Stan Lee Believed One of the MCU’s Top Heroes Could Shine on the Big Screen—Did He Miss the Mark?

Stan Lee, with the help of collaborators such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, co-created many of Marvel’s most iconic characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the Avengers. Many of these characters are now central to the MCU and have achieved cultural icon status.

Given his pivotal role in shaping Marvel’s legacy, Stan Lee’s opinions have always been highly influential. However, even this legendary figure may have been mistaken about one of Marvel’s most popular heroes—Daredevil.

“Daredevil” was one of the early Marvel superheroes to be adapted into a live-action film. Released in 2003, it starred Ben Affleck as the Man Without Fear, with Jennifer Garner as Elektra and Colin Farrell as Bullseye.

Despite generating solid box office revenue, the film was widely regarded as a flop. Many fans were disappointed, with criticism aimed at Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Matt Murdock/Daredevil as underwhelming. The supporting cast, including Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell, was often seen as miscast or unimpressive. Additionally, Mark Steven Johnson’s direction was criticized for its inconsistent tone, shifting erratically between dark, serious moments and lighter, campy scenes. This lack of tonal coherence contributed to the film’s failure.

In 2015, Stan Lee commented that the initial adaptation of Daredevil did not do the character justice, but he remained optimistic about a potential new Daredevil film, believing it would likely achieve greater success.

Daredevil didn’t do as well as everybody hoped. I think that, unfortunately, they didn’t portray him the right way. Sooner or later there will be another ‘Daredevil’ movie, and I think it will do very well.

By the time Netflix’s “Daredevil” released its first season, it was too soon to gauge its success with fans. Although Daredevil didn’t receive another solo MCU movie, he is slated to appear in the upcoming series “Daredevil: Born Again,” which will officially integrate him into the MCU canon alongside his allies and adversaries.

The absence of a follow-up movie can be attributed to Daredevil’s apparent strength in an episodic format. The original Netflix series benefited from a longer format that allowed for a deeper exploration of Daredevil’s character and his intricate relationships with both allies and villains—a criticism often leveled at the original film.

The TV series embraced a darker, more mature tone that closely mirrored the gritty and realistic portrayal of the original comics, unlike the film’s inconsistent and occasionally campy tone. This misalignment with the darker elements of Daredevil’s universe contributed to the movie’s shortcomings.

Perhaps a movie could work better once fans are already familiar with Daredevil’s world through the show.

What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below!