Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Movies, TV | Tagged: daredevil: born again
Daredevil film star Ben Affleck on whether his Matt Murdock could have taken on his The Accountant 2 co-star Jon Bernthal’s Punisher.
Long before Jon Bernthal became The Punisher, his The Accountant franchise co-star Ben Affleck became the first cinematic Daredevil in 20th Century’s 2003 film of the same name, and his alter ego, the lawyer, Matt Murdock. While the film franchise was short-lived with Jennifer Gardner getting her own spinoff film in 2005’s Elektra, Affleck’s time in Marvel was over, but not his superhero days. Right around the time Charlie Cox became the new incarnation of “The Man Without Fear” in the 2015 Netflix TV series Daredevil, Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman for DC Extended Universe, first in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. While talking about The Accountant 2 that sees Affleck and Bernthal reunited as Christian and Braxton, respectively, as Affleck spoke to Cinemablend about what could have been if Affleck’s Matt Murdock locked horns with Bernthal’s Frank Castle, who reprised his role for Daredevil: Born Again, reuniting with Cox.
The Accountant Star Ben Affleck Reflects on His Pre-MCU Daredevil
“Well, [Bernthal’s] Punisher is good,” Affleck said. “Daredevil was an interesting story. It was before Kevin Feige had stepped into the role of running Marvel. He imposed a kind of clarity of tone across those movies that sort of figured out the trickiest thing, which is, ‘How do you balance a movie where you got people wearing pajamas and have superpowers, and how seriously you take it, and how much humor is in it, and how much you wink at the audience, and what does the action have to look like?’ It coincided with visual effects getting to a place where it could look really convincing.”
To speak on his co-star’s performance as Frank Castle, “It made the way for great actors like him to step in and really get it done. There’s a new Daredevil, I haven’t seen it yet, but I certainly love the character, I wish him the best, but I wouldn’t tangle with his Punisher,” Affleck said. The Mark Steven Johnson film has Affleck’s Murdock acclimating to his double life as a blind lawyer and as the vigilante Daredevil, using his boxing and martial arts skills to battle crime. He falls in love with Gardner’s Elektra Natchios, a well-to-do socialite who’s also proficient with martial arts and deadly with her signature Sai. Matt battles Wilson Fisk (Michael Clarke Duncan), aka The Kingpin, who built his criminal empire on the backs of those like Matt’s father, whom he kills when he turns a new leaf. After chipping away at his criminal empire, Fisk hires Bullseye (Colin Farrell) as extra muscle to help impose his influence.
The 2015 series sees Cox as the hero and Vincent D’Onofrio as Fisk, offering a far more violent take on the franchise from Drew Goddard, which lasted for three seasons until 2018. The Disney+ sequel series, Born Again, saw the bulk of the cast, including Cox and D’Onofrio, reprise their roles, with stakes raised as Wilson Fisk acclimates to life as mayor and his thirst for power puts Matt and his loved ones at even greater risk.
As far as the legacy of Affleck’s Daredevil, the character was referenced directly and fourth-wall awkwardly by Gardner’s Elektra in the 2024 MCU ode to the Fox Cinematic Universe in Deadpool & Wolverine, who apparently met a grim fate at the hands of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) in the Void. That’s not to say with the variant narrative, it’s 100 percent certain we won’t see Affleck return, but as far as “never say never” goes, chances are likely slim to none. MGM’s The Accountant 2, which also stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson and J.K. Simmons, comes to theaters on April 25th. Season one of Daredevil: Born Again, the 2015 series, the 2003 film, and the Bernthal-starred The Punisher are available on Disney+
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