Daredevil (season 1)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Daredevil
Season 1
Promotional poster
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes13
Release
Original network
List of episodes

The first season of the American

Goddard Textiles, with Steven S. DeKnight serving as showrunner, and series creator Drew Goddard
acting as consultant.

Ryan Meinerding and the costume artists at Marvel Studios. The season features links and references to other MCU projects, including future Netflix
series.

The first two episodes of the season premiered in Los Angeles on April 2, 2015, with the full season of 13 episodes released on Netflix on April 10 to an estimated high viewership. Critics praised the performances, particularly D'Onofrio's, and the darker tone and action sequences of the series compared to other properties set in the MCU. However, some of the pacing during the season and the final red Daredevil suit received criticism. The first season received three nominations at

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Into the Ring"Phil AbrahamDrew GoddardApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Crime cartels, including the
Vladimir Ranskahov
, the Russians' leaders, to handle Murdock ("the man in black"): they kidnap a young boy to lure him into a trap.
22"Cut Man"Phil AbrahamDrew GoddardApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
When Murdock was a boy, his father was murdered by the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob for winning a match he was told to throw. Now, after failing to rescue the kidnapped boy, a severely injured Murdock is found in a dumpster by nurse Claire Temple. Nelson meanwhile attempts to comfort Page following her recent traumatic experiences. Temple takes Murdock to her apartment, tends to his wounds, and removes his mask, discovering his blindness. He refuses to reveal his name, but does reveal his heightened senses when they alert him to a Russian who is searching the apartment building, giving Temple time to hide Murdock and convince the man that she knows nothing. Murdock realizes that the man did not believe her, and overpowers him, taking him to the roof. Murdock and Temple torture him into revealing the boy's location, before Murdock pushes him off the roof and into the same dumpster; Murdock says he will survive. Murdock enters the building where they are keeping the boy, defeats the guards, and rescues the boy.
33"Rabbit in a Snowstorm"Adam KaneMarco RamirezApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Wesley, having become aware of Nelson and Murdock because of their involvement with Page during the Union Allied scandal, hires them to defend John Healy, an assassin. Though Nelson wishes not to get involved with an obvious criminal element, Murdock wishes to use the case to discover who Wesley's employer is, and so accepts Wesley's offer, which includes a substantial sum to ensure their silence. Page receives a similar offer from Union Allied, who do not want her to talk to anyone else about the scandal, and threaten to sue her for leaking company secrets to the press if she does not agree. Despite this, Page goes to Urich, whose editor
Wilson Fisk
. Healy commits suicide rather than be confronted by the consequences of revealing Fisk's identity.
44"In the Blood"Ken GirottiJoe PokaskiApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Murdock is unable to find any record of Fisk, and so continues to interrogate criminals, searching for answers. Wesley informs the Ranskahovs of an offer Fisk has made to help with their operations, given their recent failures. Angered at this apparent slight, they attempt to stop the man in black once and for all by visiting in hospital the Russian whom Murdock threw from the roof. After the Russian tells them of Temple, they send men to kidnap her, but she manages to call Murdock in time to alert him of her kidnapping. The Russians attempt to torture Murdock's name out of Temple, but Murdock arrives and defeats the gangsters. Seeing the aftermath of this, the Ranskahovs decide to agree to Fisk's offer, with Anatoly going to tell Fisk personally, by barging into the restaurant where Fisk is having dinner with an art gallery curator named
Vanessa Marianna
. Fisk takes a confused Marianna home, and angered at this intrusion and embarrassment, Fisk decapitates Anatoly and orders Wesley to send the body to Vladimir.
55"World on Fire"Farren BlackburnLuke KalteuxApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Fisk explains the situation to his allies, including Chinese leader Madame
Turk Barrett to reveal to Vladimir that Fisk killed Anatoly, and as they prepare for a war against Fisk, their forces are destroyed in a suicide attack
by Gao's workers. Vladimir survives, but Murdock finds him, as they are surrounded by police.
66"Condemned"Guy FerlandJoe Pokaski & Marco RamirezApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Murdock takes out the police when they try to kill Vladimir on Fisk's orders, and takes Vladimir to an abandoned warehouse, hoping for answers about Fisk, while Nelson and Cardenas are injured in the bombings. With Temple's help, Murdock cauterizes Vladimir's wounds, alerting a non-corrupt police officer to their presence. The officer calls in Murdock and Vladimir's location, and the warehouse is soon surrounded. Blake and Hoffman take control of the situation, and await Fisk's orders. Fisk talks to Murdock via police radio, telling him of his admiration for what Murdock is trying to do, even though it clashes with Fisk's own plans to save the city. Fisk then frames the vigilante by having a
Leland Owlsley
– the accountant for all of Fisk's operations – before giving his life so that Murdock can escape.
77"Stick"
Douglas Petrie
April 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Murdock tracks down Owlsley, but is distracted by the arrival of an elderly man: Murdock's mentor,
a heavily scarred man
about Murdock's role in events to come.
88"Shadows in the Glass"Stephen SurjikSteven S. DeKnightApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Page and Nelson bring Murdock in on their plan, and he agrees as long as they stop putting themselves in harm's way, and use the legal system rather than underhanded tactics. Owlsley and Nobu, angry at being confronted by the vigilante and losing Black Sky, respectively, express their displeasure with Fisk, while he is also dealing with Blake, who wakes up in the hospital. Fisk convinces Hoffman to kill Blake before he can speak out against Fisk, but Hoffman is incapacitated by Murdock, who gets information on Fisk from Blake before he dies. Gao visits Fisk, warning him that he will have to get everything under control if he does not want to be side-stepped. An angry Fisk is later consoled by Vanessa, and he tells her of how, as a child, he murdered his father when he was beating Fisk's mother. She convinces him to stand up and go public with his intentions to save the city. This negates all of Murdock's information from Blake, which Urich was going to publish.
99"Speak of the Devil"Nelson McCormickChristos Gage & Ruth Fletcher GageApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
In the wake of Fisk's public revelation, Murdock, Page, Nelson, and Urich begin searching for something from Fisk's past that they can use against him. Murdock visits Vanessa at her art gallery, hoping to gain insight into Fisk by speaking with her, and encounters Fisk himself. Nobu demands a promised city block from Fisk, who agrees on the condition Nobu provide him with a "specialist" to deal with the vigilante. The block, which Fisk has bought from Tulley, is where Cardenas lives, and she is one of the few tenants who stands in the way of Fisk gifting it to Nobu. When Cardenas is killed by a junkie, Murdock realizes that Fisk is behind it, and tracks him to an abandoned warehouse, where he is confronted by the specialist: Nobu. Murdock eventually defeats Nobu, accidentally causing him to burn alive, but sustains serious injuries. Fisk then confronts Murdock, beating him nearly to death. Murdock barely escapes, only to collapse at his home in front of Nelson.
1010"Nelson v. Murdock"Farren BlackburnLuke KalteuxApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
After Temple tends to Murdock's wounds, Nelson confronts him about his "blindness" and vigilante activities. Murdock explains that after experiencing the twisted morals of Landman and Zack, Murdock took it upon himself to confront an abusive father with no legal evidence against him, but who Murdock had discovered through his heightened senses. Since then, he had been doing everything he could to make the city a better place whenever the law could not. Nelson, unable to look past Murdock's lies, leaves their firm. Urich, after the extension on his sick wife's hospital stay is denied and he is offered a better paying job as an editor rather than a reporter, decides to give up the investigation. Page, in an attempt to change his mind, takes him to a rest home she just discovered, where they meet
Marlene Vistain
, Fisk's mother, who tells them that Fisk killed his father. Fisk, meanwhile, is hosting a charity gala to publicly raise money for victims of the bombings. There, many of the guests, including Vanessa, are poisoned.
1111"The Path of the Righteous"Nick GomezSteven S. DeKnight & Douglas PetrieApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Still recovering from his injuries, Murdock says goodbye to Temple, who is leaving for a time. Before she goes, Temple suggests that he get better protection if he is going to continue his crusade. With the help of Barrett, Murdock finds
Melvin Potter
, a mentally unbalanced engineer who has been coerced into creating armored clothing for Fisk, and asks him to make a suit of body armor in exchange for stopping Fisk from hurting anyone else. Page wishes to reveal the story of how Vistain is alive, and says that Fisk killed his father, but Urich explains that it is unreliable, given her state of mind. While Fisk will not leave Marianna's side as she recovers in hospital, Wesley receives a phone call from Vistain and learns that Page and Urich visited her. He confronts Page and attempts to blackmail her into not exposing Fisk, threatening to hurt her friends. When Fisk calls Wesley to find out where he is, the ringing distracts him long enough for Page to take his gun, and kill him.
1212"The Ones We Leave Behind"Euros LynDouglas PetrieApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Using information from Urich, Murdock finds the base of Gao's heroin operation and dismantles it, with Gao, who can hold her own against Murdock, escaping and deciding to return to her homeland to think about the future. Fisk's men find Wesley, and the grieving Fisk realizes that the last person he talked to was Vistain. Wanting to keep those he loves safe by sending them out of the country, Fisk is unable to convince Marianna to leave him, but does get Vistain away, with the sick Vistain unable to tell him what her call to Wesley was about. Nelson continues his work without Murdock, and takes what they know to Stahl. Page, struggling to get over killing Wesley, convinces Urich to write the story, but it is rejected by Ellison. When Urich accuses Ellison of being paid off by Fisk, he gets fired. Urich decides to start his own blog to get Fisk's story out there, but Fisk's real informant in the New York Bulletin tells him that Urich visited Vistain, angering him to the point that he breaks into Urich's apartment and kills him.
1313"Daredevil"Steven S. DeKnightSteven S. DeKnightApril 10, 2015 (2015-04-10)
Murdock and Page attend Urich's funeral, while Fisk learns that Owlsley and Gao conspired to poison Marianna, whom they deemed a distraction, and that Owlsley has been hiding Hoffman as an insurance policy. When Owlsley tries to blackmail him, an infuriated Fisk kills Owlsley by throwing him into an open elevator shaft. Murdock and Nelson reconcile their differences, and begin building their case against Fisk. As the vigilante, Murdock finds Hoffman with information from Stahl and convinces him to testify against Fisk. Acting on this testimony, federal agents arrest Fisk and his co-conspirators, but Fisk's mercenaries and corrupt
custody
. Before he can flee the city, Murdock ambushes him, wearing the new armor formed for him by Potter. After a brutal fight, Murdock defeats Fisk and leaves him to the police. With Fisk arrested, Marianna leaves the city. Murdock, Page, and Nelson celebrate their success and resume their work. The vigilante is named "Daredevil" by the media.

Cast and characters

Production

Development

In October 2013, Marvel and

DeKnight Productions. Goddard, who wrote the first two episodes, remained with the show as a consultant and executive producer. It was also revealed that the series would be titled Marvel's Daredevil.[20] The first season consists of 13 hour-long episodes.[21] Peter Friedlander, Allie Goss, Kris Henigman, Cindy Holland, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Dan Buckley, Jim Chory, Loeb, Goddard, and DeKnight served as executive producers. Kati Johnston served as a producer.[22]

Writing

The season does not directly adapt any one storyline from the comics, with DeKnight feeling that it was more important to focus on "nailing the spirit of the comics".[23] Nonetheless, notable comics stories whose elements were adapted into the season include Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.'s 1993 miniseries Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, a retelling of the character's origin.[24] DeKnight stated that Netflix's support of "the creatives" coupled with Marvel's restrictions on their properties led to him pushing the source material as far as he could while remaining respectful of the characters and their history, and being surprised at "how willing everyone is to take a really fresh look and really push what we're doing."[25] Vincent D'Onofrio likened the Netflix production more to a "13-hour film" than to a television series, noting that the format allowed for the time needed to tell the story and "be much more specific".[26] Deborah Ann Woll explained that what she saw as one of the most important themes in the series was normal people having an impact in "seemingly insurmountable circumstances", with the focus not being on Daredevil's abilities or the characters' qualifications, but on their willingness to help people.[27]

Though the season was much more violent than previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) works, DeKnight felt that sexual violence would be "too far", saying that "Daredevil wasn't asking for a lot of sexual situations, especially since Matt Murdock is not really in the position to get into a relationship, and it just didn't fit the story for that season. I think that'll change moving forward, but I never pushed any kind of sexual agenda on the show. I think once Daredevil was a hit and people were really responding positively, you can see the progression into more of an adult world in Jessica Jones."[23]

Speaking about the way the season reveals the name Daredevil, DeKnight explained that several options had been brought up, such as "one of the versions in the comics where when he was a kid people used to taunt him with the name Daredevil", which did not fit in the world of the series, or having Ben Urich give the character the name, but the timing for that did not work due to Urich's death before the final Daredevil suit was introduced. It was decided that instead of having the name Daredevil said onscreen, it would be easier to introduce it through the media as a newspaper headline. On why this was not done for Wilson Fisk as Kingpin, DeKnight stated that he felt it would "get a little bit silly....[if] we went, 'Oh they called him Daredevil! Oh they called him Kingpin!'", and was unable to come up with another natural way for the name Kingpin to come up, so it was decided to leave that for a later time.[28]

Casting

The main cast for the season includes

Wilson Fisk.[8]

In July 2014,

Josie;[14] and Tom Walker as Francis.[17]

Design

The two costumes worn by Cox in the season: first, his black "vigilante outfit";[31] second, his red "classic suit".[32]

Costume designer Stephanie Maslansky read the first two episodes' scripts and some outlines of future scripts, and developed a "solid understanding" of the character arcs and overall story to begin the advanced planning needed for costume design. She also asked questions to prepare for character's stunt requirements and the building or retro-fitting of more complex costumes.[13]

Murdock begins the season wearing a black costume (called the "vigilante outfit" by production), inspired by the one worn by the character in Frank Miller's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, rather than the more traditional red, horned suit. This was done to highlight the formation of Matt Murdock as Daredevil, with the costume evolving over time as the character develops.[31] Marvel Comics' Chief Creative Officer Quesada conceptualized the look based on DeKnight's specifications.[13] On the design process, DeKnight revealed that "we tried practically everything, design-wise. We experimented with a lot of different head pieces. One version was a ski mask with the eyes sewn shut. We tried everything until we found something that just felt right."[31] DeKnight and Quesada explained that the idea was for Murdock to start out with a homemade outfit that fits more in the "real-world" of the series, and to then evolve it into the classic Daredevil suit.[32] Maslansky noted that they wanted the outfit to "look like something that Matt Murdock could put together himself, that he could either order off the Internet or shop around town. [...] we wound up with pretty practical choices for him. His shirts are compression shirts and his pants wound up being from an army/navy store." Concerning the black mask, Maslansky noted that a balance between aesthetic and safety was required, and that it was made of layers of cotton mesh that "really conform to his head" but also allowed Cox to see through the mask.[33]

On the red suit, Maslansky said, "We wanted something that looked militaristic and functional, but also dramatic and sexy" adding that it was "tricky" making it practical.

billy clubs used by Daredevil in the series, which were designed by Andy Park, discussions were had about having them holstered on the right leg, given that both Cox and his stunt double Chris Brewster are right handed, but it was ultimately decided to have the holster on the left hand side as it is in the "classic profile" of the comics.[34] DeKnight explained that Murdock's Daredevil suit does not have the "DD" emblem on the chest as seen in the comics, because Murdock receives his moniker only after the suit is introduced. He also felt that the emblem was "one of the more problematic emblems in superhero-dom", and that Daredevil's suit in the comics was "very difficult to translate to screen, especially in this world that is grounded and gritty".[28]

Many of the male characters in the series are often seen wearing suits, which Maslansky was comfortable with after working as the costume designer on

prop master Michael Jortner to make something that fit into the modern world, but paid homage to "what was familiar to fans". Close to 100 different versions of the prop were created for Cox to try. For the women of the series, Maslansky looked to their backstories in the show, with Page having dreams and fantasies of a life in New York along the lines of Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall, and dressing according to those thoughts ("retro, slim skirts, tighter fitting tops and slim dresses"), while Marianna coming into the series as a mysterious yet glamorous femme fatale, dressing in high-end, couture clothing; "she needed to appeal to [Fisk]. He wouldn't go for just any chick in a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt."[33]

Filming

In February 2014, Marvel announced that Daredevil would be filmed in New York City.[21] In April 2014, Quesada reiterated this, stating that the show would be filming in areas of Brooklyn and Long Island City that still look like the old Hell's Kitchen, in addition to sound stage work.[35] Loeb said that Daredevil would begin filming in July 2014,[36] and DeKnight confirmed that filming had started that month.[37] It filmed under the working title Bluff,[38] on a $56 million budget. The production received $14.3 million under the New York Film & TV Tax Credit Program.[39] Production concluded on December 21, 2014.[40] Other filming locations in New York City included the Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick neighborhoods in Brooklyn;[41][42] Abe Lebewohl Park in the East Village; Whitestone Lanes bowling alley in Flushing, Queens; the New York State Supreme Court Building, with the interior for court scenes filmed on a set; Brooklyn Borough Hall; the Rockefeller Center rooftop gardens; Brooklyn College for Murdock and Nelson's flashback to their time in college; the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan; and the Honeywell Bridge in Long Island City.[42]

"Cut Man" ends with a long action sequence filmed in a

The Raid films as inspiration for the sequence.[44] There were only a few days to plan and set up the fight, as opposed to a film which would allow "at least a couple of weeks", and it took 7 or 8 takes to get the shot right. Silvera explained that the scene was always scripted to be a one-shot, and that he had intended to work around it with wipes, but Abraham challenged the team to do it all for real, which allowed the fight to feel more grounded by having them "slow down the fight, and just have this raw, animalistic feeling happening." The final shot does include some "Texas Switches" between actors and stunt doubles, but was ultimately filmed with no cuts.[45]

Talking about the scene where Fisk beheads Anatoly Ranskahov with a car door in "In the Blood", DeKnight noted that series like Spartacus and The Walking Dead would have shown the head being crushed, which he felt was "the right choice" for them, but for Daredevil "we did very much a Psycho thing, we saw the aftereffects of it, but you never saw the car door crushing his head. [...] Sound effects, absolutely. It's a very disturbing scene without crossing that line into a horror movie kind of deal."[23]

Visual effects and editing

Visual effects for the series were completed by the New York studio Shade VFX; Daredevil featured over 1000 visual effect shots.[46][47] Executive visual effects supervisor Bryan Goswin explained that the company's work included the creation of digital doubles when stunts were not safe for actors or stunt doubles, as well as blood-hits and wounds, with "a lot of support to the idea of the violence and gore that happens in Daredevil" given to differentiate the series from other Marvel projects, and to try to set the series in a "more realistic and dark place, the real streets of New York."[48]

One shot created by Shade VFX is when the audience sees Matt Murdock's "vision" – the way that he "sees" using his other heightened senses. On why this was only used once in the season, DeKnight explained that it had in fact been budgeted to appear several more times, with the effect actually completed at least twice more for the season. It was removed for several reasons, including to avoid taking away the specialty of it, and to maintain the crime drama tone of the series. One instance where it would have been used again was in "Stick", where the audience would have seen how Murdock saw Stick as he threw keys at him, and then when he is older and Stick throws fighting sticks at him and his senses are more refined. In that case, the effect was not finished on time. Another instance was in "The Ones We Leave Behind" when Murdock comes across a Chinese worker and realizes that he has been blinded. The final use of the effect was going to be in "Daredevil" when the camera pushes in on Page's reaction Murdock telling her that they can work together. Here, the effect was hiding all of the nuances in her expression, so it was decided that it would be better to remove it.[28]

Editing for the season was done by Jonathan Chibnall.[22]

Music

Composer John Paesano was brought on "a couple of weeks in to post-production", and scored an episode every four to five days. Paesano estimated that each episode has around 25–30 minutes of music in it. In approaching the series' score, Paesano looked to DeKnight, who "had a very clear vision of what he wanted [...] music you could feel and not necessarily hear." The result was a more minimalist score than typical "superhero" music, although the music starts to "change color" and move closer to that of the MCU when the classic red costume is introduced. Most of the score was produced electronically, though live elements, such as a cello, were used where possible. Rather than "keep the drive and the energy up" with drums, Paesano elected to use a low pulsing heartbeat that was inline with the series' minimalist approach, and tied into the fact that Daredevil can hear people's heartbeats in the show.[49] A soundtrack album for the season was released digitally by Hollywood Records on April 28, 2015.[50]

All music composed by John Paesano, unless otherwise noted.[50]

Daredevil (Original Soundtrack Album)
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Main Title"John Paesano & Braden Kimball1:04
2."Fogwell's Gym" 3:53
3."Battlin' Jack Murdock" 3:05
4."Hallway Fight" 4:26
5."Union Allied" 1:51
6."Passenger Side" 2:57
7."A World on Fire" 1:26
8."Ben Urich" 3:09
9."Stick" 2:11
10."Wilson Fisk" 4:38
11."Worthy Opponents" 2:28
12."Avocados at Law" 1:42
13."Man of Ill Intent" 3:45
14."The Suit" 5:43
15."Daredevil" 1:41
Total length:41:45

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

In February 2015, Emma Fleisher of Marvel Television stated that Daredevil takes place in the aftermath of

Roxxon Oil, a company featured throughout the MCU.[9]

The final scene of "Stick", featuring a conversation between

Stone, was meant to hint at further ties between the series and other areas of the MCU in the same way as Marvel's film post-credits scenes, though it could not actually go after the episode's credits due to the way that Netflix begins the next episode during the credits of the current one.[28] There were discussions about having another such "coda" at the end of the season finale, one which would have featured Leland Owlsley attempting to escape New York, only to be killed by the Punisher in a surprise introduction. The scene would not have shown the actor's face, but would have included the character's iconic skull insignia. The idea was dropped, again because of Netflix's playing system, and Owlsley was ultimately killed by Fisk in the episode, with the introduction of the Punisher saved for the series' second season.[53]

Marketing

At the October 2014

Regal Premiere House at L.A. Live[60] where the first two episodes were previewed.[61]

Release

Streaming

The first season of Daredevil was released on April 10, 2015, on the

The season, along with the additional Daredevil seasons and the other

Disney regaining the rights.[65] The season became available on Disney+ in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on March 16, ahead of its debut in Disney+'s other markets by the end of 2022.[66][67]

Home media

The season was released on

Region 4 on December 7, 2016.[70]

Reception

Audience viewership

As Netflix does not reveal subscriber viewership numbers for any of their original series, Luth Research compiled data for the season, based on a sample of 2,500 Netflix subscribers watching via computers, tablets or smartphones (Luth Research does not track Netflix viewing on televisions, whether Internet-connected sets or those linked to streaming-media players or gaming consoles). According to Luth, an estimated 10.7% of subscribers (approximately 4.4 million) watched at least one episode of Daredevil in its first 11 days on Netflix, with 2.3% (940,000) watching on the first day.[71] In a separate study, Netflix determined that the fifth episode of the season was the one to "hook" viewers, "to the point where they [continued on to watch] the entire first season."[72]

Critical response

Vincent D'Onofrio's performance as Wilson Fisk was one of the highlights of the series for critics.[73][74][75]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 99% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10 based on 72 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "With tight adherence to its source material's history, high production quality, and a no-nonsense dramatic flair, Daredevil excels as an effective superhero origin story, a gritty procedural, and an exciting action adventure."[76] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[77]

In reviews for the first five episodes of the series, Brian Lowry of

The Dark Knight trilogy, and praised Cox and D'Onofrio's portrayals, while criticizing a subplot involving Nelson and Page and noting that the slow pacing of Daredevil, in which story may be stretched out more than needs be, could be a problem for binge-watchers.[73] Victoria McNally of MTV felt the early episodes' fight sequences were "filmed beautifully" and enjoyed that they featured little CGI, while also calling Henson "perfectly cast and endlessly amusing" as Nelson.[78]

Eric Eisenberg of

CinemaBlend also had positive thoughts on the initial episodes, saying, "It's smart, entertaining, and has moments so shocking that you'll have to repress screams. Suffice it to say, Marvel and Netflix have another big winner on their respective plates," while also praising the acting.[79] Speaking of the first two episodes, Mark Hughes of Forbes added additional praise, saying, "Quite simply, in Daredevil Marvel delivers one of the greatest live-action superhero origin stories ever made. It is in the same top-tier category of true superhero origin films along with Batman Begins, Iron Man, and Superman: The Movie". Hughes stated that if the first two episodes were released in theaters with only minor tweaks, they "would've been hailed as one of Marvel's best films to date".[61] Mike Hale at The New York Times was less positive about the series, calling it ordinary, but admitting having high expectations due to his love for the comics, and admiring the care and seriousness with which the series was made. He called the series pace "leisurely", but "a pleasant change from the norm", and called Cox's performance "divided", praising him as Murdock and criticizing him as Daredevil. Hale was positive about the cast overall, and ultimately surmised that after seeing the first five episodes, Daredevil is "eminently watchable", but not the Daredevil he remembered from the comics.[80]

After reviewing each of the individual episodes, IGN reviewer Matt Fowler gave the entire first season a score of 9 out of 10, indicating an "Amazing" season, saying that though it may have "spun a few wheels" while building up to its endgame, the series was "a thrilling, ultra-satisfying take on Daredevil's material and lore. One that, like Favreau's first Iron Man film, helped breathe new life and fandom into a somewhat B-tier Marvel character." He particularly praised D'Onofrio's performance, the "edgy" fight sequences, the fact that the hero himself got "beat on – a lot", and the unique dark take on the MCU.[74] Liz Shannon Miller, reviewing the season for IndieWire, graded it a "B+", and though feeling that it did not quite live up to DeKnight's admitted influence, The Wire, praised the series, noting its characters and development, and the performances of the entire cast, especially those of D'Onofrio, Curtis-Hall, and Cox. She was positive about the level of violence the series depicted, and all of its "brutal" and "beautiful" fight sequences, as well as the way that the series explores the consequences for average people of events from the films, while committing to building its own universe within the already established MCU.[75] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix also praised the cast and characters, particularly D'Onofrio, and felt that series benefited from having a much narrower focus than the Marvel films or other series. He did wish that Murdock's "world on fire"-sight was used more often, and felt that the classic Daredevil costume, which "may not translate well to live-action", could use "some tweaks".[81]

Accolades

Cox was honored at the

Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design, which went to Manhattan.[83]

The season was included on multiple Best and Top TV shows of 2015 lists, ranking on

Slate Magazine's (23rd).[88] It also was included on Vanity Fair' Best New TV Shows of 2015 list.[89] Daredevil's first season was the seventh trending television show search on Google for 2015.[90]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2015 Camerimage Best Cinematography – Pilot "Into the Ring" Nominated [91]
EWwy Awards
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Vincent D'Onofrio Nominated [92]
Helen Keller Achievement Award Honoree Charlie Cox Won [82]
Online Film & Television Association Award Best New Titles Sequence Daredevil Won [93]
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Main Title Design Daredevil Nominated [83]
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series
"Speak of the Devil" Nominated
Outstanding Special and Visual Effects in a Supporting Role Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series Daredevil Nominated [94]
2016 Empire Awards Best TV Series Daredevil Nominated [95]
Golden Reel Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR for Episodic Short Form Broadcast Media Daredevil Nominated [96]
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor on Television Vincent D'Onofrio Nominated [97]
Best Guest Starring Role on Television Scott Glenn Nominated
Best Actor on Television Charlie Cox Nominated
Best New Media Television Series Daredevil Won [98]
SXSW Film Festival
Excellence in Title Design Daredevil Nominated [99]
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode "Speak of the Devil" Nominated [100]

Notes

References

  1. Marvel.com. April 21, 2015. Archived from the original
    on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Charlie Cox to Star in 'Daredevil' TV Series for Marvel and Netflix". Variety. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Goldberg, Lesley (July 17, 2014). "'True Blood' Star to Romance 'Daredevil' for Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  4. ^
    Marvel.com. June 26, 2014. Archived
    from the original on June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  5. ^
    Marvel.com. October 11, 2014. Archived
    from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  6. ^
    Marvel.com. June 20, 2014. Archived
    from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Siegel, Lucas (October 11, 2014). "NYCC 2014: Marvel's DAREDEVIL on Netflix Panel LIVE! Rosario Dawson is CLAIRE TEMPLE, More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  8. ^
    Marvel.com. June 10, 2014. Archived
    from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c Dyce, Andrew (April 12, 2015). "'Daredevil' Easter Eggs, Trivia & Comic References". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e Hatchett, Keisha (March 11, 2015). "Marvel's Netflix series Daredevil adds Peter Shinkoda, Dexter and SVU alums". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  11. ^
    CraveOnline. Archived
    from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Carroll, Ed (April 12, 2015). "Netflix's Daredevil Review Episode Eight – Shadows in the Glass". Monkeys Fighting Robots. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d Kurchaski, Joe (April 14, 2015). "Costume Design for Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix". Tyranny of Style. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d Lederer, Donnie (May 2, 2015). "Binge Your Life Away With the Unofficial Marvel Cinematic Universe Chronology". Nerdist. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Weinberg, Scott (April 13, 2015). "Review — Marvel's DAREDEVIL: Episodes 7 – 10". Nerdist News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Fowler, Matt (April 10, 2015). "Marvel's Daredevil Episode 5: "World on Fire" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Irwin, Victoria (October 20, 2015). "Interview: Tom Walker, Francis of Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil". Fangirl Nation. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  18. ^ Lieberman, David (November 7, 2013). "Disney To Provide Netflix With Four Series Based On Marvel Characters". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  19. Marvel.com. December 6, 2013. Archived
    from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  20. Marvel.com. May 24, 2014. Archived
    from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  21. ^
    Marvel.com. February 26, 2014. Archived
    from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  22. ^ a b c Lowry, Brian (April 1, 2015). "TV Review: Marvel's Daredevil". Variety. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  23. ^ a b c Bean, James (December 9, 2015). "'Daredevil' Showrunner Steven DeKnight details grisly deleted scenes". hypable. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  24. SyFy Wire. August 23, 2017. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 – via YouTube
    .
  25. ^ Alloway, Meredith (September 12, 2014). "Catching Up With Daredevil Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight". Paste. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  26. ^ Ryan, Mike (March 12, 2015). "Vincent D'Onofrio On Playing The Kingpin In 'Daredevil:' 'You Guys Don't Know What You're Going To Get'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  27. ^ Cornet, Roth (April 8, 2015). "Daredevil: How the Netflix Series Will Change the Marvel Cinematic Universe". IGN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  28. ^ a b c d Mian, Bilal (April 24, 2015). "'Daredevil' Postmortem: Steven DeKnight on Season 1 Deaths and What's Next". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  29. ^ "Peter Shinkoda Joins Netflix's Marvel Drama Series 'Daredevil'; AMC's 'Galyntine' Adds Cast". Deadline Hollywood. July 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  30. ^ Cantor, Geoffrey (April 10, 2015). "Me and my office door #daredevil #Ellison #Marvel". Retrieved April 12, 2015 – via Facebook.
  31. ^ a b c Goldman, Eric (February 3, 2015). "Marvel's Daredevil Teaser Trailer Exclusive Debut". IGN. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  32. ^ a b c Vejvoda, Jim (March 17, 2015). "Daredevil: Yes, The Red Costume Will Be In It". IGN. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  33. ^ a b Fawnia, Soo Hoo (April 11, 2015). "'Daredevil' Has More Than One Superhero Costume and Tons of Designer Clothes". Fashionista. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  34. Marvel.com. Archived
    from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  35. from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  36. ^ "Marvel TV head: 'Daredevil' starts shooting in July, 'Jessica Jones' next up". HitFix. March 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  37. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (July 21, 2014). "Netflix's Daredevil To Have A "Gritty 1970s New York" Feel". IGN. Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  38. ^ Marston, George (July 6, 2015). "Report: DAREDEVIL Season 2 Filming Underway, HOWARD STARK Cameo In AGENT CARTER Season 2?". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  39. ^ "Empire State Development Corp" (PDF). December 31, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  40. ^ Goldberg, Matt (December 22, 2014). "Marvel and Netflix's Daredevil TV Series Wraps Production". Collider. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  41. ^ Dai, Serena (October 31, 2014). "Netflix's 'Daredevil' Series Covertly Filming in Williamsburg". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  42. ^ a b Inoa, Christopher (May 5, 2015). "NYC Film Locations For Marvel Studio's Netflix Series "Daredevil"". Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  43. ^ Radish, Christina (April 8, 2015). "DAREDEVIL Executive Producers Explain How Marvel's Darkest Venture Yet Was Created". Collider. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  44. ^ Fear, David (April 7, 2015). "Hell's Angel: How the Return of 'Daredevil' Darkens Marvel's Universe". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  45. Observer. Archived
    from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  46. ^ Frazer, Bryant (January 9, 2015). "Shade VFX Hires Camille Geier to Oversee NYC Offices". Studio Daily. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  47. ^ "Marvel's Daredevil – "The Devil is in the Details"". Shade VFX. April 10, 2015. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  48. ComicBook.com. Archived
    from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  49. ^ Weedon, Paul (April 28, 2015). "Interview: John Paesano". Films on Wax. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  50. ^ a b "Daredevil (Original Soundtrack Album)". Hollywood Records. April 27, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2023 – via iTunes.
  51. CinemaBlend. Archived
    from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  52. ^ Nicholson, Max (April 8, 2015). "Jeph Loeb Confirms Daredevil's Connection to an Agents of SHIELD Villain". IGN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  53. ^ Bean, James (January 15, 2016). "Exclusive: 'Daredevil' season 1 coda almost introduced Punisher, says showrunner". hypable. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  54. ^ Zalben, Alex (October 11, 2014). "Daredevil: Everything We Saw At Marvel's New York Comic-Con Panel". MTV. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  55. ^
    Marvel.com. Archived from the original
    on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  56. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (February 4, 2015). "Watch Marvel's Daredevil Teaser Trailer from Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  57. ^ Barr, Merrill (February 4, 2015). "Marvel's DareDevil Channels Arrow in First Trailer For Netflix Series". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  58. ^ Fischer, Russ (March 19, 2015). "New 'Daredevil' Motion Poster Has Avengers Tower and Glimpse of a New Costume". /Film. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  59. ^ Netflix. "Street Level Hero Global Art Takeover". Tumblr. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015. 12 international artists have covered streets across the world with murals inspired by the new series, Marvel's Daredevil, only on Netflix.
  60. ^ Dockterman, Eliana (April 8, 2015). "Rosario Dawson on Being a Hero, Not a Love Interest, in Netflix's Daredevil". Time. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  61. ^ a b Hughes, Mark (April 3, 2015). "Review – 'Daredevil' Is One Of Marvels Greatest Achievements". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  62. ^ Wright, Tracy (April 14, 2015). "Netflix Begins Audio Description for Visually Impaired". Netflix. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  63. ^ Spangler, Todd (April 16, 2015). "Netflix Marvel's Daredevil Plundered by Pirates". Variety. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  64. CNNMoney. Archived
    from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  65. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2022). "Disney Preps Plans For Netflix's 'Daredevil', 'Jessica Jones', 'Luke Cage' & Co. As It Is Set To Regain Control Of Marvel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  66. ^ Sharf, Zack (March 1, 2022). "'Daredevil' and Other Marvel Shows to Stream on Disney Plus in March After Netflix Exit". Variety. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  67. ^ Romano, Nick (March 1, 2022). "Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and other Defenders shows find new streaming home on Disney+". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  68. ^ Marston, George (July 1, 2016). "Confirmed: Netflix's DAREDEVIL Coming to Blu-Ray & DVD - In the UK, At Least". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  69. ^ Arrant, Chris (October 10, 2016). "Netflix's DAREDEVIL Coming to Blu-Ray In North America". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  70. ^ "Daredevil - Season 1". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  71. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (April 28, 2015). "Netflix Ratings Revealed: New Data Sheds Light on Original Series' Audience Levels". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  72. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 23, 2015). "Netflix Data Reveals Exactly When TV Shows Hook Viewers — And It's Not the Pilot". Variety. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  73. ^ a b Patches, Matt (April 1, 2015). "With Netflix's Daredevil, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Goes R-Rated". Esquire. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  74. ^ a b Fowler, Matt (April 12, 2015). "Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  75. ^
    Indiewire. Archived
    from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  76. ^ "Marvel's Daredevil: Season 1 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  77. ^ "Marvel's Daredevil : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  78. ^ McNally, Victoria (April 1, 2015). "7 Things In Marvel's Daredevil That Netflix Got Fantastically Right". MTV. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  79. CinemaBlend. Archived
    from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  80. ^ Hale, Mike (April 8, 2015). "Review: In 'Daredevil,' a Superhero Is Sightless but Not Blind to Crime". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  81. ^ Sepinwall, Allan (April 20, 2015). "World on fire: 'Daredevil' season 1 in review". HitFix. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  82. ^ a b "Helen Keller Achievement Awards 2015". American Foundation for the Blind. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  83. ^ a b c "Creative Arts Emmys: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. September 12, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  84. ^ Gliatto, Tom (December 16, 2015). "Best of 2015 People Picks the Best TV Shows of 2015". People. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  85. ^ Nededog, Jethro (December 22, 2015). "RANKED: The 10 best TV shows of 2015". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  86. ^ "The Best TV Shows of 2015". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  87. ^ Jeffery, Morgan; Lee, Ben; Wightman, Catriona; Eames, Tom (December 17, 2015). "Best TV shows of the year 2015: Part 4 - from Doctor Who to Game of Thrones". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  88. Slate Magazine. December 8, 2015. Archived
    from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  89. ^ Lawson, Richard; Robinson, Joanna (December 11, 2015). "The Best New TV Shows of 2015". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  90. ^ Hines, Ree (December 16, 2015). "Google reveals its Year in Search results for 2015". Today. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  91. ^ "First Look – TV Pilots Line-Up!". Camerimage. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  92. ^ "EWwy Awards 2015: Your drama nominees are... Best Supporting Actor: Vincent D'Onofrio, Daredevil". Entertainment Weekly. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  93. ^ "TV: 19th Annual Television Award Winners". CinemaSight. September 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  94. ^ "SAG Awards Nominations: Complete List". Variety. December 9, 2015. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  95. ^ Nugent, John (February 18, 2016). "Jameson Empire Awards 2016: Star Wars and Mad Max lead the nominations". Empire. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  96. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (January 26, 2016). "'Game of Thrones,' 'Revenant,' 'Star Wars' Lead MPSE's Golden Reel Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  97. ComicBook.com. Archived
    from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  98. ^ Keene, Allison (June 23, 2016). "'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' 'The Walking Dead' Dominate 42nd Saturn Awards". Collider. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  99. ^ "We're nominated for SXSW Excellence in Title Design!". blue spill. February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  100. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 12, 2016). "VES Awards: 'Star Wars', 'The Martian' & 'The Walk' Among Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.

External links