Superhero TV shows are a dime a dozen. And some of them are quite successful as well. CW shows like Arrow and The Flash are into their 7th and 5th season respectively.
And while these shows started with great promise, they soon fell into the trap of over the top sci-fi drama with very little to contribute to storytelling or interesting character arcs for that matter.
Then came Daredevil. The Netflix original in many ways changed the way superheroes were portrayed on screen. And it also changed the myth of Marvel being all sunshine and rainbows.
A show so dark that a rainy day was a thing of joy.
Daredevil gave us realistic storylines, morally ambiguous heroes and villains. And sometimes it walked on a line so thin that you started rooting for the bad guys.
More than anything, Daredevil made you think about the realities of an everyday life and the perils that haunt it always.
Mathew Murdock was blind. But Charlie Cox made sure you didn’t feel sorry for him. He made you empathise but never expected an ounce of sympathy.
He was a Catholic struggling between ‘Love thy neighbour’ and beat him up if he’s a dick.
Why did he put the devil in me? Why do I feel it in my heart and my soul clawing to be let out if that’s not all part of God’s plan?
He betrayed his friends throughout the series and you could even say, used them for the fruition his own agenda.
But his moral ambiguity is trumped by Frank Castle, a man who is way over the line that Daredevil barely balances himself on.
Conflict remains the soul of the show and it’s organic. Capable men and women reacting differently and using drastic measures, when faced with tragedy, fear and loss.
Even Vicent D’onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin had his moments of humanity.
In fact, Wilson Fisk’s humanity is the base on which he had built his dreams on. He wants to change the city by reinventing it in his own image.
Even smaller characters like FBI agent Ray Nadeem are complex beings who might appear insignificant in the larger picture but let you connect to the common man, feel the burden of collateral damages if you will.
And you can imagine how good the show must have been if its amazing action sequences are the last things to get mentioned.
Daredevil gave us some of the best hand-to-hand combat sequences we had ever seen.
Be it the singleshot corridor scene from season 1 or the Punisher’s prison scene in season 2 or the prison riot and the newsroom fight between Murdock and Poindexter in season 3, the show covers all grounds.
So yeah, Netflix cancelling the show after 3 seasons is disappointing. But hey, it’s not the end of the road for Nelson, Murdock and Page.
Disney’s own streaming service is on the way and Daredevil is most likely to get picked up.
