Charlie Cox admits he originally thought it was too late for him to put on a mask and save people’s lives on screen as a superhero. The English actor first debuted as Matt Murdock in the Marvel TV and Netflix series Daredevilin 2015. And since then, his own standalone show has already spawned three more solo productions: Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, as well as the ensemble project The Defenders.


Now, with already completed two seasons of his standalone adventure and made a significant contribution to save New York with his newfound allies in The Defenders, Cox is looking back at his superhero journey. Being Marvel TV/Netflix’s pioneering superhero, on top of performing well in his own series, the actor shares that before he nabbed the gig, he had a notion that given his age, he will no longer be cast as a superhero.

Cox, spoke with Colliderin a post-mortem interview for The Defenders, revealed what it meant for him to board the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe and went on to share how he always wanted to play a superhero character on screen:

“When I was in my 20s and I was an actor in London, I’d come out to Los Angeles and try to get work. Some of my dear friends, who were all trying to look for jobs, ended up being superheroes. I was mates with Andrew Garfield, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, and a ton of these guys who all ended up becoming these superheroes. When I hit 30, I thought, ‘Well, that ship has sailed, and I won’t get that opportunity.’ And so, it was a wonderful surprise to learn that there was a character who they were interested in me for.”

Obviously, Cox’s friends have gone on to play their fair share of world-saving (or destroying) roles. Cavill currently plays the Man of Steel in the DC Extended Universe and is set to reprise the role later this year in Justice League. Hiddleston, of course, is the fan favorite brother of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki, who is also scheduled to have another go at the character this fall with Thor: Ragnarok. Meanwhile, Garfield was a two-time web-slinging Spider-Man before Tom Holland swung in with Spider-Man: Homecoming.


Season 3 of Daredevil is already on the docket for Marvel TV/Netflix production slate with The Defenders effectively setting up Matt’s fate moving forward with a direct nod to one of the most acclaimed comic book runs from his character — the Born Again storyline. Cox has previously said that he wants his character to have learned something from his stint with the rest of New York’s street-level heroes although he did not share anything specific about his solo show’s next outing. No specific date as to when his next solo adventure will be released but word has it that principal photography will start sometime late this year.