The Daredevil Hallway Fight Scene Returns In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law."
Since before the series even premiered, "She-Hulk: Attorney At Law" has been dropping hints about the introduction of a Marvel fan-favorite. Trailers, promos, and even Jen Walters (Tatiana Maslany) herself have been winking in our direction, hinting at the eventual grand entrance of a certain superhero — and eight episodes in, our patience has finally been rewarded. That's right, the hulking green lawyer has finally crossed paths with one of Marvel's most acrobatic heroes: Leap-Frog!
Oh yeah, and the same episode that sees him springing into trouble also finds time for the reintroduction of Charlie Cox as Daredevil.
Okay, fine, forget about Leap-Frog, let's focus on the devil of Hell's Kitchen. While "She-Hulk" has become an exciting playground for lots of D-list Marvel characters, Daredevil is much higher up on the totem pole and his growing role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a very big deal.
The prospect of Matt Murdock properly joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe has always been a daunting prospect for fans. Cox's beloved portrayal is tied to the grittiness of the Netflix series where it began, which was mostly detached from the MCU, working primarily as a superhero character study. Matt in particular was a walking bundle of nerves, tension, and angst, struggling to reconcile his good Catholic upbringing with his morally grey superhero persona. So where does that fit into the quippy world of the MCU and a show like "She-Hulk" that gives us a much more light-hearted and self-aware take on the Marvel formula?
Well, it turns out he fits in pretty damn well.
A blast from Matt's parkour past
When Daredevil arrives in "She-Hulk," he's got a new costume and a lighter sense of humor, but he's still the Matt Murdock we know and love. The episode finds plenty of ways to showcase the man he's always been: he's effortlessly charming with Jen, captivating in a courtroom, and has a noble sense of heroism, especially once the ketchup-and-mustard colored costume is on. But our biggest hint that "She-Hulk" gets Matt Murdock comes when he's suited up, doused in neon blue, and paying homage to one of the greatest aspects of Daredevil: the famous hallway fight scene.
If you've spent time with Cox's take on Matt Murdock, then this will certainly ring a bell: confined to a hallway in the second-ever episode of "Daredevil," our exhausted hero went full vigilante mode, taking down a roomful of goons in a desperate attempt to save a kidnapped kid. Filmed to look like a single shot, the scene is a pretty neat summation of Matt's heroic persona: beat down but determined to succeed. He goes hand-to-had with one goon after the next, all the while on the brink of collapsing from his injuries. Somehow, he prevails against the odds, leaps off some walls, knocks out all the bad guys, and saves the kid.
The moment went viral for its memorable choreography, incredible camerawork, and an all-around great display of onscreen action. It was so notable that the concept became a staple of the series: every season of "Daredevil" from then on would up the ante with another huge action sequence, to the point where the third season's prison escape was an 11-minute single-take that saw Matt fighting for his life. So naturally, when officially introducing Matt into the MCU, reminding us of his greatest hits was a given. But this time around, there's one key difference: this isn't Matt Murdock's show.
She-Hulk smashes Matt's moment
The charmer that he is, Matt has a way of stealing the spotlight from Jen. And in his defense, this is a big moment for him! Besides catching a brick in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," we've yet to see him officially proclaim his presence in the MCU, so when he strides into the show, he does so with lots of fanfare. Not only does he best Jen in court, he also charms her pants off and encourages her to try her hand at some more superheroics. But just because he's got a couple more seasons of TV under his belt, that doesn't mean he gets to call the shots.
Once they track Leap-Frog to his not-so-secret lair, Matt makes a plan to go the stealth route. He parkours into the warehouse to take down the tadpole goons (who are distinctly not henchmen), throws his baton, dramatically swings open a door, and beats them down to the point of whimpering for back-up. But before he can charge the even larger team of goons, She-Hulk arrives and smashes through the ceiling, taking them out in one fell swoop. Sure, it's slightly less elegant and results in a lot more property damage, but it sure does speed things up! Matt's plan involved doing math and taking out goons one by one. She-Hulk gets the job done efficiently, which very importantly gives them lots of free time for after-hours romantic escapades.
Don't forget whose show you're watching!
Leaving time for Matt's walk of shame was probably part of the reason for She-Hulk's grand entrance, but Jessica Gao has also pointed out that it was a crucial moment for the audience. "We have to keep reminding people that this is Jen's show, this is She-Hulk's show," Gao said in a chat with the official Marvel website. While the series certainly gives Matt some time in the spotlight — and always makes room for lots of other Marvel heroes and rogues — Jen is always, crucially, at its center. Gao said:
"Everything in the show is like, 'how can we either subvert a trope or defy expectations or ground something in funny reality.' That's kind of the ethos of the show. So of course, it was just natural for this show, being so meta, that we would acknowledge and tease the classic Daredevil hallway fight. But then, of course, we would have to undercut it with our girl, She-Hulk."
Sadly, our days of hanging with Jen are coming to a close, with the season finale of "She-Hulk: Attorney At Law" arriving in just a week's time. But if it's more Matt Murdock you're looking for, then get excited, but prepare to put that patience to the test once again — his 18-episode series "Daredevil: Born Again" is set to arrive in 2024. If we're really lucky, maybe Jen will smash into his show too and give us the opportunity to revisit their great chemistry. But if these MCU execs know what's good for them, they'll wait until after revisiting the greatness of an epic Daredevil action scene.