Charlie Cox Opens Up About Netflix’s DAREDEVIL Cancellation and Says He Turned Down Foggy Nelson Role

It’s awesome that Charlie Cox has returned as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again, but things could have played out very differently for him.

In a new profile with GQ, the actor shared surprising details about his casting process, his defiant stance during auditions, and how a behind-the-scenes feud between Netflix and Disney led to Daredevil’s abrupt cancellation.

Before landing the lead role in Netflix’s Daredevil, Cox wasn’t even on Marvel’s radar for Matt Murdock. Instead, they had a different character in mind for him with Foggy Nelson. That was never an option for Cox.

"For whatever reason, having had this kind of empowering experience [spending time in the Scottish Highlands], I said, 'I will come, but I’m only reading for Matt. I’m only reading for the lead.'"

His confidence paid off and he landed the job he was going for. After Daredevil debuted in 2015, Cox became synonymous with the character. However, just three seasons in, Netflix pulled the plug on it despite its massive popularity.

Cox expalined how thiings went down for him: "I got a call late at night, and my boss at Marvel Television at the time said, 'They’ve pulled all the shows. All five of them.'

"There was some ... I don’t know, it was a conversation about the politics behind it all, some feud between Netflix and Disney. My bosses at Netflix and Marvel all called and were very nice, and very polite, but it was done."

With Disney+ on the horizon, Netflix axed all of its Marvel series, including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher, effectively shelving Cox’s future as the Man Without Fear. But while many fans held onto hope, Cox himself wasn’t so sure.

"[Vincent D’Onofrio would] always say, 'Oh, they’ll bring us back,’ and I used to say to my wife, 'He’s delusional. He’s got to move on.'"

Then, there was an unexpected encounter with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige in 2019 at a performance of a play he was starring in, Betrayal.

"I went to shake his hand, and he was nice and enjoyed the play, but never mentioned Daredevil, never mentioned me. I thought maybe he’d at least say, 'Oh, I liked the show,' but he didn’t say that."

But in 2020, Cox got the call he wasn’t expecting: "I thought it was maybe going to be a charity thing. Like, 'Can we all get together and do some video.'

“And then he said, 'Are you interested in coming back?' They said, 'It's going to be something in Spider-Man, probably a cameo in She-Hulk, and then we’ll see.'"

Since then, Cox has reprised his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo. Now, with Daredevil: Born Again set to premiere on March 4, he’s finally back in the spotlight as the MCU’s official Daredevil.