The following contains spoilers for Secret Invasion Episode 2, "Promises," now streaming on Disney+.
Secret Invasion included an Easter egg from Netflix's Daredevil that some Marvel Cinematic Universe fans may not have spotted during their first viewing.
Per The Direct, "Promises," the second episode of the Disney+ limited series, features a Skrull masquerading as FXN anchor Chirs Stearns, who is played by Happy Gilmore actor Christopher McDonald. FXN, or Faxion News Network, is a television news channel that first appeared in the MCU during Daredevil's third and final season. FXN appeared in the Season 3 episode, "One Last Shot," with reporters for the network listening to Karen Page giving an impromptu press conference regarding the killings being perpetrated by someone pretending to be Daredevil. Secret Invasion is the second MCU project to incorporate FXN into its story.
Is Netflix's Daredevil Canon?
While Marvel television series like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Runaways and Daredevil were originally released under the "It's All Connected" branding (i.e., that it was part of the MCU), Marvel Studios has never officially confirmed that the projects are part of the official MCU timeline. However, in recent years, Marvel Studios has slowly reintroduced ideas and characters from Marvel series that it did not have a hand in creating into the MCU, such as Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio reprising their respective roles as Daredevil and Kingpin in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye.
While the Netflix/Marvel shows -- which now stream exclusively on Disney+ -- are not part of the streamer's MCU in Timeline Order category, an April 2023 rumor postulates that the first season of Daredevil will soon be made canon in the MCU. According to Marvel scooper CanWeGetSomeToast, the upcoming MCU series Echo -- a spinoff of Hawkeye that features both Daredevil and Kingpin -- includes something that will point "to ALL of Daredevil being canon to the MCU." Jack McBryan, the co-founder of The Direct, corroborated CanWeGetSomeToast's report, stating that there is a "plot element in Born Again that directly refers to something that happened in Season 1 of Daredevil."
Daredevil: Born Again Halts Filming
Daredevil: Born Again, which will act as a spiritual sequel to the Netflix Daredevil series, reunites Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil and D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin for the first time since the Netflix series. While plot details for Born Again remain under wraps, the Disney+ series will reportedly continue storylines established in the upcoming MCU limited series, Echo, such as Kingpin "running for mayor of New York City." Filming on Daredevil: Born Again's 18-episode first season began in February 2023 but was halted the following June due to protests related to the WGA strike. It is unknown when filming will resume.
Daredevil and Secret Invasion are available to stream on Disney+.
Source: The Direct