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Greetings Popversians, and welcome to Lore Corner! Each week, video producer Ashley V. Robinson and staff writer Grant DeArmitt are going to take you deep into the preexisting lore behind some of pop culture's most exciting adaptations, such as Marvel's latest take on its most enduring character,Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Enjoy! 

Contrary to some other interpretations of the character, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man introduces Peter Parker into a world where a startling number of Marvel heroes already exist. In the very first moments of the series, we see Dr. Stephen Stranger performing his Sorcerer Supreme duties. Later, we see footage of Captain America and other Avengers. And now, the Disney+ animated project has introduced us to perhaps the most exciting pre-existing hero yet: the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil.

But hang on - you mean to tell us that there's already a superpowered vigilante operating on the streets of NYC in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man? Actually, yes, that's exactly what we mean to tell you. And if you'll keep listening, we can tell you everything you need to know about Daredevil in Disney+'s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Who played Daredevil in Spider-Man's Disney+ series?

The first question you may be asking, if you haven't been keeping up with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man news, is who's behind the voice of this particular Matt Murdock. Especially since that voice sounds so very, very familiar. Well, you're correct to think so; this Daredevil is indeed given voice by none other than the MCU's Matt Murdock himself, Charlie Cox.

But before we move on, we have to point out that this Daredevil is not the same one from the MCU. As we've touched on a few times before, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is not set in the MCU, so the Matt Murdock we meet in this series is not the same one we will be re-introduced to in Daredevil: Born Again (premiering March 4 on Disney+).

I know it's a little bit confusing (especially since Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, is also voiced by his live-action counterpart, Vincent D'Onofrio), but think of it like this: in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch played both the Stephen Strange of the Sacred Timeline and the ponytail-sporting 'Defender Strange.' Same character, same actor, two different realities. The only difference between Strange's situation and that of Daredevil's is that the latter's counterpart happens to live in an animated universe.

And since we're on animated universes, let's take a step away from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man for a moment to trace the origins of the Daredevil/Spider-Man interactions. In other words, let's ask...

When did Spider-Man and Daredevil meet first? 

Considering the fact that they're both street-level vigilantes that patrol the streets of New York City, Spider-Man and Daredevil have crossed paths innumerable times. The pair have dueted in 1981's Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, the 1994 Spider-Man Animated series, and quite memorably, in one scene from 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. But long before any of that, the pair met in the ongoing saga that they've both been a part of since the '60s; that is, between the covers of Marvel Comics.

Spider-Man and Daredevil first met in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #16, which hit magazine stands on June 9, 1964. The issue was written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko, and featured the Devil of Hell's Kitchen in his classic (and in my humble opinion, preferable) outfit, the yellow and black duds that were adapted for Murdock's appearance in Disney+'s She-Hulk. The story featured them taking on the sinister villain Ringmaster, and sparked one of the most enduring duos in all of Marvel Comics history.

Does Daredevil know who Spider-Man is?

Ah, well, that depends on which iteration of the Spider-Man/Daredevil friendship you're looking at. For example, in the comics, Matt Murdock and Peter Parker both know each other's civilian identities (except for the handful of times those identities have been either forgotten or changed). The same is true of the time that we saw Matt appear in an MCU movie for the first time, though by the end of that story, everyone who knew Spider-Man's identity had forgotten it. 

In Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man episode 6, in which we get to meet this version of Matt, it does not appear that he knows who's behind the Norman Osborn-created Spider-Mask. However, with both a season 2 and season 3 of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man already confirmed, there is yet plenty of time for him to learn.

And while we're on the subject of Daredevil's future...

Will Daredevil be in Spider-Man 4?

Ah, you couldn't resist sneaking in one last MCU question before the end of this piece, eh? Even though we told you that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is not part of the MCU canon? Alright, we'll talk about the mCU anyway - twist our arm, why don't you.

As of this writing, there are no officially-announced plans for Daredevil to be a part of Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4. However, since the plot details regarding Spider-Man 4 are still a closely kept secret in the hallowed halls of the MCU writers' room, that's not to say that he for sure will not appear in the series.

What we will point out, however, is that the tenor of Daredevil's MCU entries to seem to be trending much darker than what the Studio seems to want to do with their wall-crawler. Still, it's entirely possible that a day is coming in which a lighter, more She-Hulk-esque Daredevil and his Born Again self end up being part of two parallel but separate timelines. After all, Charlie Cox just proved that he can play a more family-friendly Matt Murdock for team-ups with Peter Parker. 

It only makes sense that he'd be willing to do so again. 

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is streaming now on Disney+. For more Matt Murdock, keep an eye on the same streamer as Daredevil: Born Again premieres March 4.

Marvel's most reliable superhero has proven he can do a whole lot more than just 'whatever a spider can.' Swing into Spidey's history with Popverse's 10 best Spider-Man comic books, our Spider-Man movie watch order, and if you want our opinions on the subject, read our articles ranking Spider-Man's actors and Spider-Man's girlfriends.