Daredevil star reveals big-screen MCU absence is because of rights issues

Fans were delighted when Charlie Cox made his debut as Matt Murdock in the MCU, but unfortunately, it seems that the Kingpin will not be making an appearance in a major motion picture or a cameo in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The reason for this may have been revealed.

According to a report by Comic Book, the insight was revealed during Fan Expo Boston 2024. At the event, Vincent D’Onofrio was questioned about potentially joining Charlie Cox in his future MCU projects, such as the animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Despite fans’ hopes for a clear-cut response from the two stars of Daredevil: Born Again, they were instead informed that the situation is much more intricate than anticipated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjhJv7bjj8

Charlie Cox and Vincent D'onofrio talk Daredevil Born Again at Fan Expo Boston 2024 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjhJv7bjj8)

The conversation starts at 18:16 in the video linked here: https://youtu.be/VIjhJv7bjj8?t=1096.

“I’m going to be completely open about this: You’re familiar with the Marvel-Sony situation, correct?”D’Onofrio addressed the audience. It has been a lengthy process for them to determine each party’s responsibilities.

“Unlike Charlie’s character, mine is currently in a similar situation. Therefore, playing Kingpin comes with its own set of challenges.”

The ongoing conflict between Marvel and Sony has been a persistent issue for the MCU. In the 1990s, Sony acquired the film rights for Spider-Man and other associated characters from Marvel. Despite this, Marvel still maintains certain rights, such as animation, which has allowed them to produce various Spider-Man series.

Daredevil faced a comparable problem, which seemed to be resolved when Disney purchased Fox, the company that held the movie rights for Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and other properties. Nevertheless, although agreements have been made to include Spider-Man and associated characters in the MCU, Sony retains the film rights for these characters.

Despite being a longstanding enemy of both Daredevil and Spider-Man, Kingpin’s rights appear to still be in a state of uncertainty. While Fox featured the character in their Daredevil movie, it remains unclear who currently holds the rights to him. It is possible that Marvel only has the rights to use Kingpin in television and animated projects, rather than in film.

In terms of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the omission of Kingpin from the show could potentially be attributed to the fact that the series takes place in the early stages of an alternate version of the MCU Spider-Man, where Norman Osborn serves as a mentor instead of Tony Stark.

In 2021, it was announced that Charlie Cox would be returning as Daredevil for the upcoming series. Other familiar faces from the MCU, including Doctor Octopus, Doctor Strange, and Nico Minoru, are also set to make appearances. While there has been speculation that D’Onofrio may also make an appearance, nothing has been officially confirmed.

The release date for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has yet to be announced. However, if you are eager to see more, you can catch Cox and D’Onofrio reprising their roles in Daredevil: Born Again in 2025.

While anticipating the release of that show, you can use this time to watch all the upcoming superhero movies and TV shows in 2024, or you can stay updated on the latest and greatest movies and TV shows available for streaming this month.