Oh, what could have been! Previously unseen footage of a canceled Daredevil video game has been leaked to the public. The title, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, was supposed to be released to PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox back in 2003. Now, nearly seventeen years later, fans of the Marvel superhero finally get to see the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen in action.
The video posted by PtoPOnline’s Andrew Borman shows footage from the PC build of Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. The title, helmed by developer 5000ft inc, was set to release in conjunction with the 2003 Marvel film, Daredevil. According to Unseen64, plans fell through after disagreements between Sony and Marvel over the project’s direction. While Marvel was looking for a project in congruence with their superhero, Sony was more interested in experimenting with game mechanics.
The division between Sony and Marvel ultimately manifests itself in the gameplay footage posted by PtoPOnline. In the game, Daredevil is able to grind on rails, an ability that was never used by the character before. According to SVG, “this mechanic was inspired by the Tony Hawk: Pro Skater series, which was a huge hit for PlayStation.” Borman also shows viewers the way the superhero can swing through the city using his billy-club — just like he does in the Marvel comics. Developer 5000ft inc was torn trying to satisfy both companies, with the title eventually shelved after Marvel refused to approve it.
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear would have seen cameos from other superheroes — most notably, the character Black Widow. According to ComicBook, the fan-favorite Widow would act as the player’s “guide” throughout the game. Familiar faces like Kingpin, Bullseye, and Elektra were also rumored to make appearances in Hell’s Kitchen. The leaked footage from Borman shows a boxing match between Elektra and Bullseye. The scene would have been a big easter egg for fans of the comic series, as Daredevil’s father, Jack Murdock, was a pro boxer.
Although Daredevil: The Man Without Fear will never be available to play, the leaked footage still gives some people hope — it shares ideas others can build upon for future Daredevil projects. The superhero has seen a recent resurgence in popularity after the character starred in a 3 season show on Netflix. For now, Daredevil fans will just have to make do with the character’s appearances in Fortnite and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2.