Promo Image: Netflix
So where does the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen go next? At this point, there’s no clear word about the new show being a continuation of the Netflix series or a hard reboot. Likely, Marvel will split the difference. If so, the new Daredevil series could retain the cast and continuity, while eschewing its predecessor’s darker tone.
If that’s the case, then comic books may be the best guide for future Daredevil stories…
“Daredevil: Reborn”
(Daredevil #1 -6, 2011 – 2012)
When the first episode of Daredevil dropped in 2015, it announced itself as something very different than other superhero shows. Daredevil was violent, willing to show the brutal cost of fighting criminals without powers or superweapons. But to be frank, that’s not the tone that made the MCU such a success. How can viewers transition from the bleakness of the Netflix series to a more optimistic MCU series?
Fiege and his team have something of a roadmap with the third volume of Daredevil, launched in 2011 by writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee. “It has been a miserable last few years. And every time I thought I’d finally hit bottom, God somehow found me a bigger shovel,” Matt tells Foggy in issue #1, declaring that he’s done moping and going to have some fun. Waid and Samnee never ignore Murdock’s past traumas. But they do put them in context, giving Matt the choice to be a fun and charming hero, not defined by his lowest moments. This may be the perfect path to take if Marvel wants to acknowledge the previous series while widening the audience for a new season.