The past few days have seen two strange rumors circulate about Sony Pictures’ upcoming Spider-Man 3 (technically, the sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home but I’m calling it Spider-Man 3 for now since it has a nice ring to it). The first of these is about the appearance of a possible Marvel character in the film. Apparently, Sony is having talks with Marvel to feature Daredevil in a supporting capacity in the film.

This rumor, if true, wouldn’t be entirely out of place or as far-fetched as some may feel. For one, the deal between Sony and Disney-Marvel that infamously fell out before being patched back ostensibly involves rights to at least one MCU character featuring in the Spider-Man movies. Thus far, these have been Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Second, it makes sense from a story perspective since Peter Parker’s secret identity was revealed by Mysterio, which will most likely lead him to need the services of a lawyer.

Now the most logical path forward is to merge the Netflix Daredevil with the movie series by involving Charlie Cox in talks. This is where the second report comes in (and this isn’t a rumor). In an interview, Cox confirmed that he’s unaware of any talks happening and if they are, they certainly don’t involve him. Here’s what he had to say on the matter:

I hadn’t heard those rumors, but it’s certainly not with my Daredevil. I’m not involved in it. If that’s true, it’s not with me. It’s with another actor.

So does this mean Marvel will be recasting all the Defenders? As far as I’m concerned, actors Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter and Finn Jones did a fine job with their characters Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Carl Lucas / Luke Cage and Danny Rand / Iron Fist so the recast is unwarranted. And John Bernthal was just outright terrific as Frank Castle / The Punisher. But Marvel Studios is known for putting their own stamp on their properties and these iterations were largely the creations of Marvel TV, spearheaded by Jeph Loeb who’s no longer involved.

It would potentially place these Netflix shows in an alternate universe or the multiverse, a concept which Marvel is set to tackle heavily with Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. While it’s possible, it would certainly suck to see these well-developed versions of the characters not return for the movies.

However, just because Marvel or Sony haven’t spoken to him, doesn’t mean Cox is uninterested in returning in the role or even in the movies. Far from it, as he makes clear.

Look, I had a great time. I’m so grateful I got to play that character as long as I did. Of course, I’d love to keep going. I’d love to be involved with it. As a fan of the Marvel movies, I’ve loved the little stuff where they pop up here and there but because we were on Netflix, we weren’t able to do as much for legal reasons, I don’t know why. But I love the idea of Jessica and Matt showing up in the background or Matt as a lawyer advising Peter Parker. That’d be really, really cool.

Personally, I’m onboard with what Cox is saying. It would be incredibly cool to have these characters pop up in the movie universe. They could be explained enough to avoid confusing general audiences but would serve as an insanely enriching experience to fans who’ve been following the shows for years.

As of now, all Netflix Marvel shows are cancelled. Spider-Man 3 is set for a November 5, 2021 release date, having been delayed from its original July 2021 release due to the coronavirus pandemic.