Marvel has taken to the small screen again by teaming up with Netflix to create “Daredevil.” The show tells the story of Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer by day and vigilante by night who defends the streets of the dangerous New York City neighborhood Hell’s Kitchen. This Marvel adventure is unlike anything they’ve done so far; Marvel has opted out of the quirky comedy that has come to define their brand recently. Instead, it’s dark, gritty and exceedingly violent—and it’s absolutely fantastic.
Tortured hero Murdock is played by Charlie Cox (“The Theory of Everything”), accompanied by best friend and law associate Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”) and victim-turned-friend/secretary Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, “True Blood”), neither of whom know anything about his crime-fighting habits. Rosario Dawson (“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”) joins the fray as Claire Temple, a nurse who discovers Murdock after a particularly bloody battle.
Comic book geeks will be happy knowing the show stays true to the original story and to writer Frank Miller’s sinister vision for the setting, inspired by classic noir crime and his own experience living in Hell’s Kitchen. The cinematography is grim and gorgeous, echoing the bleak style of “The Dark Knight.”
Murdock was blinded in an accident with a radioactive substance as a child and has developed heightened senses, turning his perception of his surroundings into “a world on fire.” Using his special abilities, Murdock takes it upon himself to combat the forces of the Russian mob and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Broken Horses”), the comic’s villain Kingpin, a powerful man whose insecurities and twisted view of community outreach are infecting Hell’s Kitchen. “Daredevil” not only portrays Fisk’s sociopathic leadership, but also fully delves into his abusive, haunting past.
Viewers must have patience to get to the characters’ full back stories, which are fleshed out in the later half of the season, keeping the audience questioning throughout the beginning.
Cox’s Murdock isn’t the average save-the-day sort—he’s a terrifying mix of good intentions and violent rage and he walks on the edge of sanity. The show is violent at a stomach-churning, excessive level. However, this focus on violence addresses the harsh consequences and realities of the destruction typically involved with superheroes, something that’s often glazed over in other Marvel plots. This violence also allows for an abundance of brilliant fight choreography between Murdock and his various foes. Cox has certainly grown up since his “Stardust” days, playing Murdock as a suave, likeable lead with sinister underpinnings fueling his actions.
Despite the show’s many positives, it doesn’t get everything right. Marvel is better than many franchises at diversity, but the show still needs a hardcore female character who can defend herself. Both lead females were saved by Murdock within the first four episodes. In the hope of filling this void, the promise of ninja assassin Elektra of the comics hangs in the air for season two.
Daredevil includes a decent range of races, but mostly in safe, stereotypical characters. Reporter Ben Urich, originally white in the comics, is played by black actor Vondie Curtis-Hall (“Cymbeline”). Asian representation takes form in a cold, villainous ninja; an old martial arts guru; and a deceivingly meek old woman who runs the drug trade in New York. Wise, old, emotionally distant characters aren’t exactly groundbreaking in Asian representation. Meanwhile, Rosario Dawson’s Claire and Judith Delgado’s (“The House That Jack Built”) Elena Cardenas make up the Hispanic characters. Unfortunately, checking off race boxes isn’t truly how representation works.
While Marvel is making strides, they still need to make the final step by casting a person of color as the lead hero, rather than a sidekick or villain, and expanding the types of roles available for people of color. Many fans hope for the Spiderman reboot to feature the new Spiderman from the recent comics, black Hispanic teenager Miles Morales.
While “Daredevil” isn’t the typical comedic Marvel fare audiences have come to expect, it offers a glimpse of the dark side of the Marvel universe and doesn’t shy away from the harsh complexities of flawed characters and city violence. Consistent with other Netflix original series, this instant hit is easily worth a weekend binge.
