Marvel recently surprised audiences with Spider-Man: No Way Home, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which also crossed over with several properties outside the MCU. This is apparently the first step in a series of Marvel projects that will further explore the Multiverse, something which will be the main focus in the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With fans expecting other Marvel properties outside the MCU to be referenced in the upcoming film, it should be interesting to note that Marvel reportedly wanted actor Ben Affleck to play Daredevil in the Doctor Strange sequel.
Fans should remember that Ben Affleck played the character Daredevil in the 2003 film of the same name. While the film did receive a spin-off, titled Elektra, there was never a proper sequel released. Eventually, the property would be rebooted entirely as the Netflix series Daredevil which is only now being referenced within the greater MCU. As such, it was expected that Marvel would be more focused with bringing Charlie Cox’s take on the character into the forefront. But, and this information should be taken with a grain of salt, it was reported by Manabyte that Marvel did try to contact Ben Affleck about reprising his role.
Of course, for those hoping that the character would play a large role in the film – that isn’t the case. In fact, it would have been an incredibly small cameo intended to conclude the character’s story. What’s more, it doesn’t seem clear if Ben Affleck chose to sign on regardless if Marvel really contacted him or not. As explained:
“The idea was to sort of peek into that universe and close the door on that version of the character, and after seeing how they gave Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man closure in No Way Home; the concept makes sense. However as I said back in November, Marvel wasn’t expecting him to sign on for it as they felt he was too loyal to Warner Brothers and he’s in The Flash, which is a similar multiverse story. I do not know if he actually declined or not, just that the overture was made in the hopes he would do it.”
After Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were brought back for Spider-Man: No Way Home, there’s no telling who else could be referenced down the line. As such, it doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch that Ben Affleck was reportedly contacted by Marvel. And even if the actor chose not to participate, it seems safe to say that there will be plenty of other exciting surprises for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Of course, we’ll just have to wait for the film’s release to know for sure what’s in store.
Audiences will be able to see the highly anticipated sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, when it hits theaters on May 6, 2022.