‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Has an Under the Radar ‘Daredevil’ Easter Egg

What is an Easter egg? Webster’s dictionary defines it as “a hidden feature in a commercially released product (such as software or a DVD).” But as we know from online discussion, Easter eggs are a land of many contrasts. Stupid ledes aside, there’s a Spider-Man: No Way Home Easter egg that I’m not even 100% sure counts as an Easter egg so much as a “weird observation,” but heck, let’s get into it anyway — and why it’s a fun one for fans of Daredevil, in particular.

Spoilers past this point, but as we’ve already reported, pretty quickly in the running time of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Charlie Cox makes his triumphant return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) lawyer, Matt Murdock. That’s pretty cool news for fans of the character from Marvel’s Netflix series. But even stranger, when you consider who is in the scene with Cox.

Sitting around the table chatting with Murdock are Peter, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Pretty normal, right? Until you consider this: Favreau, pre-Iron Man, was in 2003’s Daredevil, playing Matt Murdock’s best friend, Foggy Nelson.

A little side-trip to untangle some continuities, before we get back to it. In 2003, the rights to the Marvel movies were all over the place, thanks to some extremely bad business deals on the part of the comic publisher. While the MCU was only a gleam in a young Kevin Feige’s eye, 20th Century Fox owned the rights to Daredevil, the man without fear, and released a not-particularly-well-received film starring Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock. The movie was financially successful enough to spawn a less successful sequel starring Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, and Colin Farrell’s insane villain Bullseye was well liked enough that the look of the character changed his direction and look in the comics themselves.

But arguably Daredevil‘s biggest contribution to the history of entertainment, other than an absolute banger by Evanescence, was introducing Favreau to Marvel. Three years later, he signed on to direct Iron Man, the movie that launched the MCU and changed movies, TV, and Funko Pops! pretty much forever (until we all get more into gymkata movies or something). The rest, as they say, is herstory.

Anywho, somewhat forgotten in all of that is Favreau’s role as Foggy, which was pretty minimal in the theatrical cut of Daredevil, though expanded considerably in Mark Steven Johnson’s director’s cut. Regardless, Favreau was not cast as Foggy once the rights for Daredevil reverted to Marvel, and Marvel Television’s Netflix Daredevil series instead cast Elden Henson, who is presumably somewhere else during the events of No Way Home. Maybe at home making some avocado toast? Who knows?

Regardless, it’s a fun bit to see the OG Foggy Nelson hanging out with Cox’s Matt Murdock, even if the scene — despite the rest of the movie’s multiverse shenanigans — makes no reference to the connection. Perhaps they’ll touch on it more during Disney+’s surely in development Foggy in the Multiverse of Madness: Nelson Way Home. Until then, it’s just a fun Easter egg. Or at least a weird observation.

Where to watch Daredevil (2003)