Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home
According to Iron Fist star Jessica Henwick, Charlie Cox was aware of Daredevil’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe years ago. Henwick made her debut in Netflix’s Iron Fist as the show’s fan-favorite hero, Colleen Wing, in 2017. Both Cox and Henwick were last seen collaborating together performing their respective roles in Netflix’s The Defenders in 2017.
Netflix’s The Defenders follows Daredevil, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron First (Finn Jones) on their mission to save New York City. Unfortunately, as Disney transitioned into its own streaming platform, the miniseries was canceled along with other esteemed Marvel series on Netflix. Although the shows were separate from the MCU, they were both set in the same universe, with the Daredevil series referencing the Chitauri invasion on New York from The Avengers.
In an interview with THR, Henwick discloses her contingency to join the MCU and how Cox was aware of his opportunity to return years prior to his humble appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home as Matt Murdock. Henwick reveals she initially planned to play Xialing in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings but decided not to take the role as she didn’t want to end Colleen’s chapter prematurely. She continues by adding that if there was a chance for her to return to play Colleen, it would have been discussed by now as Cox knew about his potential return years ago. Read Henwick’s full response below:
“That definitely did come up in the discussion. If I did [Shang-Chi], I would effectively be putting Colleen to bed. It wasn’t the main factor, but it definitely came up in conversation. I love Colleen. She changed my life. Of course, if I was given the opportunity to revisit her, I would, but I just don’t know how likely that is. Charlie knew about that opportunity years ago. He already knew it was happening. I think I would have heard by now if there were any plans with Colleen.”
Along with Cox returning to play his venerated role, Vincent D’Onofrio recently returned to reprise his role as Kingpin in Disney+’s Hawkeye. With the introduction of Echo in Hawkeye, many have also been speculating Cox’s return in the Echo spinoff series. Although Henwick decided not to move forward with the fortuity to play Shang-Chi’s sister in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it would not have been the first rodeo for an actor to play another Marvel character. In the past, Chris Evans played Human Torch in Fantastic 4, before landing the renowned role of Captain America. Moreover, Gemma Chan played two characters in the same universe, playing both Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel and Sersi in Eternals.
After the premiere of Daredevil on Netflix, fans have grown to love the dark and gritty themes of the Marvel shows on the streaming service, with many petitioning for the shows to be recycled. Understandably, Henwick didn’t want to completely put an end to Colleen’s mantle, especially with fans longing for a Daughters of the Dragons spinoff. If anything, with Cox returning to reprise his titular role, the door remains open for Henwick to play Colleen again in the near future.
Source: THR
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