This isn't your Ben Affleck's 'Daredevil.'
This isn’t your Ben Affleck’s Daredevil.
Marvel has unveiled the first trailer for their gritty, dark take on Daredevil, the first of four 13-episode series to premiere on Netflix. And it looks nothing like the campy action flick starring Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and Colin Farrell. Take a look:
Marvel says, “Meet Matt Murdock. Blinded as a boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt fights injustice by day as a respected lawyer and by night as the masked vigilante known as Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen, New York. He'll do anything to make his city a better place, but at what price?”
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But let’s take a deep dive and really break down what we’re seeing: This is Matt Murdock A.K.A. Daredevil (played by Boardwalk Empire's Charlie Cox).
In the comics, Matt loses his eyesight after being hit with radioactive isotopes from a passing truck (who knows if this series will stick with that origin story). His other senses become heightened, especially his hearing, and give him a sort of “radar” vision. Going off the above GIF, it looks like we’ll get to “see” how he “sees.” Daredevil vision, cool!
Daredevil is also donning a different costume than you’re used to -- there’s no red spandex here (at least not yet). Instead, the series seems to be inspired by the ‘90s Frank Miller run of comics, which had Daredevil kicking ass in all-black, almost ninja-esque suit. Another sign they’re going full Miller? All that Catholicism.
And when we say kicking ass, we mean kicking looooots of ass.
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And no Marvel trailer would be complete without a gratuitous shirtless shot of the hero (get it, Charlie Cox! But boo at Marvel for making him shave his chest! Why can’t we ever have a hairy superhero?)
We also get a first look at Daredevil’s allies: Claire Temple A.K.A. The Night Nurse (played by Rosario Dawson). In the comics, there are actually three Night Nurses, who specialize in helping wounded superheroes, though none are Claire Temple.
Bonus fact: Claire Temple falls in love with Luke Cage (who’s getting the third Netflix series), so this probably won’t be the last we see of Rosario Dawson in the Marvel world.
Then there’s Stick (played by Scott Glenn), Murdock’s sensei and martial arts mentor, who also happens to be blind. Stick believes in living untainted by evil, which should provide for some good conflict when Murdock has to get his hand dirty.
We also -- almost -- see the villain: We glimpse of Wilson Fisk, the soon to be Kingpin of New York City (played by Vincent D'Onofrio) from behind. This is the baddie Michael Clarke Duncan played in the movie. We’re guessing Marvel is saving the good stuff (his face?) for the show.
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And we see Murdock’s friends: Foggy Nelson (played by Elden Henson), Matt’s best friend and law firm partner, who is occasionally used as comic relief or to disagree with Murdock and vie for the attention of Karen Page.
Who is the last character we see: Daredevil’s long-time love and the secretary at his law firm, Karen Page (played by True Blood’s Deborah Ann Woll). But Page has a dark side in the comics, including, at one point, a drug addiction.
Could that have anything to do with why she’s by the side of a bleeding, dying Daredevil?!
All thirteen episodes of Daredevil will be available on Netflix on April 10.
In other MCU news, check out the trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron:
