Chris McKenna Shares How Daredevil Was Almost Included in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Marvel’s Spider-Man films have long hinted at closer connections to the street-level heroes of Hell’s Kitchen, sparking ongoing speculation about when Daredevil might finally team up with Peter Parker on the big screen. These rumors intensified when reports emerged that Charlie Cox could reprise his role in the latest Spider-Man adventure.

However, Cox ultimately denied any involvement, and by the time ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ premiered, Daredevil was absent. Interestingly, that absence was not part of the original plan.

Chris McKenna has confirmed that Daredevil was included in an early draft of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ revealing the character’s role in a storyline that never made it to the final cut. According to McKenna, this version featured Peter leaving New York City to be a hero elsewhere, only to return when an imposter’s actions at home forced him into an unusual legal battle.

In the scrapped draft, Peter learns that someone back in New York has been impersonating Spider-Man during his absence. “He finds out that someone is impersonating Spider-Man back in New York, and he has to come back and prove he’s the real Spider-Man,” McKenna explained, outlining a plot that required Peter to legally defend his identity rather than reclaim it through combat.

The imposter escalated the situation by trademarking the Spider-Man name and copyrighting the formula for his web fluid, creating a bizarre legal predicament instead of a straightforward superhero confrontation. This twist gave the storyline a unique flavor compared to the action-first approach of the final film.

To resolve this legal mess, Peter would have hired Matt Murdock to challenge the cease-and-desist notice from the imposter who stole his identity. McKenna described this storyline as “pretty fun, but it was just a different story,” suggesting that the idea had creative merit, even if it didn’t align with the film’s needed direction.

Incorporating Daredevil purely as legal counsel rather than a costumed ally would have provided a grounded, almost comedic take on the character, emphasizing his day job as a lawyer over his vigilante persona. This detail would likely have delighted longtime comic readers familiar with Murdock’s courtroom background, even if it sidelined his crime-fighting side.

The Daredevil subplot wasn’t the only idea that didn’t survive the writing process. Early drafts also considered having Peter accidentally room with low-level villains Boomerang and Overdrive, as well as an international opening sequence featuring Spider-Man tackling threats abroad before returning home.

Perhaps the most bizarre abandoned concept involved a hallucination sequence triggered by appendicitis, featuring a talking bodega cat discussing the “Spider-Totem” mythology. Together, these discarded ideas suggest a much stranger, more expansive film than what ultimately made it to theaters.

It’s about to be a Brand New Day. Get tickets now. #SpiderManBrandNewDay is in theatres July 31. pic.twitter.com/rJeJHEfdYV

— Spider-Man Movie (@SpiderManMovie) July 21, 2026

Ultimately, the filmmakers opted for a more intimate, character-driven narrative focusing on Peter’s isolation following the memory-erasing fallout from ‘No Way Home.’ Destin Daniel Cretton’s finished film kept its focus on Peter navigating his evolving powers and personal relationships in New York, without the added complexity of a trademark dispute or a globe-trotting adventure.

This decision left Daredevil out of the picture entirely, even though the filmmakers reportedly coordinated with ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ on shared characters like the Punisher to maintain consistency between the two properties.

For now, fans will have to settle for McKenna’s account of what could have been instead of seeing Cox’s version of the character on screen.

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