Last spring, Netflix released Marvel’s “Daredevil,” the first of four planned series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The show’s darker tone and sharp action sequences quickly earned it a second season and some favorable comparisons to Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy. Marvel’s “Jessica Jones” was met with similar acclaim later that fall. A third series, Marvel’s “Luke Cage” will premiere in September, and the final series starring Iron Fist will air some time in 2016 before the four comic book heroes team up for Marvel’s “The Defenders” crossover miniseries.
The first season of “Daredevil” told the origin story of Matt Murdock (played by Charlie Cox) who was blinded by a horrible accident as a young boy. During the day, Murdock practices law with his best friend Franklin “Foggy” Nelson at their firm Nelson & Murdock. When night falls, he uses his heightened senses to fight crime in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as the masked vigilante Daredevil. Murdock is a devout Catholic and refuses to kill. He’s basically a blind Batman without Bruce Wayne’s money.
Season two marks the arrival of Frank Castle, a.k.a. “The Punisher.” Castle also wants to clean up the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, but his methods are far more deadly. He uses his military experience to take out entire gangs with brutal precision. Driven by the murder of his wife and children at the hands of the mob, Castle will go to any lengths necessary to avenge them. The Punisher is the perfect foil for Murdock’s Daredevil, and you’ll likely find yourself flip-flopping on whose methods are more effective. Either way, his existence breathes new life into an already excellent series. The character (played by John Bernthal of “The Walking Dead”) already has fans clamoring for a spinoff. While nothing has been confirmed yet, an origin series on how Castle became “The Punisher” would be awesome.
The second season also features Elektra Natchios (played by Elodie Yung), Matt’s ex-girlfriend from college who returns to team up with Matt and take on a criminal organization of mercenaries known as The Hand. The two make for a great team, and flashbacks to their relationship in college further flesh out their complex relationship.
All episodes of Daredevil are available for streaming now on Netflix.
