Luke Cage star Mike Colter recently dropped a major Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 spoiler on Instagram when he shared—and quickly deleted—a photo of himself with Deborah Ann Woll and a bearded Charlie Cox in an orange prison jumpsuit.
This strongly suggests we’re getting an adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark's "The Devil in Cell Block D" storyline. The cat may be out of the bag, but the story of how we get there promises to make the remaining episodes of Season 2 compelling viewing.
With the Man Without Fear behind bars in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, Colter's post may have inadvertently dropped a huge hint about plans for Matt in this July's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. (as an aside, we're now heading into speculation territory; what you read below—and the very idea that Daredevil might be in the movie—is not a "spoiler").
Cox has repeatedly denied that he'll appear in the movie, though fans continue to make it clear to Marvel Studios that they want to see Spider-Man and Daredevil share the screen. Jon Bernthal's Punisher having a lead role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day proves it's possible, but a full-blown team-up may have to wait until Spider-Man 5.
Still, we believe that Matt will make his presence felt in theaters this summer. In the Spider-Man: Brand New Day teaser trailer, Peter Parker is shown fighting The Hand in prison. The leaked teaser, meanwhile, also showed the web-slinger battling them in a prison setting. The official teaser has replaced that background with the New York City skyline, though many fans have pointed out that something looks off about the sequence.
That could be because one of Spidey's allies has been edited out of the scene or because that backdrop isn't the real deal. After all, how likely is it that he'll fight them in prison and in the city?
The Hand are Daredevil villains, and a group that rarely targets Spider-Man. However, if they head to that prison with the intention of assassinating the captive Man Without Fear, Spidey can step in, leading to him teaming with Matt to fend off the ninjas.
While the latter likely wouldn't be in costume, this action-packed team-up can establish a rapport between Spider-Man and Daredevil, simultaneously setting up The Hand as antagonists in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3. Knowing Matt, he'll likely decline Spidey's offer to get him out of prison, allowing Marvel Television to continue his story as planned, without doing anything more than briefly referencing the vigilante's chance meeting with the web-slinger.
It would be baffling for Spider-Man: Brand New Day to give us a prison scene in a street-level movie and not find a place for the imprisoned Daredevil. This won't be the costumed team-up some fans would like, but it does lay the groundwork for one to happen in the not-too-distant future.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, while Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 will stream in 2027.