2025 is going to be a huge year forDaredevilfans. Most notably because the first season of Disney+ sequel seriesDaredevil: Born AgainthrustCharlie Cox’s fan-favorite blind lawyer/superhero and his allies and enemies back into the spotlight with a story more heavily connected to the widerMarvel Cinematic Universethan any they’ve had before. In addition, Cox and co-starVincent D’Onofriobrought their respective characters, Matthew “Matt” Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, to animation for the first time, voicing the roles in the alternate universe seriesYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, And who knows what other Daredevil-related surprises may be awaiting fans inother Marvel projects this year?
The timing of this resurgence is especially fitting, given that July 05, 2025, marks the tenth anniversary of the originalDaredevilseries premiere on Netflix. To viewers who revisit the show in anticipation of this milestone, as well as any who discover it for the first time, it will be easy to see why it has become such a beloved standout in Marvel’s vast library.Daredevilremains one of the greatest live-action comic book adaptations in history, rivaling and surpassing even many of its most acclaimed peers from both film and television, with high production value and complex, emotional storytelling ensuring that it is also plainly epic television by any standard, equally enjoyable for viewers who may not usually be fans of the comic book and superhero genres.
‘Daredevil’ Started Marvel’s Gritty Defenders Saga
Despite being set in the MCU as the first installment in the sub-franchise commonly referred to as “The Defendersverse” or “Defenders Saga,”Daredevilwas clearly influenced by prior DC projects, specificallyChristopher Nolan’sDark Knight Trilogyand the early seasons ofArrow, which isn’t that surprising if one is familiar with the projects’ respective source materials. Despite his superhuman senses and occasional participation in major battles for the fate of the Earth,the comic book version of Matt, like Batman and Green Arrow, is better known for being involved in noir-esque crime storiesin which he battles the likes of mobsters and serial killers just as often as theatrical supervillains, and relies on intense combat training rather than beyond human strength or other flashy abilities. Given this, Netflix’sDaredevilfollowed its predecessors’ leads by telling a more grounded, realistic story than the planet-shaking Avengers films do. In fact, one could argue that the show, and subsequently the other entries in the Defenders Saga, are even grittier than Nolan’s films orArrow’s early episodes, as their mature ratings allowed them to include darker content such as more graphic violence and sexually explicit material.
Like other streaming and cable series, some of the latter Defenders Saga shows, such asThe PunisherandIron Fist, sometimes seemed to frequently include these adult elements simply because they were allowed to, butDaredevilwas more truly deserving of the label “mature,” with its dark content consistently being used in ways that directly emphasized the story’s emotions and themes. Most importantly,the graphic violence demonstrated the dangerous cruelty of the series’ villains, especially Fisk, while also highlighting the danger Matt was inevery night he went out to fight them, which in turn further emphasized his heroism. The mature rating likely also facilitated the depth with which the series explored other themes, including mental health and especially religion. Since at least the 1980s, when writer and artistFrank Millerrevolutionized the Daredevil comics, the character has been known for stories that give a more prominent role to religion than many other superhero tales. The Netflix series continued this tradition, showing howMatt’s devout Catholicism added to his already significant doubts about the morality of his actions, which were instigated by the dichotomy between the dedication to the law he shows in his day job and the methods he uses to fight crime as Daredevil, which are themselves highly illegal.
Charlie Cox’s Daredevil Is One of the Best Live-Action Superheroes
These are only a few of the many contradictions that make Matt such a fascinating character, and the series’ success at highlighting them is due in large part to its emphasis on a superhero trope that has become less prominent in many other recent entries in the genre, that being the secret identity. One of the early defining scenes that helped make the MCU such a success is whenRobert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark decided to forego any attempt at maintaining a secret identity.Many subsequent projects, both in the MCU and outside of it, have consequently placed little to no emphasis on their heroes living double lives, with most of Tony’s fellowAvengersbeing similarly portrayed as celebrities, while Matt’s own future Defenders colleagues Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and antihero and reluctant ally Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) simply pay little attention to who does or doesn’t know about their abilities and crime fighting.
Ironically, there is a lengthy period of Daredevil comic history in which Matt’s identity is public knowledge, but abstaining from adapting much of this material allowed the television series to create a powerful depiction of duality. The show emphasizes how those aforementioneddiscrepancies and contradictions between the two halves of Matt’s life make it increasingly difficult for him to live both at once, with his superhero work leading to problematic consequences in his career and friendships with co-workers Franklin “Foggy” Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and vice versa, which subsequently leads Matt to go to extremes at times, often attempting to prioritize either his superhero or civilian identity and completely abandon the other, with neither approach ever proving to be a viable long-term solution.This central theme is explored thoroughly in a consistently strong arc acrossDaredevil’s three seasons and Matt’s role in the crossover miniseriesThe Defenders.The arc comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of Season 3, when, after triumphing over Fisk once more, Matt reconnects with Foggy and Karen after a period of estrangement, with the trio resolving to reopen their law firm. Matt also reclaims the Daredevil mantle, although it is implied he will approach crime-fighting less obsessively in the future. Cox benefits from strong writing and excels at depicting these traits and Matt’s other nuances. His portrayal has become one of the most beloved and revered screen adaptations of a superhero, easily ranking alongside other greats like Downey’s Stark andHugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
I Think ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Just Did the Most Unrealistic Thing I’ve Ever Seen a Superhero Show Do
Matt’s quick deductions are suddenly lacking the realism we’ve come to expect from the character.
Even ‘Daredevil’s Flaws Have Silver Linings
Like almost all stories, the series does have some flaws. Even many fans are critical (to varying degrees) of the second season, considering it of slightly lesser quality than the first and third.Many of these criticisms are directed at the storyline from the latter half of the season, in which Matt battles the ninja cult known as the Hand. As is often the case in Marvel Comics, the Hand’s generically destructive motivations make them less unique antagonists than psychologically complex figures like Fisk and Frank, and the group’s predominantly Asian members are portrayed with several stereotypical characteristics. ActorPeter Shinkoda’s (who played Hand leader Nobu Yoshioka) assertionsthat members of the series’ creative team, including former Marvel Television headJeph Loeb, had his character and others’ prominence reduced because of racist assumptions that viewers are uninterested in Asian characters are disturbing, to say the least.
That all said, like in Miller’s comics, the main narrative purpose of the Hand is to facilitate the story of Elektra Natchios (Élodie Yung), an antihero lover of Matt’s. Although the series modifies many specific details of Elektra’s story, the Hand serves the same general purpose of tempting her towards evil after she suffers various traumas.The arc effectively captures the tragedy of that character, with Yung giving a memorable performance, and his relationship with Elektra acts as a crucial turning point in Matt’s larger story. Most of the show’s other minor flaws are similarly outweighed by the benefits their storylines are related to. For example, the speed with which Karen transitions into a successful career in journalism is far from realistic, but it allows her to play more active roles in the main crime plots and sets up her endearing friendship with editor Mitchell Ellison (Geoffrey Cantor), with Woll and Cantor’s scenes opposite one another including many of their best in the series.
10 Years Later, ‘Daredevil’s Legacy Remains Strong
Ten years after its premiere,Daredevilis aging quite well.The show’s signature action scenescontinue to impress due to their complex choreography, realism, and practical production techniques, which appeal to viewers who prefer their genre entertainment light on computer-generated visual effects. The series’ exploration of how wealth and social status can affect the law and pursuit of justice in America remains unfortunately relevant, with Fisk’s role as a tycoon who corrupts the system for his own ends being an especially pertinent cautionary tale. The climactic nature of Season 3’s ending could understandably make some fans wary of the upcoming sequel series, as the simple existence ofBorn Againrisks repeating or undermining aspects of the original show’s story, but the longevity of the comic character proves that there are plenty more aspects of them to explore even if Matt’s identity crisis remains resolved. Season 3 even left a few key loose ends, like the future of assassinBen “Dex” Poindexter(Wilson Bethel), open as hooks for future stories.If the new show even comes close to the heights of its predecessor, comic book fans and viewers who simply appreciate great television are in for a treat.
Daredevilis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
