Spider-Man 3 Daredevil theory reveals a wild Disney+ MCU connection

Daredevil's move to Disney+. Spider-Man 3 will bring back Electro and Doctor Octopus, unifying all three Spider-Man film canons and paving the way for a live-action Spider-verse. That announcement opens the door for a host of other characters to potentially show up in the movie.

Recent leaks from Marvel fan site Murphy's Multiverse claim Daredevil and the Kingpin could reappear in the webslinger's next big-screen outing. However, the devil of Hell’s Kitchen could show up in Hawkeye first, thanks to his connection with a mysterious new superhero.

Variety recently reported that Alaqua Cox will be playing the role of Maya Lopez in Hawkeye on Disney+. In the comics, Maya is the real name of Echo, a deaf Native American superhero with photographic reflexes. She was raised by the Kingpin following the death of her father.

Echo was later tasked with hunting and killing Daredevil, believing him to be her father’s killer. Wanting revenge, Echo goes after him and her ability to mimic his skills offered her an advantage in battle. The one problem here is that Echo had fallen in love with Daredevil and couldn’t go through with defeating him. The tables eventually turned when she discovered that it was actually the Kingpin who was responsible for her father’s death.

Echo’s addition to Hawkeye was a curious decision, considering that her connection to Clint Barton isn’t as strong as her ties with Daredevil. However, it’s possible that her live-action introduction will signal Charlie Cox’s official appearance as Daredevil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil ran for three seasons on Netflix before it was canceled in October 2018.

Now that it’s been more two years since the cancelation, the rights to Daredevil have officially reverted back to Marvel and the studio has free reign to use him in any of its upcoming live-action projects. The devil of Hell’s Kitchen could show up as a part of Echo’s storyline in Hawkeye. He and the superhero were once lovers and share a lot of history. It seems like the most obvious way to bring him into the MCU since Echo has largely been considered a major supporting character in Daredevil comics.

To take it a step further, Daredevil’s potential arrival could also mean that Vincent D’Onofrio’s iteration of the Kingpin will appear in the Disney+ series. After all, the villain plays a big role in Echo’s life and has terrorized Daredevil for a long time as well. From then on, Daredevil and the Kingpin could appear in Spider-Man 3.

If the film does feature the Sinister Six, a group of big bads who unite to fight Spider-Man, then it makes sense that Kingpin will be involved somehow. The foe has a tooth to pick with just about most of the superheroes in New York, Spider-Man included. Whether Daredevil will ever show up in the MCU is unclear, but Hawkeye offers the most seamless transition for his debut.

Spider-Man 3 will hit theaters on December 17, 2021.