Daredevil
Marvel Cinematic Universe
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Live-action TV series based on Marvel Comics publications
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Netflix
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Daredevil is an American web television series created for Netflix by Drew Goddard, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is the first in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries. The series stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, as well as Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Rosario Dawson. Toby Leonard Moore, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Bob Gunton, Ayelet Zurer, and Vincent D'Onofrio join them for the first season, while Jon Bernthal joins them for the second. In addition to original characters, several other characters based on various Marvel properties also appear throughout the series.
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= Does not appear / is not yet confirmed to appear |
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Further information: Daredevil (Marvel Comics) |
Matt Murdock (portrayed by Charlie Cox as an adult, Skylar Gaertner as a child[1]) is a blind lawyer who becomes the hero Daredevil.
At the end of May 2014, Charlie Cox was cast as Murdock.[2] Season one showrunner Steven DeKnight stated that "He's not super strong. He's not invulnerable. In every aspect, he's a man that's just pushed himself to the limits, he just has senses that are better than a normal human's. He is human." On the character's "grey" morals, he said, "He's a lawyer by day, and he's taken this oath. But every night he breaks that oath, and goes out and does very violent things. I really liked the flawed heroes, the human heroes."[3] The character's Catholicism plays a large role in the series, with DeKnight calling him "one of the most, if not the most, religious characters in the Marvel Universe".[4] Cox, who was raised Catholic, found that helpful, saying, "You grow up steeped in that. If you’re in church, standing in front of the altar, you sort of automatically know how to respond. It all kicks in – you genuflect, you sit in the pew. I didn’t have to pretend any of that.”[5] The idea of casting Cox as Daredevil came from Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada in 2012, before Marvel Studios gained the rights to the character from 20th Century Fox.[6] Cox wanted to be involved with the series after reading the first two scripts for the series, telling his agent "These are two of the best TV scripts I've read".[7]
On portraying the character, Cox said, "There are so many aspects. There’s the blindness and physicality. Making a show is about human emotion, conflict and turmoil. When meeting a man who's a lawyer by day and believes in law and justice and then a man by night is someone who takes the law into his own hands. He deals with battles dealing with that concept."[8] Elaborating on the difficulties of playing the character, Cox said, "I put on a shirt but I can't look where the buttons are, because Daredevil wouldn't know where the buttons are, but I also can't fumble."[9] Cox worked with blind consultant Joe Strechay,[10] and was conscious of what his eyes were doing at all times, to ensure they would not look at or react to something unlike a blind person.[7] Cox later explained that, unlike the Marvel comic book character, his version of Daredevil would not be a "man without fear", saying "Someone who does not have fear – literally does not experience fear – is not that interesting. The way I like to think about it is that he is a man with fear, but he on a daily basis decides to confront that fear and to overcome it. So the title of 'the man without fear' is almost a title that the public in his world gives him just because of what he does. But inside himself, he's very afraid at times. And he finds a way to confront those fears and punch through it."[11] Cox "had to do a lot of gym work" to change his physique to equal that of the more muscular character as drawn in the comics.[7]
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Further information: Karen Page |
Karen Page (portrayed by Deborah Ann Woll) is an enigmatic young woman whose quest for justice sends her crashing into Murdock's life.[12]
Deborah Ann Woll was cast as Page in July 2014.[13] On creating the character of Karen Page, after portraying Jessica Hamby in True Blood from 2008–14, Woll said, "I'm already starting to notice huge differences between the two characters ... I can feel myself go, 'Oh, if this was Jessica she would do this,' but wanting to kind of steer differently than that. It's always going to be me in some way. I think, as an actor, that's part of it."[14] Woll had not previously read any Daredevil comics, and turned to her boyfriend who is "a huge comic book fan" for guidance. She also added that Page's backstory would be different than the one from the comics, saying, "In the comic books, in the beginning Karen is very innocent, and then towards the end she's really swung a full 180, she's in a lot of trouble, so I wanted to find a way to make her both of those things at the same time. Can she be a really wonderful, kind person who is a little bit attracted to danger? She's not just always getting into trouble because 'Oh, silly woman!' Karen is actually looking for it, and she won't let her fear stop her from finding the truth."[7]
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Further information: Foggy Nelson |
Foggy Nelson (portrayed by Elden Henson) is Murdock's close friend and law partner.[15]
Elden Henson joined the cast as Nelson in June 2014,[15] and in April 2015 he spoke of his excitement for the character's role in the series, saying "I was really excited as I was getting the scripts and reading that Foggy wasn't just a useless sidekick. He's not just comic relief. I mean, he is some of those things. He does have comic relief, but it was exciting to know that these other characters would have their own path and their own things that they're dealing with."[16]
James Wesley (portrayed by Toby Leonard Moore) is Wilson Fisk's right hand man.[17][18] He later attacks Karen Page and is killed by her in self-defense.
Moore described Wesley as an "interesting character to play, because in one moment he can be incredibly charming, and in the next, dastardly as all hell, manipulative and Machiavellian, but always loyal to Wilson Fisk."[19]
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Further information: Ben Urich |
Ben Urich (portrayed by Vondie Curtis-Hall) is an investigative journalist for the New York Bulletin.[17][18] After being fired from the New York Bulletin, Ben Urich tried to start a blog to expose Wilson Fisk only for Wilson Fisk to infiltrate his apartment and strangle him to death
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Further information: Owl (Marvel Comics) |
Leland Owlsley (portrayed by Bob Gunton) is an accountant who a key figure in Fisk's plans for Hell's Kitchen. He is mentioned to have a son named Lee Owlsley. At the end of the first season, Leland is killed by Wilson Fisk for his involvement in Vanessa's poisoning.[17][18][20]
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Further information: Vanessa Fisk |
Vanessa Marianna (portrayed by Ayelet Zurer) is an art gallery employee and Wilson Fisk's love interest. She inspires him to step into the limelight, appearing to the media and Hell's Kitchen as a legitimate businessman and philanthropist. Unlike the same character from the comics, this version of Vanessa is well aware of Fisk's true dealings and accepts him for it, instead of being horrified and disgusted by it. By the end of the first season, Vanessa leaves the country on Fisk's orders in the event that he doesn't get away from the authorities.[17][18]
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Further information: Claire Temple |
Claire Temple (portrayed by Rosario Dawson) is a nurse who helps Murdock,[17][20] the character is an amalgam of Temple and Night Nurse.[21]
Rosario Dawson joined the cast in June 2014,[22] and her role was revealed to be that of Temple in October of that year.[17] DeKnight noted that the character was originally "going to be the actual Night Nurse from the comics... we had her name in a script and it came back that it was possible [the feature side] were going to use her" and "had plans for her down the road," necessitating the team to use the more obscure comics character Claire Temple as her name.[23] Dawson later explained that "[her] character is a normal person and she becomes more heroic in a way that she maybe didn't expect",[16] and went on to state that "She’s not a love interest – she’s this skeptical eye looking at this strange situation. She’s the one who can be like, “You’re not really good at this.” That makes it feel more real."[21] On her character's relationship to Murdock, Dawson said that "The show explores how necessary it is for two people to finally have their masks off with each other. For Matt Murdock, this is the first person he has that’s going to be able to see that transition for him. For her, she’s someone who also throws herself into the fray and had made it her life mission to help, even if that means risking her own life. But she gets confronted with the question: How far will you go? What does it mean if you’re helping someone who is maybe going to hurt other people?"[21] Dawson has said that "it seems likely" that she will reprise the role in further Marvel-Netflix series.[16]
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Further information: Kingpin (comics) |
Wilson Fisk (portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio as an adult, Cole Jensen as a child[24]) is a powerful businessman whose interests in the future of Hell's Kitchen will bring him into conflict with Murdock and Daredevil.[25][26]
Vincent D'Onofrio, who was cast as Fisk in June 2014,[26] stated that he hoped his portrayal of Fisk was a new way to look at the character, and that it would be the definitive portrayal of the character.[27] "Our Fisk, he's a child and he's a monster," D'Onofrio said. "Every move that he makes and everything that he does in our story comes from his foundation of morality inside himself."[28] In December 2014, DeKnight detailed that "Fisk has very many different aspects so it’s not all, "I want to conquer the city and make a lot of money". In our story, we tell the story of how he met his wife Vanessa and how they fell in love – our antagonist actually has a love story. That's the love story you're following, the one you’re invested in, and seeing how that affects him and changes him." He also said that "if you’re looking for a juicy, multi-faceted crime drama, Wilson Fisk was the obvious choice to play the antagonist ... [he] really felt like the right yin to the yang for Matt, and for what we wanted to do this season."[11] Discussing Fisk's fighting style, compared to Daredevil's, series stunt coordinator Philip J Silvera said that, "I feel like they’re almost two sides to the same coin. They’re both doing things for their city. And it’s a tricky thing with their two characters. I think when you get the Fisk character to a certain point, it just becomes pure rage, and all thought process is out the window. ... The brutality is just relentless with him. When he gets into this mode, he just keeps going until he’s done. And that’s it. He will drive for you. That is the Kingpin, that is D’Onofrio. He’s a very smooth, calculating individual, but when you bring the rage out in him, he’s like a bulldozer."[29]
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Further information: Punisher |
Punisher (portrayed by Jon Bernthal) is a vigilante who aims to clean up Hell’s Kitchen by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results.
In June 2015, it was announced that Jon Bernthal was cast as Castle for the second season.[30][31] DeKnight said this version of Punisher would be "completely the Marvel version," as previous portrayals did not appear under the Marvel Studios / Marvel Television banner. He also felt Bernthal's Punisher would not be as "graphically violent" as in Punisher: War Zone.[32]
Father Lantom (portrayed by Peter McRobbie) is a Catholic priest and confidante for Murdock.[33]
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Further information: Turk Barrett |
Turk Barrett (portrayed by Rob Morgan) is a small-time criminal who is on Wilson Fisk's side. By the end of Season One, Turk Barrett is among Wilson Fisk's allies who are arrested by the FBI.[34]
Brett Mahoney (portrayed by Royce Johnson) is a police sergeant at the New York City Police Department's 15th Precinct who is friends with Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson.[35]
Carl Hoffman (portrayed by Daryl Edwards) is a detective and partner of Christian Blake that is secretly on Wilson Fisk's side.[35] After regrettably poisoning Blake on Wilson Fisk's orders, Hoffman goes into hiding where he became a target of the police officers on Wilson Fisk's side. Upon being rescued by Daredevil, Hoffman turned himself over to Brett Mahoney which leads to Wilson Fisk's activities being exposed.
Christian Blake (portrayed by Chris Tardio) is a detective and partner of Carl Hoffman that is secretly on Wilson Fisk's side.[36] After ending up in a coma as part of Wilson Fisk's plans to discredit Daredevil, Blake was poisoned by Carl Hoffman on Wilson Fisk's orders.
Madame Gao (portrayed by Wai Ching Ho) is an accomplished woman with her own trade.[34] Near the end of the first season, Madame Gao leaves for her country that is "beyond China."
Nobu (portrayed by Peter Shinkoda) is a Japanese businessman and head of a Yakuza branch who allies with Wilson Fisk.[34] He is also a member of The Hand.[37] Nobu is later killed in combat against Daredevil.
It was originally reported by Deadline.com that the name of Shinkoda's character would be "Hachiro".[38]
Vladimir Ranskahov (portrayed by Nikolai Nikolaeff) is a Russian mafia trying to make a name for himself in America with his brother Anatoly.[34] He is later killed by the police officers on Wilson Fisk's side while buying Daredevil time to get away.
Josie (portrayed by Susan Varon) is the owner of a bar frequented by Murdock, Nelson and Page.[39]
Ellison (portrayed by Geoffrey Cantor) is the Editor-in-Chief of the New York Bulletin.[18][40]
Doris Urich (portrayed by Adriane Lenox) is the the sick wife of Ben Urich.[39]
Elena Cardenas (portrayed by Judith Delgado) is one of the first clients of Nelson and Murdock. She lives in a housing tenement inhibiting Fisk's plan. Elena is later killed by Junkie Jake on orders of Wilson Fisk.[41]
Marci Stahl (portrayed by Amy Rutberg) is Nelson's ex-girlfriend who works for the corporate law firm Landman and Zach (where Nelson and Murdock once interned).[42]
Francis (portrayed by Tom Walker) is the head of Fisk's security.[43]
The following is a supplementary list of recurring guest stars that appear in lesser roles or make significant cameo appearances. The characters are listed, in order of appearance on the show, by the season in which they first appeared.
Introduced in season one
Pat Kiernan appears as himself throughout the series,[47] while Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance through an on set photograph.[33] |
Introduced in season two
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