The following article contains spoilers for Episode 8 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
The moment that fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been waiting for has finally arrived. Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, a.k.a Daredevil, has made an appearance in the latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. His arrival will remind viewers of Cox’s performance in Netflix’s Daredevil series, and the action sequences featuring the character were almost designed to please fans of the original show. For those who missed Matt Murdock, he is back with a bang.
Viewers already knew that Daredevil was going to make an appearance on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Early advertisements for the show promoted an interaction between him and Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters. However, fans had to wait two months before they finally got to see him in action, and the episode almost does justice to the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. It is safe to say that the episode pays tribute to Netflix’s Daredevil series.
Daredevil’s arrival was teased on Episode 5 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, when his iconic helmet was spotted at the shop of She-Hulk’s tailor Luke Jacobson. The sequence, which worked as a cliffhanger for that episode, was a little underwhelming because Daredevil’s appearance had already been promoted and talked about for weeks. Fans complained on social media about the show not introducing Cox’s character for several episodes. While they were looking forward to the surprise, Marvel decided to release a preview clip featuring Daredevil from the latest episode earlier in the week. Perhaps the studio needs to stop promoting cameos and ruining the element of surprise.
Despite the long wait, fans were still excited to see Daredevil show up on the latest episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Many sequences in the episode seem to pay tribute to Netflix’s series about the fan-favorite character. It all begins when Eugene Patilio’s Leap-Frog files a case against Jacobson for allegedly creating a faulty suit. In his attempts to become a superhero, he walks around wearing a suit that resembles a frog, tries to fight criminals, and uses the catchphrase “Ribbit and Rip It!” When dragged to court, Jacobson hires his secret client Murdock to help him out.
As the case begins, Murdock walks into the court. He steals the show, and Jen’s attention. He retains his sense of humor from the Netflix series, and quickly gets in the zone where he is the professional lawyer who goes the extra mile to ensure his client’s rights are protected. Cox's portrayal of Murdock is just as charming as he was in Daredevil. When he dons his superhero suit, he brings back the brooding hero who is dealing with internal struggles while fighting crime.
The first time he fights She-Hulk, the action choreography is quite similar to that used on Daredevil. After pulling off his mask, the first thing she wants to know is if Murdock is a superhero. At that precise moment, the original soundtrack from the Daredevil series plays in the background, which pays homage to the Netflix show. That moment will remind MCU fans of the scene in Ms. Marvel where Bruno Carrelli refers to Kamala Khan’s inhuman status, and the X-Men: The Animated Series’ theme song plays in the background.
Although Daredevil is more flirty than he used to be, his overall demeanor is retained, which has many convinced that the Netflix show is in fact canon in the MCU. The tribute in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s latest episode comes off even stronger when Daredevil and She-Hulk have to follow Leap-Frog into his secret lair. When outside, Daredevil is able to decipher the number of goons that are inside the building, because he has “really good hearing.” This moment is reminiscent of many fight scenes in Daredevil, where the hero goes in prepared before even having set foot into the building. When he jumps off the roof, both She-Hulk and viewers are quite impressed with his talents.
The most epic moment in the episode arrives when Daredevil walks into the building with his iconic weapons, the specially designed batons, and silently attacks the goons in a corridor. That sequence is almost lifted from the Netflix series. It uses similar dark themes, and the fight sequence that follows is an absolute delight for all Daredevil fans. That segment is reassuring for fans of the Netflix series that the MCU will do justice with Daredevil: Born Again.
Marvel Studios has its own way of doing things, and their shows are quite unique. However, Daredevil is a fairly established character, with a rather large fan following. As such, won’t be easy for the studio to rebrand his entire image. Fans have gotten used to seeing him in a certain light. Bringing Cox back to play Daredevil means that the studio will have to offer some kind of fan service when it comes to the character, and retain some of his demeanor from the original show moving forward. Changing him entirely might end up being a disadvantage as it would mean a loss of fan following. At this point, Daredevil: Born Again is a much-awaited series by all those who were disappointed when Daredevil was canceled. However, it remains to be seen what Marvel has up its sleeve.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is streaming on Disney Plus.