by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
Lawyer by day, superhero by night.
Marvel’s newest live action franchise covers the saga of the hero of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil. This dark, gritty, street-level focused tale is very different than the stories that we have seen on the big screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Daredevil coexists in that same world, viewers are shown what happens when a hero rises up and fights back against drugs, gangs, human-trafficking, and murderers. Starting on April 10th, Netflix subscribers will have the opportunity to enjoy all 13 episodes of Marvel’s Daredevil.
Like many superheroes, the story of Matt Murdock begins with tragedy. While attempting to save an old man from being hit by an oncoming vehicle, young Matt saved the day, without any concern for his own wellbeing. The accident exposed him to radioactive chemicals, blinding him for the rest of his life. While his sense of sight was stripped away, his other senses were enhanced in ways never thought possible. Using his new gifts, Matt eventually takes his war on crime to a different level, choosing to defend the citizens of Hell’s Kitchen as both Matt Murdock, Attorney-At-Law, and the vigilante known as Daredevil.
Charlie Cox (The Theory of Everything) could not have been a better choice for the lead in the series, as he embodies both Murdock and Daredevil on the small screen. You can easily connect with his character, and feel for the challenges that he has endured throughout his life. From the first scene, Cox nails the emotion, depth, and determination that makes Daredevil an interesting and longstanding character.
One of the fun elements about seeing The Avengers on the big screen was watching all of these characters come together for the first time. In the case of Daredevil, the same excitement can be said about the assembling of Matt’s supporting cast of characters. You can’t have a Daredevil story without Matt’s partner, Foggy Nelson. Elden Henson (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1) plays the loveable and supportive best friend of Matt Murdock. The series shows the two at the start of their careers as lawyers, making the story even more interesting. Their first case introduces them to Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, True Blood) who becomes a major player in Matt’s life. After being framed for a murder, Murdock and Nelson decide to represent Page as their first client.
This Netflix Original Series is more than just the story of Matt becoming Daredevil, it is also about the rise of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio, Men in Black) as the Kingpin of Crime. D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Fisk is an extremely different take on the character. There are moments when the man is intimidating as hell, only to be followed up by surprisingly sensitive and more bumbling moments, showing that even the Kingpin is human. Fisk has a supporting cast of his own, including his assistant Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore, White Collar), and Leland Owlsley (Bob Gunton, Fox’s 24). Wesley handles the in person public appearances that Fisk himself cannot make, leading to some fantastic moments with both our heroes and the rival gangs of New York.
So do you need to know a lot about Daredevil going into this series? Absolutely not. Like any of the installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you are able to start with a clean slate. The smartest decision that the creative team made with this show was to use non-linear story-telling techniques. We get bits and pieces of Matt’s past throughout the episodes, but it is never just a mass of information thrown at us all at once. You know Matt was injured as a kid. You know he’s a lawyer. You know he’s Daredevil. The rest of the story is filled in over time instead of rushing to get through the origin in order to get to the present day content.
One of the biggest criticisms that has been lobbied against the series was the fact that they decided to focus on the Frank Miller inspired black Daredevil costume. If you have read Miller’s “Man Without Fear” origin story, you would know that this costume really plays a part specifically as Matt is finding his way in this new world of heroics. We know for a fact that the iconic red costume will be seen on screen before the end of the 13 episodes, but honestly, the costume doesn’t matter. When you see the action sequences, the characterization, and the story elements play out on screen, you know without question that this is Daredevil. Spider-Man didn’t have his spandex costume at first. Iron-Man made his original armor out of a pile of scraps in a cave. In this case, you can rest assured that this version of Daredevil is damn good, and is extremely faithful to the source material.
Overall
Having seen the first batch of episodes for review (thanks again to our friends at Netflix), my suggestion would be to go easy and not binge-watch all 13 in a row. I know it is extremely tempting (trust me), but this series has a lot of elements that would lend to be better appreciated over the course of time. All of the errors that were made in the 2003 attempt to bring the character to the big screen have been erased. This is Matt Murdock. This is the Kingpin. This is Daredevil. If Marvel and Netflix can maintain this level of quality for Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, then we will be in for an incredible treat over the next few years.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Marvel’s Daredevil – 5 out of 5 additions to the Marvel Universe.
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