Daredevil Almost Joined ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ in a Scrapped Draft, and the Plot Is Wild

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has become one of the biggest hits of the year, but the movie audiences saw was not the first version of the story. Its writers have been opening up about what got left on the cutting room floor, and one revelation has fans doing a double take. A crossover many hoped for almost happened.

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and released on July 31, has grossed more than $2.4 billion worldwide. It is also the highest-grossing movie of all time in the domestic market, according to The Bulwark. Its screenplay comes from Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who have now written all 4 of Tom Holland’s solo Spider-Man films.

Speculation about the Man Without Fear appearing in the film began long before release. Reports suggested Charlie Cox would not be involved, and he ultimately denied any involvement. By the time the movie reached theaters, Daredevil was nowhere to be found.

Now McKenna has explained why, and the answer is more intriguing than a simple absence. In a September 18 episode of The Bulwark podcast, host Sonny Bunch talked with him about the film’s development. The Bulwark is where McKenna confirmed that Daredevil was featured in an early draft. The post sharing the news on X has drawn 13.9K views, 389 likes, and 43 reposts.

According to the account, that version had Peter leaving New York City to work as a hero in Southeast Asia. While he is away, he sees a video of an imposter back home and receives a cease-and-desist letter from that impostor. Peter then hires Matt Murdock, the lawyer alter ego of Daredevil, to fight it.

Forbes reported additional details from an interview with both writers, who said the imposter had trademarked the name Spider-Man and copyrighted the web fluid formula. That turned the conflict into a courtroom-style comedy rather than a typical superhero brawl. McKenna described the storyline as fun but ultimately a different story.

It was not the only wild idea considered. Another early version had Peter searching for cheaper rent and accidentally moving in with two roommates who turned out to be the low-level villains Boomerang and Overdrive. Those two would even have invited him to a trivia night at the villain hangout The Bar With No Name.

A Brand New Day starts now.

Watch the official trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day – exclusively in theatres July 31. pic.twitter.com/O4ryqpTCZX

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) March 18, 2026

The writers have said the script took shape through collaboration with Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, producer Amy Pascal, and Sony. They also revealed that the final antagonist, Jean Grey, didn’t arrive until Cretton joined the project. She became the missing piece, and her story gave Peter a mirror and foil for his emotional journey.

That shift explains why the movie feels so different from the scrapped draft. The final film puts Peter in a mystery about a masked, mysterious opponent, with heavy emotional stakes. A comedic legal saga with Daredevil would have pulled in the opposite direction.

Fans have reacted with mixed feelings. One reply to the post suggested audiences dodged a bullet, saying the concept sounds bad, while others might argue the idea had promise. The 2 sides show how divisive an unmade story can be.

Even so, the news adds another layer to the Daredevil debate. The Direct has noted that a few Netflix-era Marvel characters do appear in the film, so the street-level side of the MCU is not entirely missing. It also proves that the writers thought about that connection early on.

Whatever happens next for Peter and Matt Murdock, this unused draft shows just how many directions the story might have taken. The final version clearly worked for audiences, but the road not taken makes for a fascinating what-if. It also raises the question of whether the two heroes will ever share a screen.

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