by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

Daredevil, the man without fear, returns to Netflix for Season Two later this week. After savings Hell’s Kitchen from The Russians, The Yakuza, and The Kingpin, Attorney Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is faced with a new kind of challenge: The Punisher! Who is the mystery man that is tearing through the city on a one-man war? Can Matt stop him without having to cross a personal line?

This review contains minor spoilers about Season Two of Daredevil.

A short time has passed since Nelson and Murdock – Attorneys at Law took down Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. The Kingpin). While Matt (Charlie Cox), Foggy (Elden Henson), and Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) continue to help the residents of Hell’s Kitchen during the day, Daredevil fights to protect the innocent at night. No longer keeping solely to the shadows, Murdock has fully embraced his alter-ego, and you can tell that he enjoys making a difference. When a violent rash of murders occurs throughout the city, Nelson and Murdock find themselves drawn into a new and bloody conflict. The Punisher (Jon Bernthal, The Walking Dead) has arrived, and it is only a matter of time before he catches up to their latest client. Can the gang (with help from Daredevil) stop this lunatic from carrying out his killing spree? As if they didn’t have enough to deal with, things get even more complicated when Matt’s Ex-Girlfriend Elektra (Elodie Yung, G.I. Joe Retaliation) decides to reappear in his life.

To no surprise, Charlie Cox continues to capture the spirit and determination of Matt Murdock. His characterization in Season One was impressive to say the least, and he manages to find a perfect balance between the lawyer and the vigilante. The addition of Frank Castle to the series was definitely an interesting choice for the “big bad” of the season, and Jon Bernthal provides viewers with a Punisher that we haven’t quite seen before. Marvel has always managed to create the most screen-accurate versions of their characters, and Castle is no exception. This is a man who has been to war, only to return to have his life ripped away. If you have read any of the Punisher MAX comics, you will be 100% satisfied with Bernthal’s performance. Aside from Matt’s battle with the Punisher, he must also deal with his stunning Ex-Girlfriend Elektra. Elodie Yung is the Elektra that we have been waiting for. The interaction between these two characters is probably the most intriguing of the new dynamics, as we learn that Matt has a significant blind spot (pun intended) when it comes to her involvement in his life. Daredevil has proven to be a ensemble piece, and Matt’s supporting characters also get numerous moments in the spotlight. Remember in Season One when Foggy confronted his Ex-Girlfriend Marci at the Landman and Zack Law Office? There are a few new moments very similar to that, where Elden Henson gets to blow the audience away. Additionally, Karen steps up to the plate to assist with the Punisher case, and Deborah Ann Woll demonstrates some new hidden layers to Ms. Page.

With the departure of both Drew Goddard and Steven S. DeKnight as Executive Producers during the first season, fans were left wondering how the show would feel when returning for the new season. Douglas Petrie (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Marco Ramirez (Fear The Walking Dead) took the reigns for the new installment, and faithfully continue what their predecessors started. Although the first season had a long setup and an overly looming threat, the new team decided to get right to the action and pit Daredevil against his new foe right off the bat. While there is substantial development to the character over the course of the episodes, we don’t get as much of an “impending doom” feeling from Punisher’s arrival as we did with the introduction of the Kingpin. The introduction is given away quickly, but it ultimately doesn’t detract from the quality of the series. The story is still filled with many twists and turns as the season progresses, and is sure to leave the audience ready for the next episode.

One of the fan-favorite sequences from the previous season was the long-shot in the second episode, which featured Matt taking on all of the Russians in a confined hallway. This new season features a similar sequence (I won’t reveal when it happens, or who it is against), which definitely stands out as being one of the coolest things done recently on television. A high level of skill and precision was used to create this segment, and I wanted to give a shout out to the stunt team for carrying it out in a memorable and impressive manner. If you want a refresher on the Hallway Sequence, you can see it below:

Overall

Daredevil: Season Two is a solid continuation from the ground work of the previous season. Character elements that were subtly hinted at in the previous season have begun to come to light, and it is extremely interesting seeing how everything plays out. We truly live in an age of Marvels. Not only are we getting to see Daredevil, Punisher, and Elektra fight it out in a live action format, but we are getting to see their story unfold over 13 incredible episodes. I doubt that this is the last season for Daredevil, and I think fans will continue clamoring for more.

ComicsOnline gives Daredevil: Season Two – 5 out of 5 moments where comic books come to life.