Monthly Marvel Musings: How great was Netflix's 'Daredevil' series??!

We are now a week away from 'Avengers Age of Ultron' being released (here in the UK - sorry, my American friends!), and I couldn't be any more excited.  It's gearing up to be an exciting time for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; this week saw the release of a pretty fun Ant-Man trailer; AKA Jessica Jones is well in to production; Captain America Civil War starts filming; and that means we'll soon find out who will be playing the new Spiderman (in the MCU, no less!).  So much to talk about, idly speculate, and - most importantly - enjoy; but before any of that, this past weekend saw almost 13 hours of fantastic Marvel entertainment released to watch...

MONTHLY MARVEL MUSINGS

So, how great was Netflix's 'Daredevil' series?  (Warning - Spoilers!!!)

Like many other people, I spent the weekend devouring all 13 Episodes of Netflix's first co-production with Marvel - and what an entertaining, gripping, exciting, mesmerising and (more than occasionally) flat-out awesome series it is too.  It struck me as a series that could be enjoyed by almost all audiences, regardless of whether they are fans of the MCU or not, or even if they don't care for 'Superhero' or 'comic book' stories.  The producers promised a 'street-level' hero and story, and that's just what they gave us: a gritty, tough and surprisingly plausible crime thriller, populated with interesting characters, shocking deeds of infamy, and jaw-dropping acts of heroism.  On top of it all, it took a beloved comic book character and not only treated him (and his cast of friends and foes) with seriousness and respect, but drew upon years of top-notch story-telling by great writers, to show that this genre is equally at home on TV as it is on the big screen (in some ways, even more so).

The cherry on the top is that it takes place in the MCU, and the fact that we now have a 'Daredevil' vigilante who is just as much part of it as Tony Stark, Captain Rogers, or Alien demi-gods.  This is very exciting, and there is a lot that can be said about the potential this opens up for future stories in the MCU, but before I get in to all of that I thought it worth talking about 'Daredevil's quality as a TV series in its own right.  And it's fair to say that it stands up extremely well against the best series currently out there; it is  consistently absorbing viewing, and (apart from one or two scenes which feel like they play out a little longer than perhaps necessary) it rarely feels to slow down.  Sure, there is a little fat that could be trimmed, perhaps it could have worked just as well in 12 episodes instead of 13, but where a scene does feel like it lasts longer than it might on other shows or in a film, this usually allows time for character development.  And that's important when adapting stories and characters in this genre, as the secret to their longevity is the cast of heroes, friends and villains that is part of them.

D'Onofrio; Dawson; Cox; Ann Woll; Henson; the whole cast are uniformly brilliant in this.

The series excels in this respect, as every character is perfectly cast, and is played just as perfectly by each actor.  Charlie Cox is likely to forever be associated with the role, bringing all the elements of determination, anger, intelligence, moral searching, and humour that Matt Murdoch should be portrayed with - both as the crusading lawyer, and the driven vigilante.  Elden Henson makes his Lawyer associate 'Foggy' Nelson not only the 'wingman' buddy almost everyone would love to have - funny, genuinely conscientious of his friends happiness and feelings - but an articulate and persuasive attorney.  Karen Page, their first client who becomes their secretary, becomes more than a 'damsel in distress' or love interest; thanks to the script and Deborah Ann Woll's performance she is tenacious and smart, yet has the right amount of vulnerability for someone who has been through what she has (and a shady past to boot).

As well as this, the portrayal of classic villain Wilson 'Kingpin' Fisk is one of the greatest ever comic villains put on screen.  Played by Vincent D'Onofrio, there has been talk of awards nods of his performance, and justifiably so; this is a villain who is nuanced, whose motivations are relatable to the point that they could be considered noble; and who is rendered surprisingly human in his vulnerable love for Vanessa Marianna (Ayelet Zurer).  Yet he is a brutal, violent sociopath, carrying out some shocking acts of violence with his own hands, and sanctioning yet more, in order to fulfil his ambitions.  This series makes the most of one of the most interesting hero/villain dynamics in comics - ironically, both Murdoch and Fisk want to make their city 'a better place', and interestingly, both are going about it in ways that are illegal - vigilantism in contrast to corruption, murder and mobsters.  Their physicality is just as dramatic a contrast as the comics - while D'Onofrio doesn't have the sheer size as Fisk in the comics (which would be pretty much impossible), here he has impressively bulked up to become an imposing mountain of a man.  He is not just the master-mind behind it all, when he needs to he can throw a punch - he is a formidable opponent, and when he takes on Murdoch you fear for the hero; despite his martial arts prowess, he is towered over by Fisk, and it is hard to see how he could land a blow capable of making an impact on Fisk.

As well as getting the casting and portrayal of these characters absolutely right, the series is impressively shot, and has some truly genre-defining moments.  There's no green screen here, no special effects (apart from one or two places where it makes sense); the setting of Hell's Kitchen looks and feels real, especially during the murky, neon lit night scenes.  If you didn't think action on TV could rival movies, some of the scenes in this series absolutely put that thought to rest.  The action is fantastically choreographed and filmed - it is physical, it is brutal.  At the end of the second episode there is a fight scene that is jaw-droppingly good.  It evokes classic movies like 'Oldboy' (the corridor hammer fight), is technically impressive (all done in one shot), is truly thrilling - and on top is true to the character and the gritty, realistic depiction this show succeeds in achieving.  Murdoch is hurt, visibly tires throughout the fight - but is fiercely driven as he takes on the thugs that are holding a child captive.  It is such a great scene it really lays down a challenge to future Marvel films to up their ante with their action scenes; as well as this it will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in the MCU down the line.

Really, this superb fight scene has to be seen to be believed.

But what sets this series apart from the rest of the MCU is just how 'grown-up' it is.  Not only is the level of violence - with pretty clear, bloody consequences (on more than one occasion a broken bone pierces through the flesh) - greater, and more realistically portrayed than the Marvel films, it tells a story with some mature themes and moral questions.  Ostensibly Murdoch is our hero, fighting trafficking mobsters and seeking justice for victims of crime, but when we see him torturing one of them for information, does he cross a line in to villainy?  Is he, or Karen, right to continue putting the lives of those closest to them at risk, in their obsessive pursuit of justice?  It handles the material with a level of seriousness not seen since 'The Dark Knight'; in fact, if you were somehow able to condense it down to a 2 1/2 hour feature film, it would rival that classic in terms of being a great, comic-inspired crime thriller.  When you add this to the street-level setting, and the down-to-earth way that Murdoch's abilities (never referred to as 'Powers') are portrayed, you have another reason why this series is not just for comic lovers or super-hero fans.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe now has a 'Daredevil'..!

The outfit that Murdoch eventually dons is a fitting 'real-world' take on the classic comic version.

But of course, Daredevil is part of the wider Marvel Universe, and this series is part of the MCU that began with 'Iron Man' in 2008.  And it is done so in a way which never feels intrusive, or distracting to the setting, characters and the story being told.  There are background details that remind viewers of this - newspaper cuttings referencing the events of 'The Incredible Hulk' and 'Avengers Assemble' - and a joke about gangsters being overwhelmed by a man who doesn't have an Iron suit or a magic hammer.  In fact, the series makes use of the destruction wrought upon New York to feed in to the redevelopment of Hell's Kitchen (which was actually redeveloped in the 1980's & '90's, having previously been an infamous hot-bed of crime and slum land-lords), allowing for its tale of organised crime.  In terms of story-telling potential, I believe this series further highlights how much potential there is to continually keep the films and TV versions of the multitude of characters fresh and interesting.  In this case, you've got a legal drama, crime procedural, investigation thriller as well as vigilante action.  There are no end of genres or 'takes' you could apply to stories with the Marvel characters (just last year we've had a conspiracy thriller, space opera and time-travel story!), and this series demonstrates it effectively.

On top of that, 'Daredevil' features a type of character that has yet to appear in the MCU - ironically while being one of the staples of superhero comics: the costumed vigilante.  We've had super-science, super-tech, super-human extra-terrestrials, and alien-altered (in)humans, but nothing like Matt Murdoch.  Despite his abilities, or 'gifts' - which only as the series progresses are the viewer allowed to feel are little more than enhanced by circumstance and training - feel pretty mundane in comparison to some of the characters we've seen in the films and 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' series.  The stakes that Murdoch takes on aren't as great as when Iron Man, or Cap, or any of the Avengers strike out - all he wants to do is make his city 'a better place'.  This doesn't mean they feel any less urgent or gripping as the big screen Marvel adventures; but they are more intimate, as we're drawn in to the lives of the all the characters.  Straight away this is going to be one of the markers of Netflix's other three Marvel series (AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist).  These heroes don't have a world saving agenda; they want to protect their loved-ones and communities from harm.  I expect this will be a recurring idea of each of these series, and will underpin their teaming up for 'The Defenders' mini-series (I'll discuss this further below).

Having said that, there are many comic story-lines where they step alongside the 'mightier' heroes of the Marvel roster; Luke Cage, for example, has been in the Avengers line up.  With 'Civil War' coming next year, it would be a great opportunity for Daredevil to appear alongside some of the other established characters in the MCU, and justifiably so.  With the story being driven by the Government introducing a law that requires 'superheroes' to declare themselves and register their identities, Murdoch would risk a great deal if he submitted to this.  For starters, there is little doubt Fisk would take his revenge against Murdoch and all those associated with him (more on this later...), so there's good reason that he would stand alongside Captain America and his opposition of this law.  Even if it was just one scene, or one shot, where Daredevil met with or stood with Captain America's allies, it would be an excellent opportunity to establish further links between the character and the MCU; in fact, not doing so would really seem a wasted opportunity to me.

Then there's the question of how this series fits in with the time-line of the established MCU; clearly, it takes place after the events of 'Avengers Assemble', but the question is, how would the events of 'Captain America The Winter Solder', 'Age of Ultron' and 'Civil War' impact on the character in the future?  To be fair, given as the everyday average citizens of Hell's Kitchen are just trying to get on with their everyday lives, the fall-out of the SHIELD/Hydra revelations probably wouldn't make too much difference - especially to the clientele of Nelson & Murdoch Attorneys At Law!  However, when events transpire to bring Murdoch together with Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist for 'The Defenders', it's clear that the absence of SHIELD would contribute to that (I'll explore this a little bit more below).  Further down the line, after 'The Defenders', I think 'Civil War' could have an effect on what takes place in the next Daredevil series, as the issue of revealing identities is one that could play a big part in that - but before we talk about that, it's worth mentioning how this series is linked to the other Netflix Marvel shows, leading to 'The Defenders'.

Netflix's Marvel Shows - Almost an 'MCU' in their own right!

'Daredevil' is such a great show that, even if it wasn't linked to the MCU, it would still be a brilliantly executed take on the characters and stories on its own terms; and just as its MCU links are subtle but fun, there are pointers to the other three Marvel shows Netflix are making, as well as their team up as The Defenders.  For a start, there's the character of Claire Temple (played by Rosario Dawson), who in the comics is known as Night Nurse, patching up Daredevil and other heroes after their various battles.  Introduced in Episode 2, she talks about another man she knew called 'Mike' who 'also had secrets'.  Interestingly, the character has links to Luke Cage's past, so it could be him she's referring to (funnily enough, the man playing Cage is actually called Mike!).  Other than that, the links to 'AKA Jessica Jones' and 'Luke Cage' aren't immediately clear from this show.  I think that Jessica Jones will offer an interesting contrast to 'Daredevil'; whilst Murdoch has been largely successful in his vigilantism (with often exhilarating effect), Jones wasn't; leading to a back-story where she has been left with PTSD.  Instead she is a low-key private investigator, keeping her head down and out of the attention of the law.  Clearly there is still going to be the gritty, street-level focus of 'Daredevil', but it's likely this will be an even deeper and intimate take - rather than political and high-level schemes and machinations, initially the focus will be on individual people from the neighbourhood.  I wouldn't count against her exposing something with wider implications though!

What surprised me was that there were actually at least two significant nod forwards to the 'Iron Fist' series - and that's mainly because Iron Fist has more mystical, even supernatural elements, in contrast to the very plausible, 'real world' feel of 'Daredevil'.  As many have pointed out, the packets of Heroin distributed by the Chinese gang are marked with the symbol of Iron Fist villain Steel Serpent; then there's the gang leader, Madam Gao, who is clearly a lot more than she seems by the way she sends Murdoch flying with just her palm!  When she states she's going to her home, which is further away than China, it's believed this is a reference to K'un-Lun - a Mystical city that is one of the 'Seven Capital Cities of Heaven', which occasionally manifests on Earth in Tibet.  A lot of what under pins Iron Fist is, compared to the streets of Hell's Kitchen, pretty far out.  That character's powers are mystical, going beyond martial arts prowess so that he literally manifests powers giving him, to all intents and purposes, 'iron fists'.  This series will be the last to come out before 'The Defenders', so building up to these elements is going to take some work.  It's likely some of this will take place throughout 'AKA Jessica Jones' and 'Luke Cage', as early word has it that they'll have dealings with other people with 'powers'; it could well be the case that at least one of these have channelled something 'mystic' or 'supernatural' to gain (or even be cursed with?) their powers/abilities.

Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage - in their comic forms...

Given how successful the realisation of all the characters in the MCU has been so far, at this stage I'm confident Iron Fist and all the mystical/supernatural goings on can be realised on screen in an effective and believable manner; but at this stage it's possible to see how this could be a factor in what brings the characters to team up in 'The Defenders' - it's likely that they uncover a threat to New York/Hell's Kitchen that has elements bringing them all together: a legal conspiracy, a personal issue, criminal enterprises, with a mystical/supernatural element.  Episode 7 of 'Daredevil', 'Stick', dropped some pretty big hints that the Japanese gang involved in Fisk's schemes could play a big part of this; together with his former mentor, Murdoch stops them bringing in what is apparently a 'weapon' called 'Black Sky'.  It turns out this is in fact a child, kept in multiple chains - could it be a superhuman?  An 'avatar' for something mystical/supernatural?  Either way, Stick suggests it could destroy the whole city Murdoch is fighting to protect.  A later scene depicts Stick conferring with a character we can only see the back off, but is likely to be a recurring Daredevil character called Stone.  The pair suggest there's some big trouble brewing; earlier Stick informs Murdoch he was training him to prepare for a 'war', and in this later scene Stone asks Stick whether Murdoch will ready "when the gate opens."  What that signifies (a literal gate?  A metaphorical one?  A 'supernatural' one?) isn't clear - but it suggests something big is going to kick off in the future!  And it could well involve some long established antagonists from Daredevil's comics...

As Fisk tries to get rid of the black-clad vigilante that's been causing him problems, he tasks the head of the Japanese gang to send one of his 'operatives' to take Murdoch out.  Turns out that this man, Nobu, is a ninja bad-ass who very nearly dispatches Murdoch!  Although it's not explicitly stated, it's hard not to draw parallels with The Hand, a clan of Ninjas who have caused problems for Daredevil in the comics.  His conflicts with them have a personal element too, as apparently Stick belongs to a rival order called The Chaste; the two factions were a single order, but then split and have been at war since.  If Nobu was overseeing the delivery of a 'weapon' to New York; and if he IS part of The Hand; and given that Stick is anticipating something big kicking off soon, it's highly likely that The Hand will be involved in whatever scheme brings Daredevil, Jones, Cage and Iron Fist together to become The Defenders.  I'm certain that, over time and the course of the next Marvel Series on Netflix, it'll be possible to see exactly what this will be.  It will certainly be fun seeing the four heroes come together (hopefully we'll see a role for the likes of Foggy, Karen and Claire in the events), but beyond that there has still been no confirmation of a second Daredevil series.  I'm sure there will be, given the acclaim levelled at this one - and there are elements from the comics which would make for some great stories on TV...

What next for Daredevil after 'The Defenders'?

As Episode 13 of 'Daredevil' ends we have Matt Murdoch's vigilante alter ego fully established (costume and all; if you were to ask of my thoughts on the costume, initially I was sceptical, but having seen it in action, and having watched the story of how it was developed, I'd say it not only makes sense but looks the part.  Clearly meant to be more resistant and armoured for practical reasons, it is in keeping with the show's grounded and plausible tone).  It would be an absolute waste if Netflix decided not to make another 'Daredevil' series, certainly the material they can draw upon gives them many reasons to do at least one more series.  There are two great and seminal story arcs which could form the basis of this series - the Elektra arc, and a story written by Frank Miller called 'Born Again'.  Tantalisingly, the foundations of bringing Elektra in to a future series of 'Daredevil' were laid in a flashback scene where Foggy and Murdoch are in college and he refers to a Greek girlfriend with whom 'things didn't work out'.  Of course, we've seen Elektra on the big screen before (less said about that the better), but in the comics she is a former girlfriend of Murdoch's who, following the death of her father, trained with Stick to become an assassin but then joined The Hand.  She is then hired by Wilson Fisk to take out Foggy - complicated by the fact that she is back in Murdoch's life, having resumed their relationship; and further complicated when another assassin, Bullseye (yes, the one played by Colin Farrell in that film), turns up to target her for NOT carrying out the hit.  The film sort of tried to adapt this storyline, but with this TV series format there's the chance to do it proper justice.

Foggy, Karen and Murdoch - friends and colleagues, but things could get difficult for them in the future...

'Born Again' is considered a classic story in its own right, and is one that could provide a small but exciting cross over with the big-players of the MCU, as The Avengers briefly pop up; however, the emphasis is rightly on the dynamic between Fisk and Murdoch, as well as playing upon his relationships with his closest friends.  In the comics, the story sees Karen - having fallen on desperately hard times - give up the secret that Murdoch is actually Daredevil.  This information is obtained by Fisk, who proceeds to destroy Murdoch's life in its entirety, bit by bit.  However, after failing to kill him, Murdoch re-assumes the mantle of Daredevil and comes after Fisk.   This would be a perfect arc for the next series to tackle, having already established Fisk as utterly ruthless and unforgiving of any slight against him.  Seeing as Murdoch's vigilantism seriously caused his plans problems - that's before you get on to the legal and investigative activities of his associates Karen and Foggy that played a part in his arrest - Fisk would take any opportunity to go after him without any mercy.  Because of the prominence of issues around secret identities, and also how this plays a part in 'Civil War', there's an opportunity to have some kind of cross-over with other parts of the MCU.  The comic story features an appearance by The Avengers, taking down a super-villain called 'Nuke', which Daredevil plays a role in.  I would suggest that it wouldn't need to occur like this, but you could tie in the events of 'Civil War' by having a scene play out in the midst of the carnage of one of that film's confrontations.  According to Comic Book Resources, the portrayal of The Avengers in 'Born Again' is how they might appear to average bystanders - terrifying yet awesome.  As the 'Daredevil' series is much more down to earth, there's an opportunity to show how ordinary people would react to them, and the aftermath of their confrontations.  There wouldn't necessarily be any need for those characters to appear, but it could be a fun moment for us MCU fans, that wouldn't distract from the focus of the story.

Hopefully we'll see a moment (or maybe more) where Daredevil crosses paths with the likes of The Avengers on screen...

Ultimately, that we can discuss where a second series of 'Daredevil' could go and what it could feature shows how successful the first one is: it is a great series in its own right, telling a satisfying self-contained story, but it leaves the viewer wanting to see more of the characters.  The fact that it is also part of the MCU just adds to the fun - it would blow a lot of comic geeks' and superhero fans' minds to see Daredevil on the big screen alongside Captain America and so many other characters.  Hopefully it will happen - but at least it is a genuine possibility, which is just another reason why it is so exciting to be a fan of the MCU at the moment.

It'd be cool if they can work this iconic depiction of Daredevil in to the next series some where...

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this detailed look at Daredevil; there'll be more Marvel Musings next month, when I will write a spoiler-filled analysis of 'Age of Ultron'...