While “Deadpool 3” might challenge this notion somewhat—especially depending on its-cameos—when franchises change owners or deals end (see Disney buying Fox), often the past is thrown out, and new creators are tasked with starting over. We’re seeing that now with James Gunn’s DC Studios (that will forgo the previous DCEU), we’re seeing it mostly with all the 20th Century Fox Marvel properties that Marvel Studios/Disney will take in a totally new direction (“The Fantastic Four,” “The X-Men”). But the situation with the world of street-level Marvel characters that previously lived on Netflix is unique.
Marvel had struck a deal with Netflix several years ago (2013) to distribute Marvel Television content on the streaming channel. The pact created the shows “Daredevil,” “Iron Fist,” “Luke Cage, ““Jessica Jones,” “The Punisher,” and “Defenders,” all street-level heroes fighting crime in New York.
But as fans know, unique to how most studios handle their reboots, Marvel has decided to re-cast many of the same actors in the same roles from the Netflix series. Chiefly, so far at least, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, and Vincent D’Onfrorio as the villainous crime syndicate mafioso type, The Kingpin. Cox has already turned up as Daredevil in the “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law” series (and briefly in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”), and D’Onfrorio has already re-appeared in the “Hawkeye” series. But he’s also about to appear in the new series, “Echo,” a spin-off from the “Hawkeye” show, centered on an antagonist (Maya Lopez/Echo) who worked under the direction of The Kingpin.
“Every time I’ve played this character, it’s been for a different storyline, but I think that no matter what character that I’m playing, even if I’m playing Fisk over and over again, my first job is to service the story,” D’Onfrorio explained in a recent “Echo” press conference.
Whether it’s all canon—if the events of Netflix align with the events of Disney+— seems irrelevant to D’Onfrorio. For him, it’s just about the emotional throughline of the character.
“And so, there was the Netflix version, and then there was the ‘Hawkeye’ version. In ‘Hawkeye,’ I was servicing the story that was written. And in ‘Echo,’ it’s the same thing,” he continued. “So, I have an opportunity to evolve all the time. Evolve backward, forward, whichever way the story takes me. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
In a separate interview with Screenrant, the actor elaborated a little further, suggesting the same thing: whether they know the storylines are not aren’t as important as just knowing this is a scary character who works best in a gritty tenor.
“I realized that whether the audience had ever seen the original ‘Daredevil’ or not, they’re going to get that same feeling as they did in ‘Daredevil’ when I first came on screen,” he explained. “They’re going to feel uneasy about him, and I think Fisk works best in that kind of tone.”
“I wanted there to be an emotional life first,” he continued. “His connection to Maya. I wanted to remind people if they had seen the original ‘Daredevil,’ that he can care for people in a real way. And if they didn’t see ‘Daredevil’ before, that this character can care for people in a certain way. And so that was one important aspect because, without that, I don’t think he’s as scary or as interesting.”
In the press conference, D’Onfrorio admitted he “never expected to be in a show like ‘Echo’” because it was so centered on her indigenous ancestors and the Choctaw native culture that Kingpin isn’t a part of.
“That’s something I could’ve never expected,” he explained. “That my character would be involved in. I have to say that there’s a built-in fan base that they’re so excited about things. And so, it inspires you to deliver. A lot of people ask me, you know, ‘Do you get nervous over the fan base expecting so much from you?’ And it doesn’t make me nervous at all. It just inspires me to do a good job.”
The actor also had high praise for the show’s showrunner and director Sydney Freeland.
“She’s just awesome. And you want to do the right thing for her,” he said. And she’s got this great way of directing. It’s so subtle and so powerful at the same time. It’s pretty amazing. That kind of thing doesn’t always happen in one’s career. There are a couple of things about this show that were really special. One of them was the fact that Sydney was one of the directors and executive producers. It’s one of the smoothest shows that I have ever seen in my life.”
“So, you never know which way you’re going to evolve. You can go back, forward. It depends on where the script takes you,” he concluded.
Executive producer Brad Winderbaum spoke about the series’s new darker, more violent tone, which is unique for Disney+; it is, after all, Marvel’s first TV-MA show. “In a way, Echo marks a new beginning for the studio,” he said. “It’s a new tone for us. And it is a truly grounded and emotional journey. Not just for the audience.”
“Echo” premieres simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9.
Update: Marvel has finally revealed Daredevil in the “Echo” trailers. See below.