The Marvel Cinematic Universe is best-known for its 28 film efforts, but it has had a presence on traditional or streaming TV since the early days. Marvel’s small screen projects have undergone multiple phases with vastly different styles, but one of the best parts of a previous phase is set to be attempted again.
The six MCU series released on Netflix in theDefendersuniverse were a mixed bag, but the first of the bunch stands as a fan favorite.Daredevil, with its stellar martial arts action, gripping emotional narrative, andwell-handled legal procedural drama, is considered among the best the universe has to offer. That’s what makes the fate of the show such a difficult and sad story.
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Daredevilwas created by Drew Goddard in 2015, only a year and change after the rights to the character reverted to Marvel. Matt Murdock had been the central figure of one of the worst superheromovies of the early 2000s, leaving his return to the screen with a heavy set of expectations. Marvel and Goddard pitched the series as a darker take on comic book superheroes and ensured that its connections to the larger MCU were limited. Freeing the series from continuity also freed up its tone, which allowed it to feel like the sleazy 70s crime thriller it was meant to be. What they ended up with was one of the most note-perfect adaptations of any comic book and one of the best wholistic projects they’ve ever put out. The show ran for three seasons before an unceremonious and tragic end.
Disney is not starting from a place of goodwill with hardcore fans ofDaredevil.Just picking up their favorite name in the franchise and starting over will not be a good look. This isbecauseDaredeviland its cohortssuffered one of the worst kinds of ending a show can get; canceled due to corporate IP shuffling. The Netflix Marvel shows were all shut down to turn all efforts towards a streaming service that Disney owns and therefore doesn’t have to share profit with.Daredevildidn’t end because its story was over or because the creators were done with it, it ended so thatDisney could continue to consolidate its IPand cut out the competition. Fans know and understand that theDaredevilthey get in the modern-day will not and can not be what it used to be.
The modern MCU would sooner let one of its heroes languish in obscurity than allow it to exist outside its interconnected franchise. It is key to the business model that every single piece of the narrative, no matter how long-winded or poorly executed, must be required viewing for the other parts. Marvel isn’t going to give the crew of the newDaredevilthe freedom that allowed the previous team to make it so good. That lack of freedom will likely extend to the tone. Though some of the Disney+ series have done shocking and incredible things with the ideas, theinsistence on a family-friendly tonehas occasionally weakened the impact. If Marvel and Disney want the show to be as powerful as the previous iteration, it has to take the limiters off and allow the material to guide the story.
A version ofDaredevilthat doesn’t use the themes every story centering the characters has had is pointless. The narrative weight was extremely well-handled in the original series, and it’s brought across inevery good Daredevil comic. The new series must handle its themes with the maturity and sincerity it demands.Daredevilis about justice, guilt, self-sacrifice, the pressures of a double life, and the moral weight of doing the right thing in a bad situation. These themes have been less prominent in the modern MCU, which features more established characters and more personal stories. Psychological and sociological storytelling is key to what fans enjoy about the character. Daredevil isn’t interesting because he’s good at beating people up, he’s interesting because he’s in a constant state ofstruggling against his morals, his responsibilities, and his all-consuming guilt.
Disney has confirmed that they’re working on a new take on the character. Matt Corman and Chris Ord, of USA’sCovert Affairs,have been tapped as the show’s lead writers. Charlie Cox has reprised his role as Matt Murdock in the MCU.Vincent D’Onofrio madean appearance in his widely beloved Kingpin role. Neither star has been confirmed to star in the upcoming Disney series. It’s impossible to know what, if anything, will be brought over from the original series. The new show doesn’t need to be season 4 of the original, nor does it need to be related to that series in any way. What the new show does need to do is masterfully handle the relevant themes and allow its creators the freedom to make something truly special, as the previous show had.
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