Tuesday night during Marvel’s Agent Carter, the world got its first 90-second look at Daredevil, the first of four series (plus an eventual miniseries featuring The Defenders) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that will air on Netflix.
Check out the clip below and then keep reading to find out why this little amuse-bouche from the forthcoming series has us so excited.
This is The Rundown.
Darker Than Your Average Superhero Story
One of the many things that made Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy so amazing is that he allowed Batman to have rough edges and the series as a whole to operate in grey areas between good and evil. Daredevil is a similar type of character. As Charlie Cox says in the above trailer, “I’m not seeking forgiveness for what I’ve done, Father. I’m asking forgiveness for what I’m about to do.” That makes this so much more appealing than your typical “Good vs. Evil” superhero tales.
Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
Just as Michael Clarke Duncan brought a certain type of menace to the role as underworld leader Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. Kingpin), D’Onofrio should do the same. The long-time Law & Order: Criminal Intent star is physically imposing and has the acting chops to serve as the anchor to this series. Though all you see of him in the trailer is a single shot from behind, he has the physical presence required to make this character come to life.
Daredevil Deserves a Second Chance
It’s not that the 2003 feature film version of Daredevil was bad, it’s just that it was nowhere as good as Daredevil has the potential to be. Ben Affleck never felt right for the role, Colin Farrell was annoying as Bullseye and the whole thing just felt kind of rushed. As much as Hollywood is overdoing it with sequels and reboots these days, this is one property that needed a new look and has the potential to succeed.
More Room to Work
Part of the problem with the 2003 film was that they didn’t have enough time to work with. They tried to tell the origin story, a love story, a story involving a bad guy and an overall story involving an even bigger bad guy all in the span of 103 minutes. With 13 60-minute episodes, this Netflix version will have ample room to develop characters and allow story arcs to play far more effectively.
Binge-able from Day One
Even though our currently longing for new episodes of Orange is the New Black should have taught us that consuming all 13 episodes on the day they’re released isn’t the best idea, there is no way that we’re sitting down to watch one episode and then getting up to do something else. With the entire series being available on April 13, we should have it done by April 14 – the 15th at the absolute latest.
This is Marvel We’re Talking About
You’ve seen what Marvel Studios has done since Kevin Feige took over as President in 2007, right? Starting from the first Iron Man film, everything they put forth has been – at the very least – pretty good and most of their offerings have been downright awesome. When the floor is set at “pretty good,” we’re going to get excited.
The Marvel Comic Universe
Since Daredevil is the first of four series that will eventually lead to a Defenders mini-series, there is a pretty good chance that we get some crossover from other members of the MCU. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist could all potentially make appearances and Marvel has always been crafty at working some surprise appearances and mentions of other heroes and villains into their movies and shows, so it wouldn’t be shocking if more familiar names and faces turn up during the season.
A Strong Supporting Cast
In addition to the previously mentioned Vincent D’Onofrio, Daredevil also includes Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) as Karen Page Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, Elden Hensen as Foggy Nelson, and Superman’s mom from Man of Steel, Ayelet Zurer, as Wilson Fisk’s love interest. Add in the underrated Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich and Scott Glenn as Stick and you’ve got yourself one fine cast.
This Quote from Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight
“We really wanted to take our cue from [films like] The French Connection, Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver, and make it very, very grounded, very gritty, very real,” DeKnight told Entertainment Weekly. ”We always say we would rather lean toward The Wire than what’s considered a classic superhero television show.” We like those movies. We like The Wire. We like the way all of this sounds.
It’s on Netflix, So No Content Restrictions
While that doesn’t mean there is going to be any Game of Thrones-style sexposition, the fact that Netflix doesn’t have the same content restrictions as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does on ABC means Daredevil can push the boundaries a little more. For a grimy story being told in Hell’s Kitchen, that sounds about right.
