Anthony Bergamini
Back in the heyday of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a decade ago, Marvel Television and ABC Studios reached an agreement with Netflix to produce a series of Marvel TV shows under “The Defenders” banner. This group of shows was reported to exist within the realm of the MCU; however, it would focus on street level heroes within New York City. The initial shows were Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, all of which were building up to crossover in The Defenders series. After The Defenders, all of the shows continued with the addition of The Punisher. While the events of these shows never truly crossed over with the lager MCU or their characters, the shows made several references to characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor; mostly through goons discussing the destruction of New York in The Avengers. This all concluded in January 2019, with Disney opting to focus on putting Marvel properties on their Disney + platform, resulting in an ambiguous cancelation what left many fans wondering if any of these shows were ever in continuity with the MCU.
A couple of years later, in 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home premiered in theaters, featuring a surprise cameo from Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, reprising his role from the Netflix Daredevil series. While it was still never confirmed if the Netflix shows were once again considered canon or if he was now playing a new version of the character, Marvel Studios went ahead and made some moves that continued to make this ambiguous. Shortly after Spider-Man: No Way Home, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin appeared in the 2021 Hawkeye Disney+ TV show. Murdock/Daredevil then went on to appear in the 2022 She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Disney+ TV show and Murdock/Daredevil and Fisk/Kingpin showed up as characters in the 2024 Echo Hulu TV show. All of this was building up to Daredevil: Born Again, which is now seen as a continuation of the original Netflix series, acting as something new rather than additional seasons. But, to really appreciate this new series, it is important to look back at Daredevil and see what made it so impactful at a time when the MCU could do no wrong.
One of the most dramatic departures from everything else in the MCU, Daredevil kicked off on Netflix in 2015 with a gritty, character driven drama, featuring lengthy courtroom scenes and some of the most gruesome action ever shown in a Marvel property. The first few episodes feature the introduction of the show’s major supporting characters and villains, Foggy Nelson, Karn Page, Ben Urich, Stick, Kingpin, and several others who have large impacts on the overarching series. At the core of the story is Daredevil’s fight with his on morality, especially as he famously battles his Catholic guilt when he’s taking out his deep seeded rage on the criminals of New York. This is juxtaposed by his life as a lawyer, where he continues to foster strong relationships and grow as a person while his “darker half” does the dirty work. As is common in all excellent TV dramas, both of these stories intermix with the supporting cast assisting in uncovering the criminal conspiracy, while Daredevil takes care of the more physical aspects.
One of the connecting tissues of the Marvel Netflix series was Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson, who first appears in season one of Daredevil as a nurse who helps a seriously injured Matt Murdock. Temple’s introduction is one of the first times the audience gets to see Murdock acting as both himself and Daredevil, as he is forced to remove his mask for her when she stumbles upon him. While he initially refuses to tell her his name, the show uses this relationship to reveal a lot about how Murdock’s powers, with the discussion of his blindness and abilities surfacing in an organic way that doesn’t force the show to just stop. Throughout the show, some flashbacks occur that connect back to Matt’s current crises, especially his father dying and his growing relationship with Stick. The show is very smart about how it shares this information, choosing to keep it relevant to the plot of each episode.
One of the most iconic parts of Netflix’s Daredevil came from the famous one-shot hallway fight scene, where Daredevil fights through a long hallway, bouncing in and out of doors while he makes his way to the end. More so than anything else, this scene garnered the show a lot of attention, especially from cinephiles who appreciated a unique depiction of combat within a superhero genre that rarely innovates its structure. Additionally, it captures a lot of the shows grit, showcasing Daredevil as he not only deals firm hits onto the villains, but also takes many punches himself. This all happens while he is careening down this hallway where goons appear in almost every door. The shot utilizes the doorways as a way to take the action briefly off the screen while maintaining the shot, allowing for the stunt choreography to maintain its stature. The show attempts to recreate this scene in various different ways down the road to varying successes, but nothing compares to how awe inspiring it was to see this scene for the first time.
When it comes to the show’s brutality, Daredevil is one of the most violent series of all time. In the season one episode “Speak of the Devil,” Daredevil goes up against one of the city’s crime bosses, Nobu, in a fight that will tell you everything you need to know about the brutality of the show. This fight is not only bloody and intense, but it showcases many of the ways that Daredevil approaches combat. Throughout the fight, he takes many hits from both Nobu’s fists and blades, leaving him severely wounded. This is very different from other superhero media, which often showcases the hero coming away from most fights unscathed. While the idea of Daredevil existing at all is a piece of science fiction, this show goes to great lengths to add bits of realism to the way he approaches his super heroics and how that would affect an average person.
Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, while often viewed as just the big bad of the series, is also one of the show’s main focal points, especially due to the performance from D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio’s performance is very nuanced, showcasing this charming, but direct man who has more rage in his body than anyone else. The show explores how all of the rage built up, utilizing the motif of him staring at a white wall, keeping him consistently focused on his goals. When his rage comes out, the real Kingpin comes alive, with scenes depicting him killing men in the most brutal of ways. Sometimes this is with his bare hands whereas other times he is smashing someone’s head in with a car door. Either way, Kingpin is showcased as this larger-than-life powerhouse that utilizes his strength and stature to negotiate with crime bosses who would otherwise take advantage of him. Seeing his rise and fall throughout the series is truly amazing, especially as he grows overly attached to Vanessa, leading to his own undoing.
As the show transitioned into its second season, many of the show’s hallmarks carried over, such as Daredevil’s unique view of justice, Kingpin lurking in the background, and supporting characters like Foggy and Karen developing the world and their own characters to a point where a Daredevil show without them would just feel wrong. The biggest change that came from season two was how the show leans into the mythology. The Nobu character from the first season is revealed to be part of this ancient Ninja organization, The Hand, who have their own major machinations revolving around Murdock’s once love, Electra. Additionally, the season introduces Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/The Punisher as a foil to the way Daredevil approaches justice. All of this showcases the way this show constantly looked to evolve and grow into something that truly represented those characters and the universe from all angles.
The Punisher storyline is a standout amongst the entire series because of how well it captures two men with the same goal but polar opposite approaches. Daredevil acts out necessity when the law fails to work the way it should. This mirror’s Murdock’s plight as both a lawyer and a superhero, as he seeks to apprehend criminals who have skirted the law. The Punisher decides that this is all a waste of time, opting to kill the criminals to permanently end any pain or suffering they may cause in the future. This brings the two to a head, leading to an excellent rooftop scene where they have the discussion regarding their philosophies. Once again, this show does something that other superhero media often avoids it allows the characters to talk to one another instead of endlessly fighting. This storyline is emblematic of everything that makes this show great, and thankfully, Bernthal will be returning as The Punisher in the Disney+ Daredevil: Born Again series.
The storyline with the Hand is a large departure from the gritty, down to earth storytelling, focusing on the more fantastical elements and taking this universe in a new direction. The Hand is reveled to be this ancient organization that has the singular goal of serving “The Beast.” The show explains that Stick, Murdock’s childhood trainer, actually was grooming him to be the first of the Chaste, a group that has been at war with The Hand for generations. This ties in with Electra as well, who in addition to being Murdock’s college girlfriend, is also now part of this war. This arc mainly connects this show to The Defenders, but it also does an excellent job of showcasing how to ground these fantastical elements with the more grounded elements by keeping the central focus around the characters. This is often regarded as one of the weaker elements of the series; however, if you look at it in a vacuum, separate from the not so well received The Defenders, it really holds up.
The final season of the series takes a significant departure from the first two, especially as it revolves around the ramifications of The Defenders rather than the events of the first two seasons. At The Defenders’ conclusion, Murdock is presumed to be dead, practically shelving all of the lingering plot threads from season two. Season three sees Murdock being retrieved from the rubble and rescued by a group of nuns who nurse him back to health. What ensues is a take on the show, inspired by Frank Miller’s Daredevil: Born Again storyline, where Murdock similarly has to rebuild his life after it is all destroyed (this also makes the naming of the Daredevil: Born Again TV show kind of confusing). The crux of this season is “back to basics” Daredevil, where Murdock has to not only reclaim his life as a member of society, but also reestablish what it means to be Daredevil. This grounded, deeply character focused season is a lot more akin to the first few episodes of the show, especially as Fisk/Kingpin returns to reignite their battle against one another from the beginning of the show.
This season also sees the arrival of Bullseye, who gets a very grounded approach to his otherwise excentric comic book counterpart. This grounded approach definitely is a response to those who were not so keen to the fantastical elements, taking a step back from that entire approach. Thankfully, the show maintains its strong quality and continues to showcase its characters as the focus, making Bullseye a great foil for Daredevil but giving him all the abilities of the hero without the strong moral code. This is somewhat reminiscent of Daredevil’s battle with The Punisher but makes the relationship more antagonistic as Bullseye shows little regard for protecting human life as he acts.
One of the elements constantly explored throughout the series is why Murdock chooses to fight crime as Daredevil. At face value, he is fighting crime after seeing the tole that a life of crime took on his father, while also utilizing his abilities to save those who would otherwise not be able to fight back. But, deep inside, there is a core narrative about the anger within. This anger for Daredevil is channeled into his fights, especially as he has to stop criminals who sometimes are murdering people. This is juxtaposed by the Kingpin, who channels his anger into a form of power that he uses to assume control wherever he can. All the while, Murdock expresses his Catholic guilt of having to admit that he actually enjoys fighting. Regardless of his intentions, it brings him pleasure. This is an excellent approach to a superhero property, where fans often see these high-flying heroics and take them at face value instead of understanding the toll they may take on the mind and body.
Daredevil was a monumental show for Marvel and Netflix and one deserving a revival. The elements above made it so unique compared to anything else Marvel was doing with the MCU and fans can only help that the trajectory continues in the direction the original show went.
