Back in 2016, season 2 of “Daredevil” set a trend for disappointing sophomore outings from the Marvel/Netflix Universe. But while Matt Murdock’s stint with “The Defenders” didn’t offer any sign of improvement, there’s always a chance that new showrunner Erik Oleson can redirect this downward trajectory and bring “Daredevil” back to its rightful place as the crown jewel of the Netflix superhero series.
Taking over from Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez, Oleson already has some noteworthy superhero credentials to his name, having worked as a writer and co-executive producer on CW’s “Arrow.” What’s more, these next episodes will see the return of Vincent D’Onofrio, who made quite the impression as Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, in the first season, and whose absence was sorely felt in season 2. Though he did have a small guest-starring role in one of the better episodes from last season. Similarly promising are reports that the show will be taking inspiration from the “Born Again” plotline of the comic books – a saga that’s frequently ranked among the finest stories of both “Daredevil” and renowned writer Frank Miller, and which the ending of ‘Defenders’ may well have set up.
Despite fan concerns that all is not well behind-the-scenes for this long-awaited season, Netflix executive Cindy Holland last month assured the public that the two-year gap stemmed largely from ‘Defenders’-related scheduling conflicts, maintaining that season 3 will be a “real return to form.” So at least they seem aware that the last season had a few issues in need of addressing, with common gripes ranging from the show’s slow pace to its lack of a sufficiently compelling villain to replace D’Onofrio.
Speaking of returning cast members, naturally, Charlie Cox will be coming back for the title role, along with Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson. Meanwhile, newcomers will include Jay Ali as Rahul “Ray” Nadeem, described by Marvel as “an honest, but ambitious FBI agent willing to go to any length for his family.” An addition with more fan-pleasing potential, however, is Wilson Bethel in a part that’s widely believed to be Murdock’s old foe, Bullseye. If you’re not familiar with Bullseye, just think of him as Daredevil’s own Joker.
“Daredevil” season 3 will hit Netflix on October 19. Here’s the first teaser:
