Charlie Cox Reflects on Divisive Daredevil SHE-HULK Cameo: "A Lot of People Don't Like It"
Charlie Cox’s return as Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was met with a lot of mixed reactions, and now the actor is weighing in on his unexpected, and at times, comedic portrayal of the character.
In the She-Hulk series, Matt Murdock found himself in Los Angeles, facing off against Leap-Frog and crossing paths with Jennifer Walters. What followed was a team-up, a bit of chemistry, and ultimately, a one-night stand that led to the now-infamous "Walk of Shame" scene.
For longtime fans of the Daredevil Netflix series, this version of the character was not what fans wanted to see from the brooding, battle-worn vigilante. Instead, he felt lighter and playful, and the shift of tone got fans worried about Daredevil: Born Again.
While speaking to IGN, Cox confirmed that his She-Hulk appearance takes place before Daredevil: Born Again and acknowledged the strong reactions to his brief comedic turn.
He explained: "I think it's a case of whatever was going on with Matt in that period of time. He was able to leave that in JFK when he got on the plane...what happens in L.A. stays in L.A."
As for the backlash, Cox is well aware of the divided opinions, and shared: "It's funny how many opinions I've heard about this little moment in She-Hulk. There's the Walk of Shame, which was a last-minute idea where they set up a big green screen and just had me walk across it carrying my shoes. And a lot of people don't like it, and a lot of people love it."
The tonal shift made sense to Cox, though: "If you take the Matt Murdock from our show and you put him in She-Hulk as-is, he's probably overly serious and becomes the butt of all jokes.
“So he's got to adapt to the tone. And there's precedent within the comics. There are many runs of the comics where there's a lot of levity, there's a lot of tongue-in-cheek, a lot of fun."
He also saw this as an opportunity rather than a departure from what makes the character work. "It's a whole different [kind of] fun with that. And maybe at some point we'll get to see the favor returned."
That return won’t happen in Daredevil: Born Again as Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk isn’t expected to appear in the first season. But with the Avengers: Doomsday movie on the horizon and Born Again shaping up as a multi-season project, there’s always a chance for another crossover down the line.