Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ Changes The Very Face of What Makes Up A Hero
Netflix is set to change the course of television heroes as it brings the first of five Marvel comic book adaptations to the small screen - Daredevil. Playing the role of blind lawyer Matt Murdock is Broadway Empire's very own Charlie Cox. When not exacting justice at day, Murdock wears a black mask at night and takes on the identity of Daredevil where he brings the baddies to justice in Hell's Kitchen. The last time we saw Daredevil was in the 2003 adaptation by Fox.
What makes Murdock a special type of hero is not because he posses' supernatural powers that he can't explain or is aided by highly advanced weapon suit but rather he makes use of his enhanced senses due to his blindness.
The showrunner of this series is Spartacus' very own Steven S. DeKnight. He shares that despite being part of Marvel, Daredevil's a bit different in comparison to other Marvel shows such as Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD wherein the latter two were tightly woven into their movie counterparts.
"We definitely exist in the MCU, but we're the first TV show since Marvel Studios started producing their own stuff with Iron Man that isn't actually spun off from the movies. We have a very liberating reading format where we don't have to connect as strongly as Agents of SHIELD or Agent Carter did since they had a direct lineage from movies. With us, we exist in the universe. We reference the Battle of New York and Iron Man and Thor, but I've always approached it like it's a normal person living in the real world. We're a part of the MCU, but we don't have the burden of having to interlock so strongly with what the movies are doing. We'll reference them, but this is in its own little corner of the MCU," Hollywood Reporter quotes DeKnight.
In terms of fans being concerned of the show being toned down, DeKnight assures that the show does have violence but to an extent. Hollywood Reporter quotes, "Netflix was fine, much like HBO, Showtime or Starz. There are no classic standards of practice like there are on network television. They are fine going for the more mature audience. There is, however, some self-regulation on my side and Marvel's side. None of us wanted to take this to an R-rated show. The Daredevil character warrants things being grittier and a little more violent. I didn't want to take it to an R-rating. You'll notice a lot of the violence is visceral and impactful but more suggestive than graphic."
Daredevil's season one, consisting of 13 episodes, will be out on April 10 on Netflix.