[W]ere both good soldiers and professionals, and we were trying to be open-minded. When the star of your much-anticipated new superhero show describes that as the attitude that he and his co-star needed to bring to the project, you can probably expect the project to bomb. Yet, thats exactly how Charlie Cox and Vincent DOnofrio needed to approach the initial (but now scrapped) first take of Daredevil: Born Again, the highly-anticipated sequel to the Netflix series.In a profile for GQ, Cox explained the disappointment he and other cast membered shared in Disneys first attempt to revive the show, a production that was later reworked to more closely resemble the three-season Netflix series. If the leaks and rumors about the initial direction of Born Again are true, lets just say were relieved.Where the Netflix show traded on darkness and surprising violence, Disney initially intended to tone it down, something that took Cox by surprise. The thinking was, Well, we dont want to do the same thing. Weve done that,' he told GQ. However, Cox and DOnofrio, who plays the Kingpin of Crime Wilson Fisk, had their doubts, according to the actor. Vincent and I were both not 100 per cent convinced what we were doing at the time was the right path.Equally perturbed were fans hearing about the production process through leaks and rumors online. Initial repots indicated that Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson would not return as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson respectively, despite being two key characters from the comics and the Netflix series. Moreover, Marvel had reportedly recast other characters from the Netflix show, most notably hiring Sandrine Holt to portray Fisks beloved wife Vanessa, replacing Ayelet Zurer.So, what convinced Disney to change their minds about the first take on Born Again and go back to the feel and tone of the Netflix series? Although he and DOnofrio did speak to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and other higher-ups about their frustration with the change in direction, Cox actually credits a stroke of luck that led to the revamped show. Under the direction of head writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord, Disney shot six episodes of Daredevil: Born Again that built on the characters official MCU appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo. These episodes followed the softer tone originally intended.And then the 2023 writers and actors strikes happened and production had to pause, giving Disney time to reflect on the work so far. The writers strike happened, then the actors strike, which gave the producers an opportunity to look at our episodes and decide that it wasnt quite workingIn a bizarre twist of fate, the strikes that were so terrible for so many people in the industry ended up being the best thing for our show, said Cox.During the pause, Disney made Loki season two showrunners Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead producers and putt Dario Scardapane in the showrunner role. The studio also brought back Woll and Henson, and also added villain Bullseye, once again played by Wilson Bethel from the Netflix series.The finished first season consists of nine episodes, which tell a deeper tale with stronger connections to the original series. The new show feels much more in keeping with the kind of stuff we did at Netflix, Cox told GQ.But perhaps the most exciting news concerns Daredevils future in the MCU. Although the Netflix series was already theoretically part of the MCU, its larger universe connections were more to other series on the streamerJessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Daredevil sat out of the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, his lone crossover occurring in the lackluster series The Defenders.So does Born Agains much clearer MCU status mean that the Man Without Fear gets to join allies such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four in the next Avengers movies? I think its more possible than its ever been, yeah, Cox said. I would love to be in one of the Avengers films, or another Spider-Man, or something like that. For a couple of reasons. One, because over the years I have become a geeky fan of the character, and I weirdly, for the characters sake, feel like itd be really cool for him to get that kind of upgrade.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Even if Daredevil doesnt get that upgrade, its clear that Born Again is an upgrade from its earlier version, giving the starsand the fansexactly what they want from the character.Daredevil: Born Again leaps onto Disney+ on March 4.