Marvel Studios made big news this week with the news that Daredevil would be returning to the small screen. While Marvel doesn’t officially comment on projects in development, Variety found out that the studio has hired Matt Corman and Chris Ord as the writers for the show, instead of returning Drew Goddard. Goddard had been the principle behind the Netflix series and had become something of a fan favorite. The fact that he wouldn’t be returning was news in its own right, but the big story was the return of the Man from Hell’s Kitchen.
Daredevil was the first show Netflix optioned when it partnered with Marvel to create a gritty, street-wise version of the characters fans had grown to love from the silver screen. The idea was that these characters would all exist in the same universe — Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans can stop me if they’ve heard this before — and they would also be tied to the main Marvel continuity in the theaters. Just like with AoS, that never materialized and fans were left with an extremely disappointing wrap-up to the plan with The Defenders pretty much never being discussed. It didn’t even get the Inhumans treatment where people trashed it. They just sorta… moved on? Pretending it never happened is probably the better phrase to use.
But as bad as that mini-event was, Daredevil was one of the more accomplished shows throughout its run. Fans adored the series and it introduced us to a number of great characters, including my favorite Marvel portrayal of all time with Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle in The Punisher, but Castle was introduced in Season 2 of Daredevil and it might be, at least until the end, one of the best seasons of television that has ever been on screen. It was just that damn good. They even recreated the iconic moment with Frank and Matt on the roof arguing over methods.
Daredevil returning is a win for all fans. It means Marvel recognizes the shows that drive viewership and discussion. They also know which fans are buttering their bread and giving those fans a reward for their loyalty is a great way to build up some positive news amid all the [gestures broadly at everything] going on, including the fights Marvel’s parent company is taking on at Disney HQ. Regardless of how you choose to see it, this is a win and hopefully it means we see the return of some of the characters from the Netflix shows.
Except for Finn Jones as Iron Fist. He can stay gone.