Charlie Cox Carries Netflix’s Stellar 5-Part Spy Thriller Beyond Daredevil

3 days ago 9

Published May 5, 2026, 8:52 AM EDT

Kelcie Mattson is a Senior Features author at Collider. Based in the Midwest, she also contributes Lists, reviews, and television recaps. A lifelong fan of niche sci-fi, epic fantasy, Final Girl horror, elaborate action, and witty detective fiction, becoming a pop culture devotee was inevitable once the Disney Renaissance, Turner Classic Movies, BBC period dramas, and her local library piqued her imagination.

Rarely seen without a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, Kelcie explores media history (especially older, foreign, and independent films) as much as possible. In her spare time, she enjoys RPG video games, amateur photography, nerding out over music, and attending fan conventions with her Trekkie family.

If there’s one thing most Marvel fans can agree on, it’s the impeccable casting of Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock. Like Christopher Reeve, Robert Downey Jr., and Hugh Jackman before him, Cox's name is synonymous with superhero excellence; few actors have inhabited the tormented skin of their comic book counterparts with more authenticity, passion, or pathos. To the joy of casual and aficionado fans alike, that casting coup didn't go quietly into the night following Netflix's cancellation of the original Daredevil series in 2018. Between the recently premiered Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, as well as Murdock's cameos in Spider-Man: Far From Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Cox has now been playing the Devil of Hell's Kitchen for over a decade.

However, the England-born performer was already establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with before 2015's Daredevil, leaving a trail of memorable performances that culminated in his ongoing MCU role. Roughly four years after the third and final season of Netflix's Daredevil, Cox swapped out his red devil costume for a different kind of suit as the lead of the streamer's original spy series, Treason. The role of Adam Lawrence, an MI6 agent devoted to protecting his country and family while harboring the weight of past indiscretions, proves an ideal vehicle for Cox's defining traits as an actor, and cements him as more than just that guy who wears devil horns.

What Is 'Treason' About?

Created by Matt Charman, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter behind Steven Spielberg's 2015 historical drama Bridge of Spies, Treason is a non-stop thrill ride reminiscent of BBC classics Spooks, The Night Manager, and Daniel Craig's era of James Bond — not to mention modern espionage hits like Apple TV+'s Slow Horses and Netflix's own Black Doves. After being dismissed, Russian spy Kara Yerzov (Olga Kurylenko), poisons the head of MI6, Sir Martin Angelis (Ciarán Hinds), and second-in-command Adam Lawrence is thrust into the intelligence agency's leadership vacuum. Angelis has mentored the up-and-coming Lawrence for years, prepping the younger man for a role of such power, responsibility, and influence.

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

💀Punisher

⚡Thor

🛡️Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

What drives you to do what's right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can't protect themselves. BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the dark. CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I've learned that others depend on me now. DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay. EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms. FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you'd think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood. BRunning rooftops in Hell's Kitchen, listening for trouble. CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cold cup of coffee nearby. DStaking out a target I've been tracking for three weeks. ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand. FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn't sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What's yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again. BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside. CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins. DMake sure they don't escape a third time. Permanently. EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end. FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it's hard.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am. BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face. COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I'd do it again. DI'm a ghost. The less people know about me, the better. EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There's no hiding it. FI don't hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

You've lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day. BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting. CI buried myself in work for years. I'm only recently learning to face it. DIt transformed me completely. I'm not the same person I was before. EWith warrior's grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have. FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

What's your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up. BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most. CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation. DI don't do teams. I'm more effective operating solo, on my terms. EThe heavy hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle. FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don't kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly. BI try to hold the line, but I've come terrifyingly close to crossing it. CPractically — I do what's necessary to protect people, including hard calls. DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won't admit it. EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic. FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

When you're not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends. BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets. CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I'm sleeping enough. DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions. ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary. FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn't save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow. BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too. CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough. DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I've made my choices. EWhether I'm truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect. FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

The battle is lost. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything. BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going. CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan. DI don't accept that it's lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore. ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me. FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it's not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

🕷️ Spider-Man

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

You do the right thing not because it's easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn't a burden you choose — it's one that finds you.
Whether it's a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker's lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn't a slogan to you. It's the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

😈 Daredevil

You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You've looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock's duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

🤖 Iron Man

Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark's arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you're willing to give everything. Because in the end, you're Iron Man.

💀 The Punisher

You've been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What's left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

You don't ask for forgiveness, and you don't expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you've decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle's war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

⚡ Thor

Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You're larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor's story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it's needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

🛡️ Captain America

You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

You don't bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn't become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn't in your fists; it's in your refusal to compromise what's right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you're the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

Still, the sudden nature of Lawrence's promotion carries no shortage of expectations. Adam must juggle seemingly irreconcilable goals: conflicts as mundane as his jealous colleagues, and as immense as being the United Kingdom's first line of defense against international enemies intent on destabilizing England amidst the turbulent state of worldwide politics. Worse still, the personal becomes political when Kara blackmails Lawrence about their old affair, triggering a CIA investigation into Lawrence's loyalties, as he simultaneously races to protect his wife Maddy (Oona Chaplin) and their two children. Fearful and flailing in the wind, Adam has no choice except to clear his name, expose the true traitor, and defend those he loves.

Charlie Cox Brings Emotional Maturity to His Roles, Including 'Treason'

Treason allows Cox to channel the individual qualities that make him a compelling figure into one role. In particular, we see his earnestness, ferocity, and ability to walk the fine line between a good man with noble intentions and a flawed human with ongoing failures. No matter the character or the size of his part, Cox brings emotional maturity and an almost visible weight to the material. An inherent commitment simmers beneath his body language and expressions — a sense that the actor is excavating deep inside his imagination to find each character's truth. In short (and to be a little frank for fun's sake), there's no half-assing it with Cox. In Daredevil, his resolute, angry tension allows no doubt about Matt's passion for protecting the helpless and redeeming his home, nor aboutthe depths of his barely restrained rage.

When Treason opens, Lawrence's life is idyllic: a loving wife and kids, a cushy job, and even a fancy house. It's relatively rare to see a devoted family man in the spy genre, and Cox's performance reflects this. Lawrence is relaxed and assured, whether he's tenderly and playfully reassuring his worried children or issuing severe orders to his staff. That safety line quickly unravels as his past indiscretions catch up with him and cast suspicion — both the audience's and the characters' — on the image Lawrence projects. There's more to uncover about Lawrence's scenario and Lawrence himself than the recycled trope of a wronged man seeking justice. He feels burdened by the constant conflict between his good intentions and darker weaknesses, and that flavor of relatable moral ambiguity is (pardon the pun) one of Cox's superweapons.

Charlie Cox Knows What It Means To Be Fearless

After 20 years onscreen, Cox isn’t coasting. With Disney+’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again,’ he’s making vulnerability a superpower.

That said, despite Lawrence's questionable actions and the uncertainty surrounding him like a hovering dark cloud, if the audience is meant to question his devotion to king and country, Cox's natural sincerity makes Lawrence's ultimate integrity almost a foregone conclusion. Adam isn't the type to sacrifice his loved ones for the greater good. Rather, he prioritizes them so highly that he commits treason to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Ella (Beau Gadsdon). With her life at risk, he can't focus on the larger threat even though he's leading MI6. Shame, not self-preservation, prompts him to keep secrets from his wife, fidgeting and staring agitatedly into the middle distance. When he begs Maddy to understand that his love for her has never wavered, all of Cox's earlier intensity transforms into something quieter, if no less vehement. It's a sincerity rooted in the same gentle and steadfast love as Matt Murdock's encounters with his closest compatriots, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll).

The same energy applies when Lawrence reunites with Ella or comforts his son Callum (Samuel Leakey). Cox rarely raises his voice in Treason and doesn't need to. The thrumming energy in his physicality says enough. As a character, Lawrence feels lived-in despite Treason's fast-paced plot, and Cox demonstrates those consistent characteristics sets him apart as an adept actor. Taken in the context of his past roles, that easy truthfulness isn't a surprise. Daredevil could be a ludicrous series in different hands, but Cox contributes to its grounded style by never overacting while still rising to the emotional level a scene requires. Whether it's questioning his lifelong faith or fighting an array of evil ninjas, Murdock's pain is visceral in every punch and broken rib, as is his repeated heartbreak. Hatred, remorse, and love all echo off the screen — and, where Treason is concerned, organically transfer into applicable instances.

'Boardwalk Empire' Was a Breakout Role for Charlie Cox

Charlie Cox as Owen Sleater, smiling slightly in Boardwalk Empire

For another example, take HBO's Boardwalk Empire, where Cox portrays IRA member Owen Sleater, the right-hand man to main character and criminal Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi). Sleater is armed with sharp intelligence and a ruthless willingness to assassinate enemies. He's a man made rough around the edges by poverty. Yet in true Cox form, an unexpected sensitivity underscores his illicit romance with Nucky's wife, Margaret (Kelly Macdonald). His demeanor softens at their first meeting, and as their affair progresses, it's clear he adores her enough to move heaven and earth if she asks. He doesn't conceal his disarming infatuation, and his yearning disarms everything the audience previously assumed about Sleater.

If only Owen's optimism weren't at the mercy of an HBO series. After a mission, he returns to Margaret and Nucky as a corpse in a box, but his goofy smiles and belief in love remain unique to Boardwalk Empire's world and help distinguish Cox's strengths as a performer. Owen, Matt, and Lawrence are all victimized by their romantic and familial fidelity, and Cox's sheer commitment guarantees audience engagement with his heartfelt efforts.

Charlie Cox's Star Is Born in 'Stardust'

Yvaine (Claire Danes) standing behind Tristan (Charlie Cox) as they both look ahead in Stardust

The same skills hold in a different — and surprisingly happy — way in the 2007 fantasy adventure film Stardust, a cult classic that doubles as Cox's breakout role. A besotted young man who promises to retrieve a fallen star for his lady love, Cox's Tristan instead falls in head-over-heels love with the star herself, Yvaine (Claire Danes), over a series of shared adventures. Cox and Danes' instantaneous chemistry sparkles with classic enemies-to-lovers banter buoyed by Tristan's bright, winsome romanticism. He's the ideal floppy-haired hero for the genre: a swashbuckling swordfighter, a dedicated lover, and a dancer smooth enough to make Yvaine literally glow with happiness. Even in 2007, Cox's innate presence and emotional substance distinguished him from the many young men of the early 2000s who starred in similar fantasy ventures.

Give Charlie Cox All the Roles, Please

Time after time, Cox has proven he has more to offer the world than Daredevil. Having said as much, it's safe to assume most fans would happily watch Cox play Hell's Kitchen's most conflicted Defender for as long as Marvel allows. One might even dare to call his Daredevil: Born Again return a gift — but roles like Treason are a different kind of recognition, and just as deserved. Cox combines fervor with honest fragility, and Treason leaves no doubts about whether he has the caliber required to lead any series or film, just like Cox's performance leaves no crumbs. In an ideal world, Marvel keeps him booked and busy for a long time. Whenever he has a free moment, however, the wider industry needs to let this man keep cooking.