There's something wrong with the MCU is notable for its representation, spotlighting characters from all walks of life as superheroes or ing characters. This representation can only be beneficial to the franchise's bottom line, as large swathes of audiences see themselves represented on-screen, often by an iconic superhero, where it would otherwise be difficult to find such representation in other mainstream movies.
Matt Murdock is a prime example of this, with his blindness being a major part of his characterization. Daredevil depicted a pretty comic-accurate origin for Daredevil as he was blinded as a boy by radioactive waste while attempting to save someone's life. Since then, a recent moment in Daredevil: Born Again feels questionable.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4 Made Matt Murdock The Butt Of Blind Jokes
Leroy Bradford Is Initially Difficult To Sympathize With
Daredevil: Born Again characters. One of these is Leroy Bradford, a new and (so far) minor character to whom Matt Murdock is assigned as a public defender after Bradford is charged with petty larceny.
Matt's first interaction with the defendant is littered with blind jokes from Bradford, the person Matt is supposed to represent and aid. The one scene includes four jokes in total, including the following:
- "Look at this. I get the freakin' blind dude."
- "Bring on the blind justice."
- "You hear me? Blind man." (Bradford waves his hand in Matt's face)
- After Matt says "I'll see what I can do." Bradford responds, "See? See that's funny. 'Cause you can't see s***."
Bradford is instantly prickly with Matt Murdock, demanding that he achieve the impossible and score probation despite the insurmountable evidence against him.
With these two jarring facets of his characterization, it is difficult to understand what the point was with writing in Bradford's blind jokes.
If Bradford was supposed to be a particularly unsavory character that audiences were supposed to dislike, then this scene did a good job of portraying him as such. Instead, after Matt successfully brings Bradford's sentence upon a guilty plea to ten days, Bradford proceeds to opine about how the system makes it impossible for him to thrive. He raises several great points and even wins Matt over with his arguments. The scene is also designed to make the audience empathize with him.
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Except the blind jokes make that much harder. With these two jarring facets of his characterization, it is difficult to understand what the point was with writing in Bradford's blind jokes. There is certainly room to have odious characters discriminate against Matt as a way of conveying the struggles he faces, but it's harder to reconcile with when the audience is then expected to respect or sympathize with the same character.
Hawkeye Was An Important Step For Disability Representation In The MCU
Hawkeye Suffers Hearing Damage As A Result Of His Avengers Adventures
Hawkeye was the largely acclaimed MCU series spotlighting the titular Avenger in the days following his attempted retirement from heroics. After being unwittingly pulled back into the business by Kate Bishop and her hijinks, it is then revealed that Clint Barton's experiences with the Avengers and being among multiple explosions have caused significant hearing damage. This causes him to wear hearing aids and even practice American Sign Language to help remedy the damage.
Hawkeye is rendered deaf in Marvel Comics after a sonic arrow explodes near his head.
This is a comic-accurate depiction of Hawkeye and furthered deaf representation in the franchise just one month after Lauren Ridloff's Makkari became the first deaf superhero in the MCU. Hawkeye also interacts with another deaf character in the show, namely Maya Lopez, who would go on to star in her own spin-off show. The disabilities of these characters are treated with the appropriate level of respect and was ostensibly a positive sign of Marvel's commitment to representation. Unfortunately, one year later would continue a long-running joke at the expense of a fan-favorite MCU superhero.
Bucky's Arm Being An Ongoing Joke In The MCU Is Still A Problem
The MCU Continually Minimizes Bucky's Disability
Bucky Barnes lost his left arm after falling from a speeding train in Captain America: The First Avenger. Although he survived the fall, Bucky was then captured and brainwashed by HYDRA, who fitted him with his now-iconic cybernetic prosthetic. This prosthetic arm would later be upgraded to a vibranium variant by the Wakandans who also helped Bucky to break free of his brainwashing.
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Rocket Raccoon then trivialized Bucky's disability in Avengers: Infinity War. During the Battle of Wakanda, Rocket attempts to buy "the arm" from Bucky, who refuses to grace the question with an answer. Rocket, apparently unfazed by the lack of response or the implications of stealing a man's prosthetic, then asserts "Oh, I'll get that arm." This, quite frankly, is a pretty evil move from an otherwise heroic figure.
One of the most talked-about moments in the Thunderbolts* trailer depicts Bucky removing his prosthetic from a dishwasher and affixing it to his shoulder.
This is later compounded by the fact that Nebula somehow retrieves Bucky's arm and presents it to Rocket as a Christmas gift in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This is, of course, a humorous nod to Rocket's sinister promise, and leaves the audience questioning how Nebula received the arm and whether it was by force, which is enough to cast doubt on her own virtues. Ultimately, this all works to belittle Bucky's disability.
On the face of it, Thunderbolts* looks set to continue this trend. One of the most talked-about moments in the Thunderbolts* trailer depicts Bucky removing his prosthetic from a dishwasher and affixing it to his shoulder. For all intents and purposes, this seems to be played for laughs, showing that the MCU can't help but minimize the need for a prosthetic. Hopefully, added context from the movie - which its stars promise will delve deep into themes of mental health - will assuage that notion.
Daredevil: Born Again Shows The MCU Can Still Improve Its Disability Representation
The MCU Still Has A Way To Go
It's fair to say the MCU is sparsely populated with disabled characters, especially if characters like Makkari, Echo, and even Hawkeye continue to be sidelined from hereon in. This makes Daredevil one of the last remaining and most prominent of the MCU's disabled characters and places a lot of responsibility on the show to handle blind representation mindfully. Unfortunately, the events of Daredevil: Born Again episode 4 were slightly concerning.
Still, I am hopeful that Daredevil: Born Again's excellent writing will shine through in the end, with Matt Murdock's disability being more carefully handled in future episodes. There is, after all, still plenty of time for the show to remedy Bradford's callous comments while going on to ensure that Matt's blindness doesn't become a regular target for ill-advised humor from otherwise sympathetic characters. With that being said, I believe Marvel Studios needs to continue spotlighting Matt's day-to-day struggles. Further still, the MCU could benefit from introducing more disabled characters.
Daredevil: Born Again
- Release Date
- March 4, 2025
- Showrunner
- Chris Ord
- Directors
- Michael Cuesta, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
- Writers
- Chris Ord
- Franchise(s)
- Daredevil, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Cast
Matt Murdock / Daredevil
Wilson Fisk / Kingpin
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