Crossovers are the "in thing" in Hollywood these days, especially when it comes to the slate of upcoming superhero movies. So it makes sense that Daredevil star Charlie Cox might have to field a question or two about a potential team-up. In a recent panel discussion, the Boardwalk Empire alum shared his idea of a perfect crossover. And though it probably would never happen, it makes a lot of sense.
CinemaBlend was lucky enough to attend this year's Fan Expo Dallas, where we sat in on a panel discussion featuring Charlie Cox and his Daredevil: Born Again castmate, Vincent D'Onofrio. When the Stardust actor was asked about the established but not-so-widely known fact that The Ninja Turtles creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, were inspired by DD comics to create the heroes a the half shell, Cox responded:
So I didn't know this until a couple years ago, but apparently, the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were big Daredevil fans of the comic. And so in Daredevil, the toxic spillage that blinded Matt Murdock in his origin story, it then went into the sewers, and it created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Which is why in Daredevil, we have Stick, and then the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, they have Splinter. And then there's the Hand and the Foot. Anyway, I like that. I love that stuff. It's pretty cool.
That’s right, dudes and dudettes, everyone’s favorite pizza-loving karate-fighting reptiles, and lawyer-turned-superhero from Hell's Kitchen actually share the same origin story. The very accident that permanently blinded Matt Murdock, at least in the Turtle’s creators’ headcanon, created the TMNT. Talk about a radical connection!
But that’s not all. In the 1980s, Laird and Eastman were major fans of Frank Miller's legendary run on Daredevil as well as Miller's epic samurai tale, Ronin. The pair combined all their geeky passions and created an offbeat independent comic book incorporating their interests. While discussing the origin story, Laird revealed that most of the original Turtle characters are pure parodies and homages to the Marvel hero's roster of characters. Though it started as an independently published indie parody, TMNT became a multi-billion dollar IP that has spawned several cartoons and movies (which we've ranked), with a Seth Rogen-produced animated reboot right around the corner.
The Fan Expo panel moderator then asked Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio if there were any Daredevil storylines they would like to see adapted into live-action. While they played it cool, knowing the dangers of discussing crossovers and adaptations publicly, Charlie couldn't help but unleash his inner fanboy and let the mutant cat out of the sewer on an epic crossover idea that will more than likely have to remain a dream. The Theory of Everything actor said:
So you can't really answer that. Can I tell you why? Because every time you answer that question so publicly, it then becomes a news story, and then as soon as it becomes a news story, you can't do it. So I'm really hesitant to do that. What will never happen, which would be really cool - I can say this - it'd be really cool if the Ninja Turtles showed up in Daredevil.
Imagine the sheer epicness of these two iconic worlds colliding! The tantalizing possibility of a crossover between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Daredevil has captured my imagination. Despite old Horn Head and the turtle team having never crossed paths in any medium, the turtles have had some pretty awesome team-ups in their history. From joining forces with the Savage Dragon, Ghostbusters, Power Rangers, and even Batman, the reptilian teens have proven they're up for wild adventures. But hey, it's about time they join forces with The Man Without Fear, even if it's just within the pages of a comic book.
While not teaming up, the Turtles and Daredevil are making comebacks. Charlie Cox is set to reprise his role in the upcoming Marvel TV series Daredevil: Born Again, which set to hit stream in 2024 and be available for anyone with a Disney+ subscription. As for the turtle crew, they're hitting the schedule of 2023 new movie releases by way of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and it's slated for release on August 4.
