Daredevil

## Production

### Executive Producers

Allie Goss, Kris Henigman, Cindy Holland, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Dan Buckley, Jim Chory, Jeph Loeb, Drew Goddard, Steven S. DeKnight (season 1), Marco Ramirez (season 2), Doug Petrie (season 2), Erik Oleson

### Production Company

Marvel Television, ABC Studios, DeKnight Productions (season 1), Goddard Textiles (seasons 1-2)

## Series Chronology

### Next

Jessica Jones

Marvel's Daredevil, or simply Daredevil, is an American web television series created for Netflix by Drew Goddard, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is the first in a series of shows that lead to *The Defenders* crossover miniseries. The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios, with DeKnight Productions for the first season and Goddard Textiles for the first and second seasons. Steven S. DeKnight serves as showrunner on the first season, with Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez taking over for the second season, and Erik Oleson joining the series as its showrunner for its third season; Goddard serves as a consultant for the series.

## Plot

A blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Matt Murdock fights the crime of New York as Daredevil.

## Cast and Characters

* Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil:
A blind lawyer who leads a double life as the vigilante Daredevil.[7] Season one showrunner Steven DeKnight explained that Murdock is "not super strong. He's not invulnerable... he just has senses that are better than a normal human's." On the character's "grey" morals, he noted, "He's a lawyer by day, and he's taken this oath. But every night he breaks that oath, and goes out and does very violent things."[8] The character's Catholicismplays a large role in the series, with DeKnight calling him "one of the most, if not the most, religious characters in the Marvel Universe".[9] Cox worked with blind consultant Joe Strechay,[10] and was conscious of what his eyes were doing at all times, to ensure they would not look at or react to something unlike a blind person.[11] Skylar Gaertner plays a young Matt Murdock.[12]
* Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page:
An enigmatic young woman whose quest for justice sends her crashing into Murdock's life.[13] After portraying Jessica Hamby in *True Blood* from 2008 to 2014, Woll specifically tried to "steer differently than that" with Page.[14] Woll noted that Page's backstory would be different than the one from the comics, saying, "In the comic books, in the beginning Karen is very innocent, and then towards the end she's really swung a full 180, she's in a lot of trouble, so I wanted to find a way to make her both of those things at the same time. Can she be a really wonderful, kind person who is a little bit attracted to danger? She's not just always getting into trouble because 'Oh, silly woman!' Karen is actually looking for it, and she won't let her fear stop her from finding the truth."[11]
* Elden Henson as Franklin "Foggy" Nelson:
Murdock's best friend and law partner.[15] In April 2015, Henson spoke of his excitement for the character's role in the series, saying "I was really excited as I was getting the scripts and reading that Foggy wasn't just a useless sidekick. He's not just comic relief. I mean, he is some of those things. He does have comic relief, but it was exciting to know that these other characters would have their own path and their own things that they're dealing with."[16]
* Toby Leonard Moore as James Wesley: Wilson Fisk's right hand man.[17][18] Moore described Wesley as both charming and "dastardly as all hell".[19]
* Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich: An investigative journalist for the *New York Bulletin*.[17][18]
* Bob Gunton as Leland Owlsley: A Wall Street financialist, accountant, and a key figure in Wilson Fisk's plans for Hell's Kitchen.[17][18][20]
* Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna-Fisk: An art gallery employee who, unlike the comic version, knows of and accepts Wilson Fisk's true dealings.[17][18]
* Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple:
A nurse who helps Murdock.[17][20] The character is an amalgam of the comic characters Claire Temple and Night Nurse.[21] The character was originally going to be "the actual Night Nurse", but was merged with Temple when the writers learned that Marvel Studios had plans for that character in their films.[22] Dawson explained that Temple "is a normal person and she becomes more heroic in a way that she maybe didn't expect",[16] and "She's not a love interest—she's this skeptical eye looking at this strange situation. She's the one who can be like, "You're not really good at this." That makes it feel more real."[21]
* Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin:
A powerful businessman whose interests in the future of Hell's Kitchen brings him into conflict with Murdock and Daredevil.[23][24][25] D'Onofrio stated that he hoped his portrayal of Fisk was a new way to look at the character, and that it would be the definitive portrayal of Fisk.[26] DeKnight detailed that "Fisk has very many different aspects so it's not all, "I want to conquer the city and make a lot of money". In our story, we tell the story of how he met his wife Vanessa and how they fell in love". He also said that "if you're looking for a juicy, multi-faceted crime drama, Wilson Fisk was the obvious choice to play the antagonist ... [he] really felt like the right yin to the yang for Matt, and for what we wanted to do this season."[27] Cole Jensen plays a young Wilson Fisk.[28]
* Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher:
A vigilante who aims to clean up Hell's Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results.[29][30] DeKnight said this version of Punisher would be "completely the Marvel version," as previous portrayals did not appear under the Marvel Studios / Marvel Television banner. He also felt Bernthal's Punisher would not be as "graphically violent" as in *Punisher: War Zone*.[31] Season two showrunner Doug Petrie stated that Travis Bickle from *Taxi Driver* was an influence on the character, as well as current events, saying, "Taking lethal justice into your own hands in America in 2015 is tricky shit. We have not shied away from the rich complicated reality of Now. If you've got a gun and you're not the police you're going to incite strong feelings." Bernthal added that "This character has resonated with law enforcement and military ... and the best thing about him is that if he offends you, he just doesn't care."[32]
* Élodie Yung as Elektra Natchios:
A mysterious and dangerous woman from Murdock's past. The character was referred to in the first season, before Yung was cast in the role.[30][33][34] Describing Elektra's effect on Murdock, Petrie called her "the best bad girlfriend you can possibly have. She does everything wrong and attractive, she's [Matt's] id, the wild side. Matt is always taming his wild side. Elektra just lets it out. He's both repulsed and deeply drawn to that."[32] Yung described Elektra as "kind of a sociopath. This world is a game for her. It's like a chess game, and what motivates her is what she wants. She'll use anything she needs to use to get to her goal, and if she needs to kill people, she would." She added that Elektra is neither good nor bad, but a "person with different traits" and layers.[35] Lily Chee plays a young Elektra.[36]
* Stephen Rider as Blake Tower: A New York district attorney who assists Daredevil with information to help track down and capture criminals.[37]
* Joanne Whalley as Maggie Grace: A nun with strong opinions who speaks her mind, and cares for Murdock as he recovers from his injuries.[38][39] She is later revealed to be Murdock's mother.
* Jay Ali as Rahul "Ray" Nadeem: An honest and ambitious FBI agent.[40]
* Wilson Bethel as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter: A psychotic FBI agent who is able to use almost any object as a lethal projectile.[41][42]

## Seasons

* Season 1 (2015)
* Season 2 (2016)
* Season 3 (2018)

## Cancellation and Future

* Main article: Daredevil: Born Again

Ahead of the release of season three, *Deadline Hollywood* noted the series was expected to be renewed for a fourth season since it was "widely watched and critically acclaimed". Oleson pitched what he wanted to do with a fourth season to Netflix in November 2018, and was hoping that this meeting would lead to an official renewal of the series. Despite the pitch, on November 29, 2018, Netflix canceled the series after three seasons. Netflix said the three seasons would remain on the service, while the character would "live on in future projects for Marvel". *Deadline Hollywood* noted, that "unlike *Iron Fist* or *Luke Cage*, the door seems to be wide open" for the series to continue elsewhere, potentially on Disney's streaming service, Disney+. However, *The Hollywood Reporter* felt this was unlikely, especially since, per the original deal between Marvel and Netflix for the series, the characters cannot appear in any non-Netflix series or films for at least two years following the cancellation of *Daredevil*, as reported by *Variety*. Kevin A. Mayer, chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, noted that, while it had not yet been discussed, it was a possibility that Disney+ could revive the series.

Cox was saddened by the cancellation, since it "felt like we had a lot of stories to tell", especially since he had been excited by what had been discussed for a potential fourth season. He added that many of the cast and crew "really expected to keep going" and that he was hopeful there would be an opportunity to portray the character again in some form. Amy Rutberg, who portrays Marci Stahl in the series, confirmed the two-year wait requirement and also said the decision to cancel the series came as a surprise to the executives at Marvel given the extensive work that had been done for a potential fourth season. She added that filming for the fourth season had been expected to begin around February 2019 and that many of the cast and crew felt the series would last for five seasons, with a new antagonist in the fourth before a final showdown between Daredevil and Fisk in the fifth. That same month, Hulu's senior vice president of originals Craig Erwich said that the streaming service was open to reviving the series, along with the other former Netflix series.

In June 2020, Cox was contacted by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige about reprising his role in Marvel Studios' MCU productions, with Feige confirming in December 2021 that Cox would reprise the role for Marvel Studios, first doing so in the film *Spider-Man: No Way Home* (2021). Additionally, D'Onofrio first reprised his role as Kingpin in the Disney+ series *Hawkeye* (2021). At that time, Jessica Henwick, who portrayed Colleen Wing in the Marvel Netflix series, indicated that Cox had known about the opportunity to reprise the role in Marvel Studios productions years prior.

In March 2022, *Production Weekly* included a *Daredevil* reboot in their report of upcoming projects in development, with Feige and Chris Gary listed as producers. The series was confirmed to be in development for Disney+ in late May, with Matt Corman and Chris Ord attached as head writers and executive producers. The series, titled *Daredevil: Born Again*, was officially announced that July for an 18-episode first season, with Cox and D'Onofrio confirmed to return. It is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in early 2024. Cox described *Born Again* as a "whole new thing" and not a fourth season of the Netflix series.