#188 – Daredevil S1 — The Devil in the Details

Welcome back to Marvel Maniac and MCU After Show. I'm your host, Eric, aka Mr. Honest. And today we're diving into Daredevil season one. Yes, the original from Netflix, now on Disney Plus. Before we get into the grit and glory of Hell's Kitchen, I need to be honest about something. You may have noticed a pause in coverage, and I want to explain why. We did give you an explanation why, but that is sort of 180 since then. And there's a new plan. The original plan was to go episode by episode through Daredevil's entire Netflix run, including the Punisher, Jessica Jones and Defenders. Thirteen episodes a season, multiple seasons, week after week, adding a third episode a week. And that will still take over a year to do. I found out the truth is if we did that, the passion would burn out, at least for me, and this show would start to feel a little bit like an obligation instead of the joy that it's supposed to bring and be. That's not why I started Marvel Maniac. So here's the revelation. Instead of grinding through every episode one by one, we're shifting into season deep dive reviews. Yes, every few weeks you'll get a full season breakdown like this. That way the show stays alive, the variety stays fresh, and I can bring my full heart into every single episode. Again, if you were hoping for Daredevil every week, all year long, I love you for that. But this format keeps the fire burning. I'm sorry if I put any kegs in your fire that you were getting very excited and maybe amping up for. The truth is, most people who watch Daredevil or any of the Netflix shows most likely binged them, going over them week to week. It'll just feel long and overdone to all of us. I think this is what the break was for. To make sure Marvel Maniac can keep thriving for the long haul. And that took some big decisions. And don't forget, if you're a Potterhead, Magic Muggle, a Harry Potter after show. My second podcast drops every Saturday morning at 10am Central. That's where I get to slow down a little bit, go chapter by chapter through Hogwarts. And it's been such a cozy balance to everything happening here right now. We are three chapters into the Chamber of Secrets. So many more episodes to come. So again, Magic Muggle, a Harry Potter after show. The Marvel Maniac companion piece that you don't need to listen to if you don't like Harry Potter. It's just something else I'm passionate about all right, with all that said, let's step into Hell's Kitchen. Season one of Daredevil isn't just another Marvel story. It's the beginning of Marvel Street Level World. We didn't know at the time a hundred percent if these were going to cross over with the movies. All we knew is they referenced the movies and the for me, that was good enough at the time. This Marvel Street Level World is a grounded, bloody, morally complex show that redefines superhero television and even now, Born Again reshaping Matt Murdock's future. You can feel the blueprint for everything in these first 13 episodes. Season one takes place in a post Avengers New York yes, we are living in the fallout of the Battle of New York in Avengers, but instead of gods and billionaires, we're in the hallways and alleys. Corruption has seeped into every corner because of the Battle of New York, opening up the courts, the cops, and the streets themselves. Corruption is everywhere. The series doesn't open up with a quip or an explosion, but with a confession. After we see how Matt Murdoch is blinded, as we talked about last week, he kneels in a church and tells Father Lantom, I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father. I'm asking forgiveness for what I'm about to do. He the Father says that's not how it works. But that line really does set the tone. By day, Matt is a is a lawyer fighting for justice within the system. And by night, he's a masked man breaking bones in the dark. Like, Holy moly. This guy kicks some major ass. The question is never whether he can do both, it's whether he can live with himself while doing it. Charlie Cox's performance carries that duality beautifully. In the daylight, Matt and Foggy are building Nelson and Murdoch defending people who have no one else. But when the sun goes down, Matt puts on the black mask and becomes something more brutal. His defining moments this season range from the raw exhaustion of the hallway fight in episode two, gone on to be considered one of the most iconic moments in Marvel television, to the near death battle in the end, one of the last few episodes with Nobu episode 9, to the painful unmasking of the truth when Foggy learned his secret in episode 10. And finally, the red suit debuted in episode 13. We were waiting for it, and he defeats Fisk in it. In the Streets, Matt's arc is about reconciling the lawyer and the devil and realizing he will always be both. On the other side of the fence, we got the origin story to Wilson Fisk, played masterfully by Vincent denofo. If you've been watching Born Again and haven't seen this series, I couldn't recommend it more. It's a great weekend b binge watch. And if you like Daredevil Born Again, I I'd say don't even hesitate. Watch this show Fisk is one of Marvel's greatest villains because he's not just powerful, he's vulnerable, socially awkward, emotionally scarred, and yet terrifyingly violent. That car door scene in episode four is un unforgettable. That is a moment that shows just how quickly his veneer of control can shatter, and it makes for such a good, compelling villain. But then there are the quiet moments with Vanessa where he's not just a crime lord, but a man desperate for connection. His vision for Hell's Kitchen is symbolized by the painting Rabbit in a Snowstorm, a blank, oppressive white canvas that he canvas that he interprets as peace but really represents control. With Vanessa by his side, his ambition only sharpens, and the other crime bosses take notice. Vanessa Mariana herself is more than a love interest, she's a partner, someone who sees the full extent of fist starkness and chooses to stand with him anyway. Her influence makes him more dangerous, and when she's poisoned at the gala in episode 10, it shows just how destabilizing her presence is to the entire criminal network. Foggy Nelson brings so much heart to this season. He's not just comic relief, he's Matt's conscience, and when he discovers the truth about Matt's double life in episode 10, the pain of that betrayal feels as heavy as any physical fight. Their friendship grounds the story, and the fracture proves how high the cost of match choices really is. Karen Page, another huge character, starts as a client and quickly becomes the moral spark of Nelson and Murdoch. Though she carries secrets of her own, she teams up with reporter Ben Yurich. You may recognize that name if you watch Born Again. Yes, there are threads tying to Born Again in this very first season, Ben yer to expose Fisk, and in episode 11, she shocks us all by killing James Wesley. Karen is complex, and it was just after he was threatening her and she got a hold of the gun. It's a moment that changes her forever, showing she's not just a victim of circumstance, but someone capable of stepping over her own moral line. Ben Yurik represents truth in its purest form. His work with Karen gives the season a civilian perspective, and when Fisk murders him in episode 12, it's one of the season's most Devastating moments. His death makes it clear that Fisk is beyond redemption. To interweave this show and series officially with the Avengers and the mcu, it is very, very much a huge payoff for the fans of the Netflix era, as it came out over five or six years on Netflix. Obviously Disney bought the rights and now they're right where they're meant to be in the sacred timeline. The thing about it is we can weave together a lot more thoughts about what's going on in the background through the series. Where the series ends, I'd say it's months away from Infinity War, which I think is quite poetic. We will talk about that when we're in season three, because there's a lot of story that comes with 13 episodes a season. Season two, we get introduced to the Punisher and we will be covering these shows in a certain order. The first two seasons of Born Again. No, I'm sorry. The first two seasons of this show, we're going to cover first. Next season we get introduced to the Punisher. So I want to talk about him. Afterwards, we'll watch his two seasons, which are likely kind of their own story. Outside of the Daredevil story. He. He has more of his own thing going on Frank Castle, which will be really fun to explore knowing he's got a mini movie coming out on Disney plus either late this year, early next year. And it's been confirmed that the Punisher, yes, the Punisher himself, will play a huge role in the next Spider man movie next July. Spider Man, Brand new day. That's why I wanted to cover these shows episode by episode to get in the head of these characters. Because if Punisher's making it in to Spider man, who's to say Fisk and Daredevil himself won't be in it as well? Honestly, I think that's going to be a huge surprise. And I think that is going to happen. Another thing, I'd like to personally think that Fisk gets some sort of super serum along the way. I'm wondering if he's still to get it because he's already incredibly strong. But when we see him like for example, later in Hawkeye, he's got like some superhero strength going on. So I'm wondering if Fisk has ever messed around with the Soldier Serum or any type of serum to make him stronger. I think in my opinion, for. For him to be like comic book level strong, for him to fight Spider Man, I think he's gonna need something like that or like a giant Iron man suit, which I think Will be a huge cop out. I think we need to see Fisk like twice as large, not as big as Spider Verse Fisk, but I think he needs to get bigger and more strong as he goes. And I think Daredevil born Again Season 2 will probably explore more of how fist gains more physical power. We see a terrifying scene in the last episode of that show that shows he is still pretty strong. And then we have Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson. Ahsoka herself. She is the medic who patches Matt back together when his body can't keep up with this crusade. She's practical, compassionate and one of the only people who calls him out on how reckless he really is. And yes, Matt Murdock is reckless. He's doing the superhero thing on his own. He has enhanced senses and he knows how to fight. I don't think he has any official super strength, but he is super strong. For a street level hero built up by doing push up sit ups in the classic gym routine, I'm guessing Matt Murdock is such a complex character. And then we get to meet Stick, another cornerstone of Matt's life. Episode seven reintroduces him as Matt's mentor. The man who trained him as a as a child. He brings with him the talk of Black sky teasing a larger mystical war that would later explode in this universe. We will discover it and talk about it. I meant to say discuss, but I'm going to leave it as discover. We'll discover it together. His presence widens the scope of the show, hinting that Matt's fight is part of something much, much bigger. Another reason we're covering this all in one episode is because personally, it's not to criticize the show overly, but the first few seasons, they're 13 episode runs. And I'm not gonna lie, there's probably a good little bit of filler in there. But what some consider filler, others consider deep character development. And that's kind of the way I was looking at it when we were gonna do our 13 episode after shows for the whole season. But our time is valuable here at Marvel Maniac, even though we have a lot of time. I don't think being in Hell's Kitchen for a full year of a hundred plus episodes, it just doesn't sit right with me. The binge watch is a part of these shows. People will watch this in three days and then 13 weeks later we've finished it. Nobody would really care anymore. What these episodes are meant to do is kind of wake up your memory and mine about what happened in this season. And to anyone who just doesn't want to watch it and is into Born Again, you can kind of get the main moments through these episodes. They're going to cover nearly 25 minutes to 45 minute minutes, maybe even an hour, depending on the season we're covering. This is such an introductory season that I don't think the episode's gonna go to an hour like I initially thought. I think it's gonna actually be much shorter. But I. The funny thing about this podcast is, if you're wondering why is he telling us the entire behind the scenes process, I want to be upfront with you. I. I go by the nickname Mr. Honest. I want you to know where I'm coming from because I did make some promises about covering this whole show in the last episode. I'm not just going to delete that and make you just guess what's going to be happening. I want you to know I appreciate your time, I value you being here and I want to make the best podcast possible for all of us. Every time I say for all of us, I think of Loki. Loki was the Loki. Season 2 may be the best show on Disney Plus. Loki itself may be the best show. Sorry. Loki knows about Matt Murdock. Hey, how about those characters crossing paths? That's just my excuse for bringing up Loki in this episode. Sorry. The rest of the crime table that fills out Fisk's empire is Nobu, a deadly warrior who nearly, nearly kills Matt. In episode nine, there's Madame Gao running her heroin empire with chilling calm before disappearing when things heat up. She shows up all around the Netflix era. She's a big character. Leland Owlsley, the scheming accountant always calculating his odds of survival. And James Wesley Fisk, loyal fixer who meets an unexpected end at Karen's hand. Something I almost forgot about and I'm like, wow, Karen is not just your side character of the week. She has a lot of complexity to her and probably somewhat of a dark past. I think this is why she connects with Frank Castle later on the Punisher. She sees through the pain. This season is filled with standout moments. Episode 2's hallway fight scene redefined TV action and its single take, exhaustion and honesty. You want to see a superhero kicking ass? Watch episode two, the hallway fight with Daredevil. Iconic. It is the moment that if you're on the fence about this show and you get this far, you are locked in for the rest of the ride. I got chills talking about it. Episode four, though, it's car door Scene cemented Fisk as a villain to fear. Brutal. He is a brutal villain. We never seen anyone, just a human in the MCU be so evil and just, oh, bloody and messy. There's a reason this was on Netflix as a TV 14 or 13 and up. Episode seven brought stick and the Black sky, broadening the mythology. Episode 9's fight with Nobu was brutal. Maybe one of the roughest fights for Matt in the entire series. Even through Born Again, Matt walked out of that fight barely alive. Episode 10 broke Nelson and Murdoch apart with nothing but dialogue. Episode 11 gave Karen her darkest moment with Wesley's death. And episode 12 shattered us with Ben Urich's murder. Something that is brought up in Daredevil Born Again. And it seems to be a plot thread still panning out, which I think is genius. And episode 13 finally crowned daredevil, he gets the suit. Something we've all been waiting for. Something else we might, you might have been waiting for and still hasn't happened yet. Fisk in his classic comic book White Suit. I will say as a little bit of a spoiler alert as this whole season technically is a recap, we do get to see him in that outfit eventually. It just takes a little bit of time and build up and world building, which this show does best. As Matt donned the red suit, he took Fist down in the streets. And Fisk was not happy. He was wailing on him. But when he calls New York his city, well, that doesn't sit right with Matt. Gives him an extra bit of energy. It's Matt City. The Daredevil, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Making a name for himself. Fighting pretty much like an Elite four type situation like in Pokemon, but with all of Fisk crime bosses. He single handedly beats Fisk down to nearly nothing in this episode. And it takes a long time for him to even start getting back back up. The themes that run through all of this are what make the season timeless. Justice versus vengeance is Matt's core struggle, captured perfectly in that opening confession, power and corruption drive Fist story. His desire to save the city by ruling it with fear sharpened by Vanessa's loyalty. Pain becomes honesty in every fight scene where Daredevil bleeds, limps and claws his way forward, proving that the endurance he has can be as heroic as invincibility. And this season foreshadows the future, planting seeds of vigilantes clashing with institutions. Fisk stepping into the role of public figure eventually. And the idea that one man in a mask can reshape a city all threads that echo forward into Born Again. Born Again is a great show, but it wouldn't be as good as it was if we didn't have this three season show. And I will say if if you're new to this series and you're thinking about re watching or you want to know the order there is seasons one and two of Daredevil and essential viewing is the Defenders. It's technically Daredevil Season three with a bunch of characters like Jessica Jones, Nick, Luke Cage, sorry, and Danny Rand, AKA the Iron Fist. We may cover those shows if need be. There's rumors of Luke Cage already showing up in the next season of Born Again. It's seeming like a Defender's reunion, so we may do an episode where we talk about him and Iron Fist maybe together. I mean, just imagine if Daredevil shows up in Spider Man. Brand New day and the secret big fight is against Fisk. Because Fisk is such a big Spider man villain, having him set up all of these years to face Spidey in one big Spider man showdown where Spider man actually teams up with Daredevil and the Defenders and they fight all the street level crime. I mean, that movie is dying to be made and I really hope that's kind of the direction we get to see the story go in in that movie. However, it'll be what it is and I'm sure it'll be a pretty awesome movie. Regardless, I got a great feeling Tom Holland's doing some practical stunts. They're already out on the streets filming stuff for it and Doomsday simultaneously. It's a time for us Marvel fans to anticipate, get hype, but also maintain that bit of, you know, it's going to be a while. So we're going to be reviewing even stuff we've already talked about very early in this podcast, like Iron man and Phase One. We're going to do more theory videos that we're going to do things that don't get us stuck in a cookie cutter type of way where our podcast gets boring and that's just more fun keeping things with variety. Eyes of Wakanda. I haven't even gotten around to watching that yet and now it's something I can look forward to covering for you this month. Every few weeks we'll have these recap style episodes and I think it's really powerful to be able to tell you within a 20 minute period basically all the main points of Daredevil season one. If you have any other notes you'd like to add, send me an email marvelmaniacpodgmail.com what's your take? Does season one hold up? In my opinion, absolutely. It's brutal, it's emotional, and it's revolutionary in its craft. It gave us one of Marvel's greatest villains and one of its most human heroes and a vision of superhero storytelling that still feels unmatched. To be honest, the show proved that the MCU isn't just cosmic wars and billionaire tech. It's also cracked ribs, whispered prayers, and the cost of standing up when no one else will. Reminds me of Sharon Carter's probably one of her greatest lines at Peggy Peggy Carter's funeral. Her grandma or whatever she is. I forget how they're connected. I'm sorry. Anyway, they she says something about not standing up or backing down. I'm butchering it. Go watch Civil War. We'll talk about it again later. Thank you so much for listening to Marvel Maniac and MCU after showing I'm Eric Cicada, aka Mr. Honest. If you loved this breakdown, share it with a friend. Honestly, share it. Send it. We need you to rate the show. I need you to help me get the show out there. I've been putting a lot into this podcast. It's my passion, it's my love. And there's a reason why I'm not going to over explain Daredevil season one because 21 minutes doesn't feel long enough. This is the exact reason why I'm not doing episode by episode, point by point, minute by minute. That's just not going to work for me. And I think I told you all the main points of this series. In the end, Matt Murdock wins against Fisk. You can almost wonder how the hell does Fisk even ever come back into the fray? That's the best part about this series, and how and how we discuss it will be very key in bringing all of these threads together. So I'm not going to give a definitive timeline on when we're going to cover season two. Likely in a week or two just to prepare so I could watch some episodes, you know, refresh myself on the story plot fully in the season two. And that's how it'll be going through the rest of the year, up until this new Punisher special that I've only heard about. There's no date for it yet, so I can only assume it's early 2026 that it'll come out, or very late December. Ish. Wonder man is premiering around then another show we're going to be able to cover and talk about. I just gotta say as a host, I feel relieved, I feel excited, I feel pumped. I love being a fan of the MCU right now. I know there's some drama going on on the set. You know what a little bit of drama makes for the best art. Do you know about Fleek Fleetwood Mac? They made some music they actually absolutely despised of each other, but they made some of their best music while not being all on the same page. That's all I really know. I don't know too much about their backstory. I know that they didn't get along and they made great music because of it. And I'd like to look at Avengers Doomsday with the Russo brothers balancing everything, the table even set bigger than Avengers Infinity War to maybe even include Daredevil in the big fight. I did hear it. I did hear it be said somewhere. I forget where at some point. The Daredevil, he's a blind superhero who's extra strong with man strength. I don't think he gets any super serum. He just trains and he's got the grit and the fighting style to take on street level villains. So if anything, I'd like to see a Daredevil movie at the end of this. Or I would love to see him in that street level story with Spider Man. People have been begging for that. They want to see Spider man take down Fisk with Daredevil. Could be the finale of all of these shows. Or it could be just the beginning of a more brutal Fisk who doesn't lose all the way becomes more corrupt. And in the next few Phase seven he could be a bigger on screen villain maybe to clash with Spidey then who knows. The future is pretty open wide. They're not even done writing the movie of Avengers Doomsday yet. So there's a lot to look forward to but a lot of time in between. So marvelmaniacpod gmail.com give me your thoughts. What did you think about Daredevil Season one? Also our link tree in the description of this episode leads you to all of my social medias where I will be posting clips and little previews for upcoming episodes. And also our Patreon is in there. Patreon.com marvel maniac Become a member and get on our wall of heroes like Michael Finney. He's up there, our number one hero right now and it'd be great because you coming to our Discord. I mean not Discord, sorry. Our Patreon and I got a whole library of fantastic Marvel maniac 5 minute minisodes. We are building one up, one a week and there's like a lot of them now all of a sudden. I have so much fun making them. It's kind of cool to see that they've piled up a bit. They're all worth a listen and it will be great to have you as a deeper part of our community. Everyone and anyone is welcome. Unless you're there to troll, then please don't come. I'm gonna say it again one more time. The success of this show relies on you for bringing more people to it. We have a very special guest sometime around November. You will probably know who this guest is. I'm not gonna tell you. You have to stay tuned and stay ready. But I'm very excited and it's gonna be fun. We had Ryan Airy in our hundredth episode from Screen Crush. What a guy. If you want to go back and listen to that, we talk about Thanos and Infinity War. We get pretty deep about Thanos, to be honest. It's a really fun episode. Go back and listen to it. In the meantime, it's good to be back. It's good to be here with you and thank you, thank you, thank you for listening to Marvel Maniac and MCU after show. And if you're feeling or craving something a bit more magical, just remember Magic Muggle, a Harry Potter after show drops every Saturday morning at 10am Central. We would love to see you there too. Well, I think that's about it. I thought this would take me an hour. It took me about 25 minutes. But we don't make filler for filler's sake here at Marvel Maniac we tell you the story, how it is and how you want to hear it. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I am gonna say sorry one last time. But I'm not that sorry because it's for the better betterment of this show. I'm sorry if you were expecting a year long coverage of the Netflix era, it's too much for me. It's not my vibe. I want to be all over the sacred timeline as we lead up to doomsday. And right now on Fridays we're just getting started on our X Men run. We're about to enter first class territory. This is the most I'll ever ask you to rate rate the show, especially on Apple podcast if it gives you the option. We are kind of suppressed on there right now. I've been working with them and their engineering team to get the completed label lifted off of my podcast. Marvel Maniac it's stopping people from knowing when we're putting episodes out. It's stopping people from thinking that we're an actively running podcast. So I'm doing my very best working with someone over there to get that done. And I have a. I. I mean, I'm pushing really hard to get that done because I really have been doing this for a while now and I don't think I'm very good at promoting. That's why I've been trying to make a clip for each episode and I'm letting you into my process just so you know that you you listening to me is so special and I'm so thankful. And don't stay quiet. If you can't join the discord, you can join the we don't have a Discord. I keep saying that if we don't, you don't have to purchase anything to join the Patreon and enter the discussion. You do have to get a minimum three dollar membership a month for access to all the minisodes. Either way, it'll be great to have you there and join the discussion with us. What are your thoughts on Daredevil season one? Daredevil as a whole? Do you like where Born Again is going? Do you think this series stands stronger than the first season of Daredevil? Born Again Again? Personally, I think it builds off of it really well and I think it was a very smart move to canonize all of these original Netflix shows because they're very good backstory. And if you look at any character in the MCU on screen time, it's going to be Matt Murdock as Daredevil. And I would recommend getting your binge on because we're going to be talking about all of these seasons over the next few months. All right, that's it. This is the longest exit ever. I'm still getting back into the swing of things, but until next time, this Friday, new schedule, Mondays and Fridays at 6am Central. Avengers and Maniacs disassemble.