Don’t get me wrong, Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again works fantastically well as a standalone show and doesn’t strictly need flashy cameos to propel it along. But I think we’ve all been holding our breath in anticipation of that long-awaited Spider-Man connection, and this could be it.
The third episode of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel’s successor to Netflix’s Daredevil series, landed on Disney+ last night. “The Hollow of His Hand” plays out more like a legal procedural/courtroom drama rather than a superhero show, but don’t be fooled: it still has the special sauce that reminds us why we fell in love with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), attorney-at-law, and not just his masked alter ego.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for episodes 1-3 of Daredevil: Born Again.
Episode 3 follows the highly publicized trial of Hector Ayala (played by the late Kamar de los Reyes), who was accused of murdering a cop in episode 2. Despite his efforts to conceal his identity, Hector’s double life as White Tiger ultimately helps him walk free, as Matt’s reveal that his client is secretly the vigilante responsible for saving dozens of people—including police officers—sways the jury to reach a verdict in his favor. Still, Hector sufficiently pissed off enough of those mysterious NYPD cops who have appropriated The Punisher’s skull logo, costing him his life.
During this lengthy courtroom scene, showrunner Dario Scardapane thought he was being sneaky by including a nod to Sony’s Spider-Man universe. From the sound of it, Born Again could be paving the way for more SSU characters in the MCU.
Did Daredevil: Born Again name-drop Jefferson Morales?
After Matt exposes the White Tiger’s true identity, his partner, Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), reads aloud a series of police reports to speak to Hector’s character. She lists a number of names: “Officer Reyes, Officer Wong, Officer Morales, Officer Grant…all of these tell a different version of the same story, and it isn’t the story of a man who has a vendetta against the police.”
Cue the Captain America “I understood that reference” GIF. My screening party started screaming when we heard the name “Officer Morales,” which presumably refers to Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moore) father, Jefferson Morales/Davis (Brian Tyree Henry), a key figure in Sony’s Spider-Verse movies. It’s also worth noting that Miles’ dad still holds the rank of “Officer” here, not “Captain,” suggesting that Born Again takes place before the events of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself for, ahem, licensing reasons, but this subtle name-drop in Born Again begs the question: is Kirsten talking about that Officer Morales? If so, does this mean Daredevil and Spider-Man may finally join forces in live-action? Or did the show’s writers use a random name generator, just for funsies? I doubt we’ll see Miles or even Tom Holland’s Peter Parker pop up in the Disney+ show, as that team-up is probably best reserved for Spider-Man 4 or a multiversal crossover in Avengers: Doomsday/Avengers: Secret Wars. But never say never, right?
Marvel is setting up Miles Morales’ MCU debut, but odds are, it won’t be in Daredevil: Born Again season 1 or 2
Again, due to the shared TV and movie rights between Sony and the powers that be at Disney/Marvel, there’s basically a one-in-a-million chance that we’ll see Miles Morales appear in Born Again. But thinking about the bigger picture here, Easter eggs like this help tie together the Spider-Man universe, and it makes me hopeful that Miles will make his MCU debut sooner rather than later. We’ve already seen Donald Glover play a live-action Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming, where he alluded to his nephew, among other cameos. Clearly, someone behind the scenes wants to make this crossover happen.
If I can be delusional for a quick second, the Marvel fandom would go absolutely bonkers over Daredevil and Spidey teaming up in Born Again, perhaps against Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) amid his war on vigilantes or something to that extent. These continued SSU references imply that Miles Morales already exists in the MCU; it’s just a matter of where and when he’ll make his proper introduction. Either way, Miles’ MCU debut has been nearly eight years in the making, so please, for the love of all that is good and holy, I hope Marvel delivers on this promise, and soon.
New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again roll out every Tuesday at 6PM PT/9PM ET, only on Disney.
Published: Mar 12, 2025 05:26 pm