Is Netflix's Daredevil MCU Canon?

With the upcoming release of Echo and the return of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, many people have expressed excitement over the potential that Netflix's side of the MCU has now become officially canon.

While both Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin and Cox's Daredevil have appeared in the Hawkeye and She-Hulk Disney+ series' respectively, this will be the first time the pair have interacted officially in the MCU and the first time the characters have been seen together since Daredevil season 3.

Both Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock had a thrilling and vicious rivalry throughout the Netflix series. After the performances of both characters from their Disney+ appearances, fans have wondered whether the characters have the same history as the pair that tangoed over on Netflix.

Echo is set within the MCU "Sacred Timeline"

As it turns out, the two characters will be the same versions that were found in the Netflix series. This was confirmed by MCU executive producer Brad Winderbaum during an interview with Screen Rant. During this interview, Winderbaum discussed the Netflix series' ties to Maya Lopez' story and its place in the MCU "sacred timeline:"

"It was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff. We were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but there was a lot to balance anyway. But now that some time has passed; now that we see actually how well integrated the stories are, I think that I personally, Brad Winderbaum, would be confident in saying it is part of the Sacred Timeline."

Winderbaum's comments may not be officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, however it seems that at least the Daredevil series will be considered MCU canon. This is backed up by the latest teaser trailer for D'Onofrio's character featuring scenes from the Netflix series.

Echo could help open the door for more Defenders characters to enter the MCU

This raises further questions about what will be incorporated from the Netflix side of the MCU into the current timeline. While it seems Daredevil is a no-brainer, it will be interesting to see whether fans will be graced with the returns of some other fan-favorite characters such as Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage or Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle/Punisher.

While the Defenders universe was mostly well received, there may be aspects of that side of the MCU that Marvel would like to retcon. There could also be complications with other aspects of bringing all the aspects of Netflix's Defenders universe into the MCU, such as the casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade as the actor portrayed Cottonmouth in the Luke Cage series.

Fans would love to see their favorite characters return from the Netflix series, as it would be amazing to see them interact with the rest of the MCU. Seeing characters such as She-Hulk and Jessica Jones, Shang-Chi and Iron Fist, and Luke Cage and The Thing team up would be something comic book fans dream of.

We may need to wait until Kevin Feige or Marvel Studios make an official announcement about Netflix's Daredevil universe's place in the MCU timeline. However, it seems certain from Winderbaum's comments and the Echo teasers that the Kingpin and Daredevil from the MCU are the same as the Netflix series.