The Marvel Cinematic Universe opens up a new branch next month with the Netflix series "Daredevil," and it will use the streaming format to play with the comic book’s company’s template a little bit. The freedom of not having a strict network television ratings guideline to adhere to means that the creative team can expand past many boundaries, and that’s exactly what they’re doing.
"Netflix, of course, they don’t have a problem with pushing it. I mean, they go anywhere from G to NC-17," showrunner Steven S. DeKnight told Empire. "But the Marvel brand, that’s a little different. They’re obviously not comfortable going that far with it, though they’ve allowed us to push it much further than you’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since starting with Iron Man. It is much more geared towards adults. We call it PG-16. We don’t quite get to R, but we kiss right up to it."
That’s certainly an intriguing development, one that makes sense considering the show is taking viewers into the rough and tumble world of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. But where does "Daredevil" slot in the MCU? Well, it takes place after the events of "The Avengers" but also exists independently. "We are still part of the Marvel Universe, but we are not explicitly in that ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘ world," Marvel Television’s Emma Fleischer explained. "We’re in our own corner. So the aliens came down and ruined the city, and this is the story of Hell’s Kitchen’s rebuild."
Thoughts? You know where to go. Check out more pics and promo material below. "Daredevil" arrives on April 10th. [via Comic Book Movie and SuperHeroHype]
