Marvel’s Daredevil, a Netflix original series created by Drew Goddard based on Marvel Comics, had its first season premiere in 2015 and ended with a third season which premiered in 2018. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) the show occurs independently from the main films in the franchise and follows Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer during the day and a vigilante by night known as Daredevil.
The show stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Vincent D’Onofrio as the villain Kingpin. Daredevil is violent and gritty with terrific action-packed episodes that explore themes like abandonment and perseverance which make this show one of the greatest and most distinctive stories in the MCU.
Daredevil has a wide variety of memorable characters each with unique personalities which develop over the shows three seasons. The main character Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, lives a secret life as the crime-fighting vigilante Daredevil. Unlike other heroes in the MCU, Daredevil’s motives are solely about making New York City a safer place from crime and unrest. Instead of having an iron suit or a magic hammer, Daredevil fights hand to hand using his gift of super sense and combat skills. The thing that makes Daredevil one of the best heroes in the MCU is his humanity, and his will to fight crime and protect innocents while rejecting the necessity to kill as he believes in redemption. Throughout the show, Daredevil goes through struggles and hardships that the viewer can understand better than most of the main MCU heroes.
When Matt Murdock isn’t Daredevil, he lives as a regular lawyer who still fights battles in his day-to-day life. While Daredevil fights criminals on the street, Matt Murdock struggles to find reason for being a hero while also dealing with his job, best friends, and inner demons. It is the battles that Matt Murdock fights within himself and the way the show demonstrates these struggles that make Daredevil a rare breed of superhero storytelling. Daredevil does a fantastic job of showing the imperfection of the main characters and encouraging the fact that no one is perfect, but that doesn’t mean the characters aren’t likeable and relatable to the audience.
The thing that makes Daredevil a practically perfect tv show is the main villain Wilson Fisk, (Kingpin) played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Every superhero film needs a good villain or antagonist for the hero to defeat. Just like the protagonist, the main antagonist also needs to be well structured and developed for the audience to understand and appreciate, and D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Kingpin ticks all these boxes. Not only is Kingpin one of the best villains out of all the marvel shows, but in my opinion, he is the best villain in the entirety of the MCU.
Daredevil represents Wilson Fisk as a brutal, ferocious mob boss who would do anything to get what he wants, but it’s the portrayal of his emotional and vulnerable side which is acted out flawlessly that really builds his character. Throughout my first watch of the show, I felt understanding towards Fisk and his motives, but at the same time, I still wanted Daredevil to beat him. It’s the links between Fisk and Murdock that make the audience wonder who the bad guy in the show really is and encourages Daredevil to question his motives for being the hero his city needs.
All in all, everyone has their own opinions about Marvel films and tv shows, but for me, Daredevil has the best and most well-developed stories out of all Marvel media, and not to mention one of the best Netflix shows ever made. So, if you’re into superhero action/thriller content, I would totally recommend you watch Daredevil!
I watched the first episode or two and loved it, but I never found the time to watch it and kinda forgot. This article actually makes we want to watch it again. Good Job!
Thank you, You should really continue watching this show, I wish I could experience it for the first time again.