After four long years, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen has returned and made his officialMCUintroduction, and he’s just as amazing as ever. Fans got a taste for their favorite Netflix hero when he surprisingly appeared inSpider-Man: No Way Homeand were assured that Charlie Cox was indeed playing the hero they had lost. Almost a year later, fans saw him officially return to action in both halves of his justice-seeking lifestyle inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, when he swiftly defeated the titular hero in court. Matt later teamed with her to take on some seriously misguided evil-doers when they kidnaped his client. Many were uncertain of how Matt Murdock would be portrayed now that the character is officially part of the MCU, but they rest assured now because he is in safe hands.
It’s been confirmed that the version of the character inShe-Hulkis indeed the same character from the (formerly) Netflix original seriesDaredevil. Cox will soon return in his ownDisney+ seriesDaredevil: Born Againin Spring 2024. Until then, fans have some catching up to do if they want to get ready for the big re-debut. The first three seasons ofDaredevilare now on Disney+, and they are far different from everything else that has landed on the streamer. Here are ten key things to know if you have not seen the Netflix series.
10The Show is Gritty, Grounded, and Dark
WhenDaredevilfirst premiered in 2015, it was immediately clear it was unlike anything else in the superhero scene. Its dark noir aesthetic, gritty action, storytelling, and grounding set it apart from anything else in the MCU. It was a no-holds-barred series that went to places that other heroes didn’t dare to go, offering plenty of bloodshed and carnage that put the hero closer toGame of ThronesthanThe Avengers. Matt Murdock is awesome, but he’s not indestructible like most of the Avengers. His senses are at their peak, but he is very much a human being who can be hurt, making the series feel more high-risk. Most importantly,Daredeviloffers up what was once the most mature story for a hero in any medium, giving a practical look at the life of a hero battling thugs and his own darker impulses to keep himself separate from the men he seeks to defeat.
Related:Charlie Cox Thought Kevin Feige’s Daredevil Call was a Prank
9Three Seasons of Story
Daredevilpushed out three action-packed seasons before the series was unceremoniously canceled, but despite what this might imply, the storytelling was some of the most well-crafted and action-packed out of any series on TV.Daredevilis well-paced and takes its time with its story, giving fans plenty of time to breathe and understand the characters and plot while never losing a beat in action or progression. In some ways, each season felt like it could be the last, with high stakes and huge finales that made one wonder what could come next, but the show only grew as time went on, pushing Matt in ways that tested him both physically, mentally and spiritually as he explored the dark underbelly of New York to root out the darkest evils to roam in the shadows.
8Feud With Wilson Fisk
One of the driving forces that madeDaredevilgreat was Matt Murdock’s intense rivalry with Wilson Fisk, otherwiseknown as Kingpin. Fisk came from a rough background that shaped him into the man he is now. Unfortunately for him, his methods set him on a brutal collision course with Daredevil. The series dives into the feud and shows the root of the animosity between the two, with their beef only growing more deadly as time goes on. Fisk’s perseverance and threatening nature are so powerful that he even pushes Matt to lose sight of his morals when struggling against him. Fans were overjoyed when Vincent D’Onofrio returned to the character ofHawkeye, but they were less pleased with how he was handled. One of the biggest questions moving forward into the new series is whether he will be portrayed as intensely as ever as he continues his war with Daredevil.
7Opened the Door for Other Heroes
Daredevilwas only the start of theMarvel Netflix universeas it spawned five other series,Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher, Iron Fist, andThe Defenders. The first three shows were successful in their own right and stood alone fromDaredevilwhile sharing the same universe.Iron Fistwas not quite as enjoyable for multiple reasons. Each of these heroes together (minus The Punisher) eventually came together to form a street-level Avengers team of their own inThe Defenders, where the four came together to combat The Hand, but more on that later on. None of them got their start inDaredevil, but the Punisher did. The two have a very complicated relationship in the comics, and they do in the series as well. Both men are considered heroes, but they couldn’t be any more different. The next entry explains why.
6Faith and No Kill Policy
One of Daredevil’s defining character traits is that he does not kill. Not only that, but he doesn’t allow anyone else to kill either. It’s a moral that he adamantly stands behind, but one that is tested the most throughout the series. More than once, he has considered murdering Kingpin to end his reign of terror, but he’s always able to return to his senses at the moment of truth. The closest he came to doing it was in season two, when he threw an enemy off the roof and retracted the line that would have saved him, but Matt must have known he would survive because he got right back up after. The Punisher was another person who pushed Matt to break his code. The two clashed over the right way to dispatch criminals and Matt was horrified by the methods by which Frank did so. It’s one of their main points of contention in the comics. Perhaps it will carry over into the MCU?
5Complicated Love Life
One thing that’s remained constant with Matt across all three seasons ofDaredevilis that his love life can be a little tricky. It makes sense as it can’t be easy carrying on a love life, a career, and vigilanteism all at once. So far, he’s had flings with Claire Temple, Karen Page, Elektra Natchios, and most recently Jennifer Walters. Most notably, Matt has an on/off thing with Elektra, a warrior in her own right. Where things get tricky between them is that she also doesn’t share Matt’s moral compass and kills enemies without mercy. Despite this and her occasionally antagonistic ways, Matt can’t seem to keep himself away, no matter how much it hurts him in the end. Along with his romantic relationships, he also holds a very strained dynamic with a man called Stick, his mentor and father figure growing up. He’s the oldest part of Matt’s other life and the man who started him on the path of justice, but Stick would rather Matt use his skills for other purposes.
One of Daredevil’s oldest enemies and one he faces against over the series is the group known as The Hand, an ancient organization of warriors who seek power both new and old. They used to be one solid unit but have long ago broken into factions and occasionally faced each other, only reuniting when their goals align. This group is powerful and has connections to many facets of organized crime. Stick is another enemy of the organization, although his methods for combating them tend to be on the controversial side. They serve as the main antagonists forDaredevilseason two andThe Defenders, but given the events that transpired in the crossover, it’s unknown if they will return forBorn Againand beyond.
3Matt’s Personal Life
The facet of Matt’s life that keeps him grounded is his personal relationships. He runs his own law firm with his best friend and college roommate Franklin “Foggy” Nelson and Karen Page, a self-made journalist. One of Matt’s biggest internal struggles is balancing the two halves of his life and keeping one from leaking into the other, but that only gets harder over time. As a lawyer, he works with his friends to bring justice to the less fortunate in Hell’s Kitchen and faces off against his enemies in the daytime while using more direct methods to dispense justice at night. Things can become a little tense when he fails to keep a cap on his other side. He often argues with his friends and, on more than one occasion, risks losing them completely due to his exploits. As said before, having a personal life isn’t easy for a hero.
Related:Charlie Cox Wants to See More Legal Drama in Daredevil: Born Again
2Great Action
Another key factor that setDaredevilapart from any other television show was its amazing fight sequences. Everyone knows about the famoushallway fight scenein season one, where Matt takes on dozens of bad guys in a single take. It was the first real showing of the character’s raw strength and capabilities in the dark underbelly of New York, and he was severely injured at the time while doing it. This one scene showcased Daredevil’s hard-hitting action at its best. No other MCU property has been able to replicateDaredevil’s stunning choreography and cinematography, although they have tried. Fans will wait with bated breath to see if the new Disney+ series maintains these elements of the series as much of whatShe-Hulkshowed was full of CGI, but Kevin Feige has always had his finger on the pulse of what fans want, so they may be able to rest easy on that score.
1Place in the MCU
Now that Daredevil is in the MCU, fans are heavily speculating how Marvel will handle his character and past storylines. The Netflix series ended with a lot of questions. Will Matt continue his rivalry with Bullseye? Will Elektra and Punisher return to cause more trouble in Hell’s Kitchen, and will fans see the return of the rest of the Defenders gang? Fans also want to know how Wilson Fisk got out of prison after Matt’s threat at the end of season three and what Daredevil was up to during the five years after Thanos’s fatal snap. It’s a new day for Marvel’s favorite nighttime crime fighter, but there’s alot of pressing questionsneeding to be answered. As indicated by the season finale ofShe-Hulk, Feige is indeed listening and knows what everyone wants. Time will tell how the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen will be utilized in going forward in the multiverse saga.
