Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum just squashed rumors that Daredevil: Born Again could feature a cameo from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is reviving the critically acclaimed Daredevil with the new Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. The series sees the return of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. Kingpin). Prior to the show’s release, Cox and D’Onofrio were already integrated into the MCU with appearances in projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Hawkeye, and Echo. Hence, the show comes with opportunities for cameos from former Daredevil stars and various heroes from the MCU, including Spider-Man.
Superhero fans were thrilled when the MCU finally hinted at the comic-book connection between Spider-Man and Daredevil by featuring Cox’s Murdock as Peter Parker’s lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Meanwhile, the animated Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man further hyped up fans for a Spider-Man/Daredevil crossover, adding to hopes that Holland would appear in Daredevil: Born Again. Unfortunately, Winderbaum shut down the idea of Holland appearing in any live-action Marvel shows.
Marvel exec dashes hopes of Tom Holland cameo in Daredevil: Born Again
Recently, Winderbaum appeared on the Phase Hero podcast and spoke to Brandon Davis about Daredevil: Born Again. During the interview, he was asked about Holland’s potential appearance in MCU shows. In response, he confirmed a rights issue that may prevent the actor from appearing in live-action Marvel shows. Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man, though it has shared the rights with Marvel to allow the character into the MCU. The topic of its TV rights is more complicated. Winderbaum stated:
You know. I’m not sure exactly what the rules are, but I think [Sony] have long-form television rights, I don’t know if that means he can show up. You can do, like, 30-minute animation, I think.
Details about Marvel and Sony’s TV Spider-Man rights have been difficult to confirm. In 2019, Screen Rant broke down the rights, alleging Sony had the rights to live-action/animated movies, live-action TV series, and animated series with episodes longer than 44 minutes. That leaves the MCU with the animated rights for Spider-Man so long as its episodes stay below a certain length. However, unless Marvel and Sony reach some kind of agreement, it appears the Disney+ live-action Marvel shows, including Daredevil: Born Again, may be off the table for Holland.
Published: Feb 25, 2025 03:27 pm