Netflix’s Daredevil spiked in viewers after recent MCU Easter eggs
A set of cameo appearances in recent MCU projects has seen renewed interest around the Netflix series
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The logic for killing off Daredevil and the other Netflix Marvel shows—as Disney did with vigor back in 2018 and 2019—was pretty simple to grasp: As the Marvel owner got seriously into both its own plans for a streaming platform, and for Marvel-based series to fill out said streaming platform’s library, the idea of continuing to produce content for their biggest rival got increasingly unpalatable.
And, hey: Maybe they had a point, as Deadline notes that Marvel’s Daredevil had a sudden surge in Nielsen’s streaming numbers a few weeks back, making it (by the polling company’s admittedly sometimes iffy numbers) the eighth-most-popular original streaming show of the holiday week of December 20 through December 26 in the U.S.
That, in what was almost certainly not a coincidence, happens to also be a period of time that saw Disney acknowledge, for basically the first time ever, that the Netflix shows might actually be canonical to the modern-day MCU. December 15 saw Disney+ release the fifth episode of Hawkeye, confirming that a version of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin was operating in MCU New York. And then, just a few days later, Marvel Studios and Sony released Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which Daredevil star Charlie Cox briefly reprises his role as Matt Murdock, superhero lawyer to the (teenaged superhero) stars.
Both of these cameos/stunts/what have you held back from straight-up confirming that the events of Marvel’s Daredevil are canon—D’Onofrio, especially, seemed to be playing a slightly different register of Wilson Fisk. But it was apparently enough to goose viewership of Daredevil. (Not to the same level Hawkeye was getting, though. The Disney+ series scored 938 million minutes of viewership during the period in question, according to the Nielsen numbers; Daredevil put 195 million minutes on the board.) Fingers crossed that the lesson taken from all of this, then, is not “Let’s never mention this crime-fighting ninja attorney again, lest we make our enemies more powerful” but “Dang, Charlie Cox is still pretty damn fun as Daredevil, huh?”
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I mean, really more of a cameo than an easter egg, but yeah makes sense.
I checked out (and subsequently binged) Lucifer after he popped up for a minute in Crisis. Both studios should do that more. That shit works.
But you’ll piss off all the people who think a two-minute cameo constitutes “other characters constantly showing up to advertise their own movies/shows.”
Fuck ‘em!Although I do prefer full-on crossovers between casts instead of small, two-minute cameos, I’ll take what I can get.Give me all the crossovers!
ugh
Not with you specifically. But certainly with the broader cultural forces that enable Disney to make an unconscionable profit while continuing to push entertainment into less and less meaningful places by the year.
Pretty sure the Netflix algorithm was also pushing Daredevil at the same time, because it was front and center every time I opened the app. Not saying more people weren’t also seeking it out, but it’s hard to ignore the ways platforms put their finger on the scale.
I noticed that too, but I wonder what the egg was there. I’m sure The Algorithm is set up to shuffle up to the top things that are being watched more heavily, but it could as easily have been deliberately put there by someone.
“but it could as easily have been deliberately put there by someone.”
Whoa, ya think???
Pedantic point – it’s fairly well known that Netflix killed the Marvel shows because they didn’t want to promote their competitor, Disney, who were getting set to launch D+ (although I doubt Disney were particularly thrilled their golden goose was producing content for their new competitors either).
I definitely did a rewatch for the first time in years when Fisk showed up.
I mean, why not? I was genuinely surprised when they showed up, with a “hey I remember them!” giddy reaction.Cox and D’Onofrio have been/are synonymous with the characters. Kevin Feige was smart enough to roll with it.
Cox and D’Onofrio have been/are synonymous with the characters. Kevin Feige was smart enough to roll with it.Casting was the only thing Loeb got consistently right.
Casting was the only thing Loeb got consistently right.Iron Fist excepted.
I considered qualifying the statement, but don’t even think Iron Fist was a casting misfire.The problem with that one was a script even more terrible than most, and not giving the actor sufficient martial arts training. He’s exactly what they wanted (even if I think they were wrong in what they wanted).Finn Jones could have been decent (at the very worst), had they given him just a little support. Instead, they set the poor guy up to fail.
I just hope newcomers weren’t tempted to check the show out because of the “I’m a very good lawyer” line from ‘No Way Home’, because if so, they’re in for some disappointment.
*snerk* Daredevil’s approach to the law is just a smidge better than The Book of Boba Fett’s approach to organized crime.
I just imagined Lucille Bluth saying “He’s very good” about Matt the way she used to for Barry Zuckercorn.
Yes, Matt Murdoch is just normal lawyer who normal law things. He’s not some sort of vigilante…
Just give me back Jessica Jones
truly hate that we’ve apparently landed on ‘millions of minutes’ as the metric for streaming viewership.
It’s a notoriously difficult thing to accurately track, especially considering all the data is released by the companies themselves.
Disney acknowledge, for basically the first time ever, that the Netflix shows might actually be canonical to the modern-day MCU.Feige explicitly said those shows are set in the same continuity as the movies back when they started (18:15 if the timestamp link doesn’t work): D’Onofrio, especially, seemed to be playing a slightly different register of Wilson Fisk.Not according to D’Onofrio. He has repeatedly stated that the producers told him it’s the same Fisk in the same canon as before.
He also said he envisioned this Fisk as having to rebuild post Snap and that’s why he behaves differently.
Glad as I am to see those good actors back in those roles, you know what bothers me about it? I want stories where Ben Urich is alive.
Jeph Loeb, who as head of Marvel Television produced Daredevil, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and the rest of the pre-Disney+ Marvel TV shows always insisted they were all connected to the MCU. Of course, that was before Disney+ and Kevin Feige’s takeover of Marvel Entertainment.
The video I linked is Kevin Feige speaking, not Jeph Loeb.
I know. I was using Jeph Loeb to back up your link.
can confirm i finally started watching daredevil after the one two punch of hawkeye and nwh