Daredevil on Netflix: the Network Without Fear

Daredevil Cast

Matt Murdoch/ Daredevil: Charlie Cox

Wilson Fisk: Vincent D’Onofrio

Foggy Nelson: Elden Henson

Karen Page: Deborah Ann Woll

Claire Temple: Rosario Dawson

Ben Urich: Vondie Curtis-Hall

Vanessa (Fisk): Ayelet Zurer

It seems ridiculous now, but before Netflix debuted Marvel’s Daredevil, nobody could overlook the bad taste Ben Affleck’s turn as the crimson-colored crusader had left in our collective mouth. Many fans of the comic, myself included, wondered if Marvel had it in them to up the ante and bring the darkness of the comics to the small screen. Even when the previews started pouring in, that silly black mask wasn’t convincing that the show would overcome Marvel’s ability to create a bad TV show.

Friday, April 10^th came, and I settled into my chair to binge-watch the thirteen episode season of a show I wasn’t sold on. Ten minutes after hitting play, it became clear that Daredevil was no longer going to be a whispered joke among hardcore comic fans. From dark (read: black) fight scenes to decidedly un-angelic characters, this wasn’t a Disney princess parade. This was Hell’s Kitchen, where nobody comes out clean and life is never shining.

Let me back up just a little bit here. I read Daredevil in the 90’s (yes, that magical place that old people come from), when Joe Quesada introduced a comic that had more shadow in it than color. I wondered then exactly how much ink he used to fill those pages in each issue. On top of that, the covers were beautiful, more art than comic, and really sold the devil-vs-angel aspect of our titular character. What I wanted out of this show was what I loved in those comics: dark, gritty stories backed up by dark, gritty visuals.

Marvel gave me exactly what I was looking for. Entranced far after my fiancé had decided the screen was too dark for her to enjoy; I spent thirteen hours glued to my chair, soaking in the refreshing grittiness, watching the glass hearts of hero and villain shatter and glue back together again.

And why was it just so good? Because the show takes it’s time, running the plot threads in circles before closing up each wound. Every stitch is visible, but you have to be willing to watch the needle push through the skin and into the meat before you can breathe a sigh of relief. Despite the TV-MA rating, Daredevil doesn’t push blood and gore into every scene, which is why each time some shows up, it punches you in the gut. It matters. There is always a solid, story-driven reason they push into violent territory.

As with any good show, what ties it all together is the talent of the

cast. From Charlie Cox’s cocky, but shattering, Man-Without-Fear and Vincent D’Onofrio’s terrifying, sometimes child-like Wilson Fisk, these two opponents are definitely meant to face each other multiple times. Deborah Ann Woll surprised me as she went from being victim to determined scooper, without forgetting she was a victim. Foggy Nelson starts off outlandish and unnecessary, but ends the series as important and meaningful as Murdoch himself. And, my all-time favorite supporting character, Ben Urich, is done full justice by the amazing Vondie Curtis-Hall.

Everyone has already talked about the amazing fight scenes, and all I have to add really is that I think it’s amazing that, for the first half of the series, Matt Murdoch’s fighting style mimics boxing more than martial arts, and after a “meeting” with his mentor, Sticks, he seems to change into a more fluid fighter. That he takes bone-crunching beatings just like his dad did in the ring…well…the saying like-father-like-son has possibly never been clearer.

In short, if you're on the fence about this new version of Daredevil, swing off and join the rest of us, right here in the shadows of Hell’s Kitchen. Or at least, on Netflix.

James Neal works on his own webcomic, Mandy and Murder-Bear. Also, his fantasy novel, Of Blood and Blade is available now on Amazon.