Review: Daredevil

The best Marvel series on Netflix are practically the counterpart to his efforts on the big screen. Instead of the "colorful" and "familiar" adventures of the Avengers, the studio has sought to explore on the Netflix streaming platform, somewhat deeper and more thoughtful stories: Luke Cage is so much the series of a man with skin so hard that the impact of a bullet does not affect you like the exploration of African American communities in the United States, their vulnerabilities and their sense of duty towards each other. Jessica Jones is the story of a woman with superhuman abilities as a painful analysis of survival in the face of sexual abuse and the damage it causes. And Iron Fist is about magic ninjas, it did not please much so I leave it there.

Then there is Daredevil. In its first season, it surprised with the most obvious change from Marvel compared to the cinema: More like Christopher Nolan's Batman than Captain America in his exploration of a vigilante and the violence unleashed. Starring Charlie Cox, Daredevil was portrayed as a multi-layered character, caught between his Catholic guilt, his desire for justice, and the fury that consumes him. One of the strengths in this series is also based on showing an antagonist as interesting as the hero: In the hands of Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Fisk was a ruthless and brutal villain, but driven by a vulnerability that made the tragic instead of unstoppable.

The big problem of the second season in Daredevil and The Defenders, is that the character was also involved in the conspiracy of the magical ninjas, something that left him with an emotional impact and turned some of his darkest tones into something ridiculous. Therefore, those who are watching it, or if they have already done so, are more happy that Daredevil season 3 is a renewal to return to what it was in its first season, retaking the place of the best Marvel series on Netflix.

The first success of the new Daredevil cycle is to replace Wilson Fisk as the main antagonist. The dynamic between Matt Murdock and his eternal counterpart has always been the strongest point of the series, and his return to focus makes a serious focus on the issues that Daredevil develops best.

The plot is resumed immediately after The Defenders, where Daredevil was believed to be dead after an entire building collapsed on top of him. As this is a series of superheroes, and unsurprisingly, Matt Murdock survives but with permanent injuries that make him question his belief and act like Daredevil.

Season 3 introduces Bullseye, a precise killer from the comics and another must-have enemy of Daredevil. The series' attempts to give Bullseye a background like Fisk's are weak, but Daredevil's confrontation against these two villains tests the vigilante in a more intense and humane way than the previous plots.

As usually happens with the Marvel series on Netflix, not everything works as one expects. The supporting characters don't carry much plot weight, and especially the early chapters advance at a snail's pace, which will have some fans impatient.

However, Daredevil is worth watching, she gets darker and more human than ever, testing her main character like she has never faced before. It's a good series of heroes, albeit with its ups and downs, to remind us why Marvel series on Netflix can be so fascinating and engaging. And because it is part of a Cinematic Universe that reminds us that even the wildest and most powerful heroes are also bleeding layers.