilantes and Fisk is a massive missed opportunity. Largely, when Kate has already faced off against Fisk before, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) has just faced off with a President who could turn into a Hulk, and is now focused on reforming the Avengers. Mayor Fisk’s anti-vigilante platform would have to be on Captain America’s radar.

Will the Events of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Even Affect the MCU?

With Thunderbolts* coming in a few weeks and the main conflict occurring in New York City, will Mayor Fisk get brought up? Will the massive citywide blackout get mentioned in the film? With New York City being in such grave danger, it would be safe to assume heroes like Daredevil and even Spider-Man would rush in to help out the Thunderbolts. It’s safe to say that those heroes will not make an appearance in the film, adding to the disparity of connections within MCU projects. On the other hand, will the events of Thunderbolts* get mentioned in Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again? Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to hit theaters in July 2026, a few months after Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 premieres, with fans speculating that it could feature a morestreet-level-based story. It would be very off-putting not to have the Mayor of the city involved in the plot, and due to rights issues, the likelihood of that happening seems very low.

Even when circling back to the Netflix corner where this version of Daredevil originated, where are The Defenders? Matt Murdock and Karen Page are building an army to take on Fisk and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force, and while they are likely being saved for Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, leaving out even mentions of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Misty Knight (Simone Missick), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), and Danny Rand (Finn Jones) feels very strange. Especially when the series did such an amazing job tying back to moments from the Netflix iteration of Daredevil, leaving out such pivotal characters within the city when the events are so monumental to all its inhabitants is a massive misstep when it comes to overall connectivity.

There is a multiversal threat on the horizon in Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom, and the events of the next two Avengers films are the perfect way to restart the MCU and explain away all the issues fans seem to have with the franchise currently. A fresh reboot still won’t change the fact that there should be so much more crossover within these MCU projects. The reality of actors’ schedules is a massive factor to think about, but when such a massive machine like the MCU is operating at the level it is, there should be some oversight to make these projects feel more like the comics they adapt. With heroes and villains crossing over at any time, making the possibilities feel endless for the audience. Maybe the MCU will reach that pinnacle one day, but until then, fans will continue to wonder where characters are during important events they should also be part of.

Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney+.