Daredevil is a superhero who has done more with less. Matt Murdock has always been a minor player in the larger Marvel Comics universe, but he's always been popular. It took 25 years for the character to appear in live-action for the first time. Since his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, fans have demanded to see the Man Without Fear again. Could he return to the big screen?
Matt Murdock's first live-action appearance came in the 1989 TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. The film was meant to set up Rex Smith's take on Matt Murdock for his own standalone TV series. Unfortunately, it wasn't well-received. The film did originate the black suit Daredevil wears in the first season of his MCU series and the long-running trend of Stan Lee cameos. Daredevil began his live-action life on TV, and he's continued that trend.
Ben Affleck's Daredevil Was Famously Bad
Looking back now, just over 20 years after the theatrical debut of Matthew Murdock, reading reviews of the time is genuinely shocking. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described it as a substantial improvement upon Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. Frank Lovece of TV Guide saw it as the dawning of the new age of superhero movies, arguing that it would be the inflection point of the genre's boom period. Roger Ebert ranked it above almost all other superhero films. Fans and modern critics are less kind to it, though not as unkind as Ben Affleck. It seems as if the only aspect of the film that attracted critics was the tone. Daredevil wasn't like Spider-Man, all pop optimism, charm, fun, and color. It was dark and gritty. It discussed sexual assault and gruesome murder. This was a superhero movie for "grown-ups." The same self-destructive impulse that put the X-Men in black leather and turned Superman into a dictatorial messiah figure.
Daredevil is an embarrassing attempt to capture the adult themes of the comic book series. It's dim, sad, dull, and insufferable. It manages to be cynical without having anything to say. It becomes silly while trying unimaginably hard to be taken seriously. There are few films as dated as Daredevil. Its overblown soundtrack consisted of early-2000s rock standards and was led by Evanescence's seminal single "Bring Me To Life." The action is shot in slow motion, often ironically too dark to see anything. The main villain, Michael Clarke Duncan's Kingpin, is effortlessly excellent. The villain that does almost all the action is Colin Farrell's Bullseye, who may be the most unintentionally hilarious villain in modern cinematic history. There are almost no redeeming qualities in Daredevil. It deserves to be forgotten.
Netflix's Daredevil Series Was Good But Imperfect
Daredevil is a mixed bag, but the high points frequently reach above the rest of the genre. There are plot threads that don't go anywhere. Every season has at least one narrative beat that should have been carefully edited out. Those elements of the story disappear when looking back. The cast is the strongest element of the series. Charlie Cox is a flawless Matt Murdock, Elden Henson makes Foggy fun and memorable, and Deborah Ann Woll became instantly iconic as Karen Page. That's before getting into the most popular cast members. Novels have been written praising Vincent D'Onofrio's performance as Wilson Fisk, and they're absolutely right. Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle was also introduced in Daredevil, where he remains better than in his solo series. The performances carried the show, but the writing made it iconic. The action scenes also easily rank among the best in the MCU. The show outclasses the film in every way that matters, but the change of medium isn't the reason.
Why Can't Daredevil Be A Movie Hero Again?
Generally, the cinematic side of the MCU enjoys bigger budgets and more prestige. A theatrical run, even if the film flops, cements a project in the cultural memory. Daredevil is stuck with TV, not because he doesn't work on the big screen, but because his story is so well-suited for serialized drama. Matt Murdock is a defense attorney by day and a costumed crime fighter by night. The courtroom drama aspect of his life is crucial to any adaptation, and it perfectly fits the format of a TV series. A film couldn't take more than one legal battle. The 2003 feature spent a few minutes in court. The Netflix show dedicates several episodes to legal proceedings, making it fun every time. That doesn't mean that Matt Murdock is permanently locked out of the theater, but his story seems to play out better when it's told as "Law and Order by way of Batman."
Charlie Cox will return to the role of Matt Murdock in the upcoming revival Daredevil: Born Again. Fans are thrilled to see him return. There's some excitement for the idea of Daredevil headlining another feature film, but most fans and filmmakers aren't in any rush to shake things up. Some characters just fit better on the small screen.