Daredevil boss offers advice on Matthew Lillard fan theories: "That wasn't on the page"

Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane is tempering expectations for Matthew Lillard's grand entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The actor has been enjoying a rather busy period lately, defying Quentin Tarantino's viral criticism with roles in The Life of Chuck, Scream 7, Cross and the upcoming Carrie remake.

In addition, he joins Daredevil: Born Again season 2 as the mysterious Mr Charles, who has been the subject of speculation since relatively few details have been disclosed about him.

Naturally, that secrecy has stirred up theories that he could be a famous comic book character in disguise, but head writer Scardapane ruled out that possibility in an interview with Radio Times.

"I think the cat's out of the bag: just enjoy the character. He's somebody that I wrote from whole cloth specifically for Matt Lillard," he explained. "I'll tear the band aid off: if you're expecting him to be somebody from the larger MCU, that wasn't on the page."

Daredevil: Born Again executive producer Sana Amanat interjected: "That doesn't necessarily mean he's not connected to it."

Scardapane responded, intriguingly: "He's definitely connected to the larger MCU, but he is not a hidden character."

It's a necessary point to clarify as fan theories have engulfed and seriously detracted from earlier Marvel projects, including fellow Disney+ series WandaVision, which was plagued by rumours that it would introduce Mephisto or Reed Richards.

When neither appearance materialised, it left a sour taste in the mouths of some excited viewers, so it's arguably better to settle these questions early than to let them linger.

In a separate interview with MovieWeb, Lillard had clarified that he does "not wear any lycra of any kind" in Daredevil: Born Again, dashing hopes that he could emerge as a costumed supervillain.

He continued: "[Scardapane] built something that he was really excited about sharing, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of it. I really love that world. It fits perfectly with the tone I bring as an actor."

Lillard and Scardapane have actually been friends for more than a decade, having first crossed paths on a US crime drama called The Bridge, which ran for two seasons on FX between 2013 and 2014.

Since then, the creatives have kept in touch – partly, through a Dungeons & Dragons group they both play in (as reported by GamesRadar+).

"I'm always really interested in... scary and evil [characters], who just seems like totally regular guys," Scardapane hinted to the publication of Lillard's role, adding that George Clooney's performance in 2005's Syriana fits in the same category.

We'll learn more about Mr Charles (and his mysterious 'connections') in the coming weeks as Daredevil: Born Again rolls out its second season on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney+. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.

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