Daredevil star Charlie Cox continues to deny his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the actor revealing that it was his friend who alerted him to the recent speculation. Ever since the cancellation of the Netflix show, many have hoped for Cox to once again suit up as The Man Without Fear, with fans confident that Daredevil alter ego Matt Murdock appears in the recent Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer. Sadly, Cox once again pushes back, but do we believe him?

"One of my friends in New York, who knows me really well texted me a clip from a leaked trailer that has me in it. I had to write back to tell him that it wasn't real. You could clearly see it wasn't real. This is a guy that knows me and he fell for it. I'm like, 'Do you think I wouldn't have told you?'"

While he remains adamant that he is not due to make an appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, would Cox have really told his friend if he were? Marvel Studios, and Marvel boss Kevin Feige in particular, are very serious about secrecy, and would no doubt have some stern words for the Daredevil star if he started blabbing to all his mates.

"There was a fan on the Kin crew," Charlie Cox continued, referring to his new AMC series. "I came to work one day, and the rumour had come out that I was filming in Atlanta, and he asked me like it was a sensible question, and I was like, 'I've been here every day with you, on set' but I think he was so hopeful that he still was like, 'Is it true?'; I had to say to him, 'How would it be true?'"

Cox then cites scheduling issues with his latest series, Kin, as keeping him from starring in any current MCU project, before referring to the current global situation as another reason why the rumors are so unrealistic. "'Even if I had a few days off, we're in the middle of a pandemic. I'm not allowed to fly anywhere. What are you talking about?' Did he think Captain America came to get me?"

While it's unlikely that Captain America came to get him (he's really old now thanks to the finale of Avengers: Endgame, duh) Cox's words are unlikely to curb the ongoing theories and hopes for his comeback. After all, studios, and especially studios as big as Disney and Marvel, can always find a way to make these things happen despite real-world obstacles. Can't they? Besides, this would not be the first time that an actor has lied about starring in an upcoming project, and while the recent "sighting" of Charlie Cox in the Spider-Man: No Way Home has seemingly now been debunked, maybe they used CGI to hide his face? It wouldn't be the first time that Marvel have used such tricks to maintain the secrecy and surprise.

Whatever happens, Cox remains grateful of the opportunity to star as one of Marvels' most cherished heroes, as well as the overwhelmingly positive response to his casting. "I will start by saying the credit goes to Stan Lee. When the casting of that character works out it to some degree, and the fans get on board, that's a huge relief, and also a huge honour."

"I feel very, very grateful that I was able to capture something that ties in with what the fans imagine Matt Murdock to be like," he continued. "What our show did that hadn't been done before was that we delivered a superhero show to an older audience," Cox added. "One of the things I certainly learned, I didn't realise that if you grew up buying Daredevil comics, you don't cease to become a huge Daredevil fan. You always are. It's a bit like a football team. He's your guy. He's one of your guys, right?"

Now that enough time has passed and the rights to the Marvel Netflix properties have reverted to Marvel Studios, rumors quickly began to spread that Charlie Cox will return as either Matt Murdock, Daredevil, or both in the upcoming Marvel sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home, with reports even claiming that he had been spotted on set and filming for a short while on the project. These rumors swirled once again recently thanks to the San Antonio-based Celebrity Fan Fest revealing that the Daredevil star had cancelled an upcoming convention appearance because of a "last-minute filming schedule" change. While it could all be a simple coincidence, this sudden cancellation came amid reports of Spider-Man: No Way Home reshoots. Curiouser and curiouser...

Thanks to the recent, record-breaking trailer, we now know that Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up after Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man was exposed by Mysterio at the end of 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, with Parker's life and reputation are turned upside down. He asks Dr. Stephen Strange to help restore his secret identity with magic, but this has dangerous repercussions that force Parker to learn what it really means to be Spider-Man.

Directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the highly anticpated Spider-Man sequel stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, J. B. Smoove, and Benedict Wong. Thaks to the madness of the multiverse, several villains from previous Spider-Man franchises will also appear, including Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus, Willem Dafoe as The Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx as Electro. If Marvel have managed to make that work, then surely bringing back Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock for a scene or two should be easy peasy?

Of course, fan theory and speculation are all part of the fun, as well as a testament to the impact that Cox had in the role. But, if he's really, truly not lying here, and he really, honestly does not show up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, theaters can expect some very tearful audiences. This comes to us courtesy of a recent interview Charlie Cox had with Irish Examiner.