Fox Studios lost both their Daredevil and Punisher film rights a year or two ago. Since then, we’ve weathered a few dozen rumor filled waves of speculation, but Marvel’s been unusually tightlipped about the properties, especially since those two possess the potential to rival Iron Man or Hulk as the most popular cinematic characters.

Well, Marvel co-president Kevin Feige has revealed a bit of information on the matter, and while it doesn’t seem like much, it’s absolutely massive. This is the first indication that a Daredevil project is moving forward, as Feige had previously stated that they had no plans for the red-horned devil. As for Punisher, although Feige’s comments are suspiciously aloof, coupling this statement with Marvel Studios’ cease and disist order against the recent Punisher fan film provides a pretty suspicious scenario. What are they planning? Did Thomas Jane’s performance as Frank Castle in last year’s short film #DirtyLaundry successfully woo the studio (this is completely different from that fan film I mentioned earlier)?

Mysteries… mysteries…

In any case, here’s Kevin Feige’s short statement about the matter. I know this is a tiny bit that doesn’t seem too revealing, but remember that this is the first time any Marvel spokesman has revealed that the studio is actively researching a Daredevil project. Massive fucking news, ya’ll!

“We’re trying to figure out what to do with Daredevil now,” “Punisher could show up at one point. You know, once we get characters back into the Marvel fold we don’t want to do something right away, we want to do the smart thing at the smart time.”

Now, I’ve often heard people lament the popularity (or lack) of both Punisher and Daredevil, claiming that neither hero could rise to the ranks of Marvel’s mighty Avengers roster, but I’m gonna call a quick “Bullshit” on the matter.

Give it a quick think… as a kid in the pre superhero movie world, how often did you hear your friends cite Iron Man over Punisher or Daredevil as their preferred superhero? In a discussion about these two do-gooders, and only these two (Batman is irrelevant!), when would your friends proudly proclaim Iron Man as their numero uno? And, remember, I’m of course referring to the pre Robert Downey Jr. era, ideally sometime before the events of Avengers Disassembled (that’d be around 2001). If you spent your time with a similarly geeky crowd, who were at least somewhat familiar with comics, they’d probably cast their vote for Punisher, and to a lesser extent, Daredevil (thanks to some very impressive stories from Frank Miller).

Now, don’t mistake this as a massive tirade against Iron Man, because I love the teets out of the Shellhead, but this is meant to illuminate the absolutely massive potential of a Daredevil and / or Punisher film.

And after The Avengers retire, could these two properties lead the way for a new superhero team in the form of Marvel Knights? Is that why Kevin Feige and crew are so hesitant to tap into these street level vigilantes? Will they wait until Avengers 3, until their main 4 superheroes complete their first arc, to introduce a new criss-crossing team?

SOURCE: BLEEDING COOL