‘Daredevil’ Showrunner Erik Oleson Talks Placing Character First, Dropping Superhero Crossovers, ‘Iron Fist’s’ Cancellation & More [Interview]

You tell story through action too.

Yes, the best kinds of action sequences are ones that are an inherent part of the storytelling; that are not just a musical number where you already know the ending of the fight before it begins— that the hero’s going to win. Spectacle scenes like that stop the story.

I wanted to impose certain storytelling rules on those action sequences. I wanted there to be real stakes. I wanted there to be ways of illuminating sides of Matt Murdock that we hadn’t seen before. I wanted Matt to lose fights and for there to be real consequence when he did. You really have to pay attention to what’s happening, because things are happening inside the action sequences which force the character in dilemma to make certain choices which tell us new things about Matt Murdock.

Congratulations on pulling it off.

[laughter] Thanks. We’re all extremely proud of it.

What are your thoughts about the recent cancelation of “Iron Fist?”

I’m close, personal friends with Raven Metzner and a number of folks who worked on that show, and I’m sad for my friends. The Marvel shows are a family. As the showrunner of “Daredevil,” I’m always rooting for my fellow showrunners and their families, and it was a hard blow. I’m not going to lie. I took Raven out for drinks on Saturday night and we commiserated. It was heartbreaking news. I don’t know what the future holds in terms of Netflix and Marvel and the new Disney streaming service and all of that. I’m not really privy to any of that stuff. That’s way above my pay grade. But who knows what the future holds? I wouldn’t put it past anyone that [“Iron Fist”] comes back in some other form at some point.

Season 3 of “Daredevil” really blows itself up in a good way. You rarely see that on “on this week’s episode of TV” television rarely does. Do you see a long future for the show?

I see many seasons and stories for “Daredevil.” If they’re approached as an opportunity to tell a new story as opposed to just continue it, you have a built-in [comics] mechanism to constantly renew the show and to inject fresh ideas and energy and blood into it. That it’s a brilliant engine for many seasons to come, and I hope to be a part of them.

Can you speak about Bullseye’s inclusion in the show and the inception of his wonderfully-crafted stage play origin sequence?

There was a huge opportunity here. In the comics, Bullseye is already a full-on psychopath killer, and I wanted to treat [him] like a living, breathing human being where we get to understand [his behavior]. That became an origin story: how a troubled but otherwise functional human being is turned from an FBI sharpshooter into this killer that will eventually become Bullseye.

I wanted to treat him like a real person where we met a character who suffers from borderline personality disorder and psychopathic tendencies who’s working through those issues with psychiatric help. [He] has managed to keep the monster in a cage, functioning as a good, productive member of society until, much to his misfortune, he comes under the sway of a narcissistic tyrant who will happily destroy and [weaponize] him.

I wanted to speak to a larger story about what happens to people, good, bad, or in-between, who come into contact with a Trumpian figure who basically pulls out their worst self.

I wouldn’t mind Fisk returning every season.

Working with Vincent is such a pleasure, and he’s a very brave actor. And after our initial conversations, he put a lot of faith in me that I was going to be able to deliver for him the material that would make him shine. And I think, in our collaboration, Vincent has pulled off one of his best performances, ever. I really feel like he elevated everything that we did, and it was a real pleasure to write for him, and then to watch him take our writing and make it even better.

Is there any more talk about Daredevil potentially joining an MCU film?

Not to my knowledge, but I’m not really looped in on any of those kinds of conversations.

And is there a character, or characters, in the Marvel Universe, comics or films, that you would want to introduce in a future season?

I’m not allowed to answer that question, so, I’ll give you my joke answer, which is Howard the Duck. I have absolutely no idea how that would work [laughter]. That will be in the jump the shark season of “Daredevil” [laughter].

“Daredevil” Season Three is now available on Netflix.