Top 10 Daredevil Moments From The Marvel Netflix Universe
Who is the strongest, who is the smartest, and what is the best? Marvel and MCU fans could argue these questions for days. However, one of the few facts people agree with is that Daredevil is one of the greatest (possibly the best) comic book shows of all time. Unfortunately, three seasons (plus Defenders) are all we got, but fans’ wishes have been granted as a Daredevil Disney+ series is in development. Before that happens, let’s revisit the top 10 moments from the Daredevil Netflix series:
10) Karen Kills Wesley
Kingpin, when first introduced, is a powerhouse. Part of that strength comes from his number one Wesley’s constant devotion and loyalty. In the 10th episode of the first season, Vanessa (Kingpin’s love interest) is poisoned, which rattles Fisk to his core. Concurrently, Wesley discovered that Karen Page learned information about Fisk’s past and intended to expose it. Acting on his own, Wesley kidnaps and drugs Karen but quickly loses the upper hand while distracted and is killed. Karen shoots Wesley with his own gun and escapes, leaving Fisk for the moment truly alone. When Karen killed Wesley, she helped accelerate the downfall of her enemy and proved to herself that she was not the helpless damsel we saw in the premiere.
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9) Foggy Schools The DA
While dubbed the serious comic book show Daredevil had plenty of comedy. Not so much the one-liners we’ve come to expect from the MCU, but well-crafted moments that showed us the best (and unexpected) parts of our favorite characters. In this scene, a boisterous D.A walks in and proceeds to try and stomp all over Foggy and company. At first, she seemed to have the upper hand, but in classic Foggy tradition, he played it cool and reversed the tables. While Matt was dealing with the Punisher and Elektra, Foggy stepped up and proved that he was capable and did so with a chip on his shoulder and a smile on his face. Foggy’s growth from unofficial sidekick to a competent lawyer was one of the best arcs of the show.
8) “Nessun Dorma” End Of Season 1
It seemed Kingpin and his allies were unbeatable in the first season. However, fighting the mob, corrupt police, and random criminals is no easy task. Everything Matt tried and did seem to make the situation worse. He was beaten, stabbed, and left for dead throughout the season but would not relent. We shared his frustrations and triumph when it finally came crashing down around the enemies hurting him. In a scene reminiscent of the end of a mob movie, characters we knew and some we didn’t could be seen getting arrested for their involvement with Fisk. Even though it is one of the most heavily memed scenes ever, when viewed, it still gives us the satisfaction of that initial impact that had been building for 12 episodes.
7) Matt Realizes Kingpin Owns The Police
This scene early in the first season is the first real example of how deep Kingpin’s power goes. Matt (using his status as a lawyer) goes to the Police Precinct to listen in on an interrogation of a criminal he helped apprehend. Matt smiles and is relieved when the criminal exposes Fisk’s name to detectives, but the situation quickly sours when Matt realizes that the cops are dirty and shoot the Russian. He is visibly shaken and realizes he must change his strategy.
6) Elektra Is Black Sky Twist
Matt and Elektra may not have a traditional relationship, but they have a powerful connection. When they reconnected in the second season, it wreaked havoc in Matt’s life and reminded him of what it felt like to be truly happy. The Black Sky storyline in the comics is different, but the twist added an imaginative obstacle between Matt and Elektra. It was the perfect end to a season that questioned: What is good and what is evil? When she “died” at the end of the season, it destroyed Matt but helped set up The Defenders and their reunion in it.
5) Punisher Prison Fight
One of the most brutal fight scenes to exist, this scene showed the violence we expected and craved from Frank Castle. When The Punisher goes to jail, it not only reintroduces Kingpin but shows what Frank could do outnumbered and with his bare hands. Kingpin (wanting power) manipulates Frank into taking out his enemy but directly after traps him in a cell block with the fallen leader’s men. The situation quickly exploded and became a bloody mess, with only Frank surviving. The scene is realistic and quick and concludes with Frank lying on a pile of dead bodies with a symbolic skull (from all the blood) on his chest.
4) Kingpin Decapitates Anatoly
In one of the first examples of how violent the show would get, the fourth episode of the first season ended in a shocking and bloody fashion. Ironically enough, this was the start of Kingpin’s downfall, and it was his own doing. While on his first date with Vanessa, Fisk is interrupted, angered, and embarrassed by a business associate. He quickly ushers her away, but it is clear that Vanessa, once intrigued by Fisk, is now also frightened. Enraged by this, Fisk confronts his business partner in a parking lot, brutally killing him and decapitating his head with a car door. This scene set the tone for the show but also set the violence bar for every show that followed.
3) Conversation With The Punisher
Great drama is made when two ideologies collide. When the Punisher and Daredevil clashed, it was one of the most intense few episodes ever made. In his first encounter with the Punisher, Daredevil is shot in the head and defeated but is saved by his armor. However, he foolishly goes after him (again) and is eventually overwhelmed and beaten. The Punisher and Daredevil are usually even matched, but the head injury caused a temporary loss of Matt’s heightened senses, and because of this, he is captured. Tied up on a rooftop, this set up one of the best-forced conversations between a hero who believes killing is going too far and one who believes (sometimes) it’s the only way. They traded vague stories and ideologies but never wavered in their beliefs. While the two will never see eye to eye by the end of the season, they are more allies than enemies.
2) Prison Hallway One-Shot
One-shots are hard enough to film. Actors have to know their mark, and one mistake could result in having to restart the entire scene from scratch. Add fighting, moving terrain, and a prison riot, and it’s damn near impossible. Daredevil has had a few one-shot scenes, but nothing compares to what they achieved last season. Kingpin regaining his power throws Matt completely off balance, leaving him desperate. He sneaks into a prison posing as Foggy (searching for information) but is ambushed and attacked by prison inmates and guards alike. The scene is long and brutal and leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. Matt makes it out of prison, but the viewer is left questioning his fate as the last scene of the episode is him half drugged, waking up in a cab and flying off a pier into the dark water.
1) Series Finale
Ending a successful show is nearly impossible. Fans never want a good show to end but also don’t want the story ruined and dragged out. Many programs were once considered “perfect” but after the final season, were just forgotten (just ask Game of Thrones and How I Met Your Mother). Daredevil and all the Netflix shows needed to end, but they still had to give fans an ending that would resonate with them. In the final episode of the series, it seemed Kingpin had won. He controlled the FBI, embarrassed his enemies, and ruined Daredevil’s image by posing Dex as the infamous hero and having him commit dozens of crimes. He also finally had and was marrying Vanessa. Matt, fighting to the end, uses the knowledge that Kingpin murdered Dex’s love interest to manipulate him and send him to Fisk, seeking revenge. Matt (using Dex as a diversion) sneaks in and eventually battles both. Fighting his demons, Matt spares Fisk, threatening that he will hurt Vanessa if he reveals his identity or goes after Karen or Foggy. Fisk, bloodied and broken, agrees. The police arrive, and as Matt is leaving, he overhears Detective Mahoney acknowledges that Dex is the imposter, finally accepting that Daredevil is a hero.
Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye gave fans a treat by bringing back two fan favorites. However, the MCU needs to ensure they don’t water down the core elements of what made them great to do them justice.
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Source(s): IMDB