I Can’t Ignore It Anymore; Matt Murdock Is the Horniest Character in the MCU

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 7.Bringing Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) into the MCU came with many questions surrounding what would be canon and what wouldn’t be, with reshoots changing the original idea to recast and ignore certain characters from the Netflix era. However, one of the overlooked aspects being brought over to Disney is some of the more mature content, and by that, I don’t mean the brutal action scenes. Instead, it is the rather open approach to sex that Daredevil: Born Again has included that intrigues me.

Look, I get it; Matt Murdock is a sexy man. Anyone can see why you would fall for him. He is kind, polite, and funny. However, I’m not here to talk about his charm too much. Instead, I think we need to talk about the fact that this man’s default setting, when not in the Daredevil costume, is horny. Not only does he use it as a coping mechanism in this latest episode of Born Again, “Art for Art’s Sake,” but his history and Netflix’s past embracing of sex in their narratives have opened up for more of this exploration in the MCU.

One of Matt’s Coping Mechanisms is Sex in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

Matt (Charlie Cox) telling Heather (Margarita Levieva) his life feels fake in 'Daredevil: Born Again' Episode 7. — Image via Disney+

At the beginning of this episode, Matt is showering following his fight with Muse (Hunter Doohan) in Episode 6, “Excessive Force.” After reliving the fight and past violent moments of his life in his head, Matt’s first response is to have sex with Heather (Margarita Levieva) when he sees her. Yes, she initiated it by joining him in the shower, but she also stops to focus on his bruising, whereas Matt brushes off her worries, and they only get to talk about it after they are done having sex in the shower and getting dressed.

What Matt is doing here is using sex as a coping mechanism. He hides a lot of his emotions beneath the surface, and they come out via physical expressions. In the Daredevil suit, it is violence, and when he is out of it, he uses sex to express himself. It is a refreshingly honest look at a superhero who not only has trauma but struggles to find healthy ways to release those feelings. When he and Heather actually speak to each other, it is like getting blood out of a stone, with Matt responding in a joking matter at first when she tries to use a psychological approach to his issues.

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Matt’s Past History of Flirting and Hooking Up With Characters Goes Back to the Netflix Era of Marvel

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) sitting on a bench in 'Daredevil: Born Again' — Image via Disney+

This isn’t Matt’s first time listening to his heart (or another organ) over his head. In terms of numbers, this man has perhaps hooked up or flirted with the most characters in the MCU and the Netflix Marvel era. From Heather to the prosecutor from Episode 4, “Sic Semper Systema,” to She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), to Elektra (Elodie Yung), to Karen (Deborah Ann Woll), Matt’s openness to sex and flirting distinguishes him from the rest of the MCU, as it isn’t something he discovers with one perfect match, but a part of his character and life.

It’s important to note that this is an aspect carried over from the Netflix era of Marvel that included many adult relationships, with Luke Cage even turning the word “coffee” into a euphemism for when Cage and his lover, Claire, want to have sex. In the past, Jessica Jones producer Jeph Loeb argued that they were very open with sex in the show to “establish that this is an adult drama.” Although the word “adult” shouldn’t just refer to sex scenes when it comes to using that adjective, the bigger point is that, without this approach to sex, we wouldn’t get Matt’s sexiness in the MCU. It is also a valid point to make that such sex scenes certainly distinguish these characters from the rest of Disney’s Marvel characters.

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is One of the First Mature Approachs to Sex in the MCU

Regarding the MCU dealing with sex, the closest we have come to this is in the first Iron Man, when Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) sleeps with Leslie Bibb‘s reporter, Eternals, between Ikaris (Richard Madden) and Sersi (Gemma Chan), and She-Hulk, where she sleeps with multiple people including Matt. However, these still aren’t done with the same honesty as Daredevil: Born Again, as Marvel wasn’t owned by Disney when they made Iron Man, but more importantly, both projects take comedic approaches. Tony laughs with the woman he sleeps with, and they roll around kissing until they fall off the bed, and She-Hulk typically only shows a comedic make-out session or disrobing as they head towards the bedroom before cutting to the next day.

It should be noted that Eternals took a far more intimate approach to the aforementioned sex scenes, with Chan acknowledging in an interview with Collider that these scenes can be a “little bit tricky” but that it was “easier when you’re with someone you trust.” Yet, with a lack of focus on the future of these characters, it has fallen to Born Again to pick up the sexually liberated baton. Furthermore, we arguably wouldn’t get She-Hulk’s hook-up between herself and Daredevil if we didn’t already know Daredevil as a character where sex is very much on the table. For example, if Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) had appeared as Wong (Benedict Wong) does, it would have felt out of left-field for that character to have had a sex scene, even if we ignored Christine’s existence (Rachel McAdams).

Some may argue that Matt’s horny attitude is nothing more than what Loeb said it was for Jessica Jones, a way to firmly establish that this is going to be a more adult show not suitable for younger audiences. However, what is more important about this decision is that it really helps to single Matt out in the MCU. Yes, he is a fan favorite already, but his horniness/regular acknowledgment of sex creates a more mature dynamic between him and other characters while also keeping the humor that his charm oozes. It’s still the MCU, and Matt fits into it very naturally, which is a credit to the writing on the show and how they have managed to blend Netflix and Disney’s Marvel, but Matt stands as an example that not every character needs to be PG. Sometimes, it can help to explore how they handle such a physical lifestyle by seeing how they approach other physical activities such as sex. Furthermore, because of Matt’s aforementioned charm, it is entertaining to see him politely flirt and build these relationships, with sex being the climax of their bonding, pun very much intended.

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are released every Tuesday on Disney+.