Ben Affleck reveals whether he’s watched theMCU’sDaredevil: Born Againand suggests Jon Bernthal’sPunisheris too brutal for his Matt Murdock. Ben Affleck starred in Mark Steven Johnson’s 2003Daredevilmovie, which also featured Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Colin Farrell’s Bullseye, Michael Clarke Duncan’s Kingpin, and Jon Favreau’s Foggy Nelson.Daredevilwasn’t nearly as well-received as contemporarypre-MCU Marvel movieslike Sam Raimi’sSpider-Manand Bryan Singer’sX-Men. Twelve years later, Netflix rebooted the Man Without Fear with the 2015Daredevilseries.
In aJake’s Takesinterview promotingThe Accountant 2,Ben Affleck addresses hisDaredevilmovie and jokes he wouldn’t mess with Jon Bernthal’s ultra-violent Punisher. Affleck takes this opportunity to praise Kevin Feige’s talent for adapting the source material to live-action since the early two thousands. Affleck admits he hasn’t seen Netflix’sDaredevilorDaredevil: Born Again, but says he"wouldn’t tangle with [Jon Bernthal’s]Punisher.“Read Affleck’s full comments:
“Well, his Punisher is good.Daredevilwas 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. It paved the way for great actors like him to 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.”
What Ben Affleck’s Daredevil Comments Mean
Ben Affleck’s Daredevil Didn’t Get To Meet Many Marvel Characters
Ben Affleck’s Daredevil met Elektra, but didn’t get to cross paths with other street-level characters like the Punisher and Spider-Man — let alone more powerful characters like She-Hulk and Hulk, like Charlie Cox’s Daredevil did.Marvel’s 2003Daredevilmovie was released back when the idea of a cinematic universe was still in its infancy, precisely in Kevin Feige’s mind as he produced Marvel solo movies. It would take five years for the MCU to take shape, andDaredevil’s low box officeand negative reviews basically disqualified it from being part of an interconnected franchise.
A soloThe Punishermovie was released in 2004, starring Thomas Jane as Frank Castle.Marvel fans theorized the Punisher appeared inSpider-Man 2and speculated that Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, Thomas Jane’s Punisher, and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man inhabited the same universe. To this day, this theory hasn’t been officially debunked by Marvel, and the Multiverse Saga can still confirm it. InDeadpool & Wolverine, Jennifer Garner’s Elektra mentions that her Daredevil died fighting Cassandra Nova in the Void, alongside other heroes like Quicksilver and Magneto.
Our Take On Ben Affleck’s Daredevil Comments
Ben Affleck’s Daredevil Is Still Technically Able To Meet The Punisher
While a Daredevil variant was killed by Cassandra Nova in the Void prior to the events ofDeadpool & Wolverine,Ben Affleck can still return as Daredevil in movies likeAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, where he could meet Jon Bernthal’s Punisher or other Frank Castle variants. After all,Deadpool & Wolverineconcept art included Affleck’s Daredevil. However, Ben Affleck has said he is no longer interested in playing superheroes, so a cameo by Ben Affleck is among the least likely easter eggs in Phase 6’s crossover movies.
