Daredevil one She-Hulk: Hulk’s friend. Although Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, had already made his formal introduction during Spider-Man: No Way Homeare another self had not been discovered. It happened in the eighth episode of the series, when she had to intervene to protect one of his clients. This is the most anticipated cameo in the fictional story and who, perhaps, at this time is the most esteemed character in that narrative.
The management of the ‘Daredevil Case’ within She-Hulk: Hulk’s friend involves multiple issues. From the confirmation of her cameo to the subsequent uncertainty regarding the episode in which it would appear, with clues that invited fans and critics to anticipate that process. It is part of the games that are proposed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, based on expectations, interest and surprise.
However, there are also pitfalls and questions in this regard. Some that can directly affect the series, even undermining its aspirations, and others that serve as an excuse to reflect on how this type of content is presented within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is already known: “With great power comes great responsibility”.
Daredevil before She-Hulk: Hulk’s companion
The series starring Tatiana Maslany, in the role of Jennifer Walters, discussed and she constantly joked that it might be a story full of cameos. The suggestion was clear: audiences would see various key, or at least relevant, beings in and out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In that batch, after the confirmation that Daredevil would be one of them, the rest went on to occupy a second line.
The bet, in the case of She-Hulk: abogado Hulka, had a meaning: to generate specific situations that could be resolved during each chapter. From them, compose something greater. Unlike other stories, in which more time is taken to address situations and scenarios, in this series the focus is different, with the comedy mobilizing many questions and serving as a bridge to various themes.
For that last reason, the topics that it touches, it is convenient not to classify the Disney + production as a series of cameos and little else. Although the efficiency with which it addresses certain situations can be questioned. The appearance of Daredevil served to enhance part of the searches and criticisms proposed by the story. The duality of its protagonist. His difficulties in establishing bonds. Her macho look in relation to her (and them). Sex as a space of enjoyment. In her own way, the arrival of Matt Murdock served as a counterweight to all the negative experiences Jennifer Walters had suffered up to that point.
The risk from hype generated in relation to Daredevil is that those kinds of readings are lost. By being announced so much earlier, by being clearly suggested long before the eighth episode, its discursive, symbolic effect may not reach its greatest potential on the audience.
Delay and expectation
After confirming, before the premiere of the series, that Daredevil would be one of the characters that would be in it, the discussion regarding Matt Murdock moved to other aspects. One of them had to do with the adaptation that would be presented in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after what was presented in the series that was Netflix left the high demands.
During the fifth episode of She-Hulk: Hulk’s friend a sample of the new suit that Daredevil would use could be seen. It would be marked by the colors yellow and red. A tribute to his history within the comics. After that wink, the feeling was that the sixth chapter of the series would be oriented to the presentation of him. It didn’t happen. Another trailer surfaced exposing the character. In the seventh chapter she did not appear either. That image of the helmet on a box was still latent and, perhaps, could also be interpreted as something that little by little became distant and became part of the story.
Again, critics and spectators approached She-Hulk: Hulk’s friend dialoguing with the questions and proposals of the series and, at the same time, waiting for a secondary character within the story. That scenario left a question on the table: did it reduce the strength of the protagonist? The curious thing, from an affirmative perspective, is that much of that answer had to do with the previous expectation before the composition of the series itself.
The leak in ET
Before the premiere of the eighth episode of She-Hulk: abogado Hulka, ET shared the first sequence in which Matt Murdock would appear using his suit. Then, that character mentioned, anticipated, desired, expected, reached a part of the audience like a loose clip, almost a spoiler. Among the different readings that could be made of the fact, one of the possible ones is that it is both a strategy in relation to the dissemination of the series and its content, as well as a contempt for the viewer.
If it is not recognized as a disparagement, after going through a series with the aim of seeing the character, discovering him during an episode and at the same time accompanying Jennifer Walters, she is presented as a trailer plus. After all the prelude in relation to Daredevil, perhaps the most convenient thing would have been to leave the audience the possibility of revealing the character naturally, without further artifice or stimuli, to further enhance the viewing (and the particular relationship of each which with Matt Murdock).
And the audience?
Can this be understood as a kind of manipulation of the audience? Yes. One that was based on a promise that overshadowed the story of She-Hulk: Hulk’s friend and conditioned part of its development. Does it make sense that a series is sustained and tense from a secondary? No. There is a nuance to that answer, considering that Matt Murdock will be one of the key characters during Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She was not just any character, because of his tradition in comics and the work presented by Netflix in series format.
Given by high on Disney Plus now and save thanks to the annual subscription with which you can enjoy its entire catalog of series and movies, access to the latest releases to the catalog of Star and to the best National Geographic documentaries.
However, the management of his image, during moments before the premiere of the series, the development and its subsequent presentation, enable several uncomfortable questions. Some that do not detract from its weight in its wake, its formal presentation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making up the best chapter of She-Hulk: Hulk’s friend until now. But, also, exposing it.