Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (2023)

WTF is Black Sky anyways?

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (1)
Sadie Gennis

The expectations for Daredevil's second season were incredibly high, something the series can only blame on its own impressively strong debut. And while Season 2 initially appeared to live up to the hype, it soon fell victim to character glut, with new showrunners Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez attempting to cram every major Daredevil plot and character into a claustrophobic 13 hours.

It's an unfortunate turn of events and one that could have easily been avoided by paring the season down. Here are eight plots that should have been cut from Daredevil Season 2:

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The Blacksmith

In an already overly crowded season, adding another villain into the final couple of episodes was an unnecessary detour. As the show reveals in a pathetically anticlimactic moment, Colonel Schoonover (Clancy Brown), Frank Castle's (Jon Bernthal) military commander and character witness from his trial, is actually the Blacksmith, the heroin dealer the cops were after in the sting operation-turned-shootout that killed Frank's family.

As for why Frank would blame the Blacksmith for his family's deaths during a police operation in which the Blacksmith never even showed up - who knows? Or what about why the Blacksmith murdered everyone tied to the sting and framed it on the Punisher? Beats me! Oh, and what about Frank and the Blacksmith's military ties: Is that just coincidence or part of a larger conspiracy tied to Kandahar? Once again, I have no freaking idea, because the show doesn't even bother to acknowledge that these are questions we need answered. Instead, it plows full-steam ahead, roping Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) and Matt (Charlie Cox) into this nonsense and killing Reyes (Michelle Hurd) along the way.

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (3)

Sticklektra

Let's not talk about how Daredevil turned Matt and Elektra (Elodie Yung) into a late '90s rom-com couple with the whole, "Am I a bet mission?" origin story (FYI, Stick [Scott Glenn] would be the Paul Walker or Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this situation.) Instead, let's focus on Elektra and Stick's relationship now, because the second season sure wanted us to.

After their bizarre shared history is revealed, Stick tries to kill Elektra to stop her from becoming Black Sky (?) even though he knew her entire life that she was Black Sky (??) and then Elektra tries to kill Stick for trying to kill her (???) at the same time Nobu is trying to kidnap (????) or win over (?????) Elektra.

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Whatever is happening, Matt gets caught in the middle and is thus inspired to mansplain goodness to Elektra, claiming that if she were to kill Stick, it would cut the last tether to her light within. This, of course, is just another batch of twaddle since Stick was the one who first encouraged Elektra's murderous tendencies when she was a child.

If none of that makes sense to you, don't worry. From the moment of its inception through Elektra's death, the Sticklektra storyline was a series of boring, baffled turns, transforming what should have been a kickass female character into the ultimate MacGuffin. And speaking of MacGuffins...

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (4)

Black Sky

The biggest question mark of the season has to go to Black Sky, something that has been mentioned in both seasons of Daredevil but which the show is still no closer to explaining.

In the first season, Black Sky was a child, but now Elektra is allegedly the one destined to be the ultimate weapon and mystical entity that the Hand serves. But if Elektra is Black Sky, then why can't she just tell the Hand to stand down? And WTF is Black Sky anyways? Does this mean Elektra has superpowers? Is she immortal now? Does Elektra even understand what this means, or is she as in the dark as us?

Whatever Black Sky is will clearly come up again, since the Hand is apparently working on bringing Elektra back to life. But to be honest, I'd rather this plot stay dead unless they plan on giving some serious answers ASAP.

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (5)
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Matt and Karen's romance

After some billiards flirting, Matt and Karen's romance comes to fruition in a scene that is far too reminiscent of Ben Affleck'sDaredevil.Their single raindrop kiss immediately escalates, with the couple suddenly comfortable enough to parade their relationship around, holding hands in front of Foggy (Elden Henson), D.A. Reyes and the Punisher.

But as quickly as Matt and Karen happened, it was over. As soon as Elektra shows up, Matt begins acting as though A) Karen doesn't exist, and B) They weren't practically going steady. So why start the characters down this road if they had no intention on following through?

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (6)

Nobu

There were lot of great characters in Daredevil's first season. Nobu (Peter Shinkoda) was not one of them. In fact, Nobu was such a forgettable pawn that I forgot he even existed until Matt and Elektra dropped some much-needed verbal exposition about his fiery death.

While Nobu's return to life was an easy way to demonstrate the superhuman abilities of the Hand, it lacked the narrative weight a magical resurrection should entail. And unfortunately, Nobu's immortality suggests that we haven't seen the last of this chain-wielding glass of skim milk.

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (7)
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The Hand

The Hand is such a crucial part of Daredevil mythos, but the show's execution of the ninja organization leaves viewers with little to no idea of who these people are or what they want. The words "war," "ultimate weapon" and "Black Sky" are thrown out a lot, but never explained. The Farm provides a disturbing image - a dark cellar filled with caged prisoners being exsanguinated - but even this jumped the shark when the show reveals that the prisoners have been turned into hive mind pseudo-zombies who want their blood drained for some unexplained reason.

Introducing a clandestine group of magical ninjas was always a risk given Daredevil's devotion to gritty human drama. But it's one thing for characters to have mystical abilities; it's another to not ground them in any recognizable reality. And for Matt Murdock, his entire reality exists within the few block radii of where he grew up. So the abrupt leap from Matt, the street-level vigilante, to Matt, the superhero caught in an international magical ninja war, was a bit hard to swallow.

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (8)

Reporter Karen

Don't get us wrong: Karen becoming a reporter is a great move. She's far too talented and dogged to remain anyone's secretary. However, Karen went from someone with zero experience to Ellison (Geoffrey Cantor) handing her Ben Urich's untouched office before you could say "lazy writing." This is a huge step in the show's evolution of Karen Page, but it was so rushed that we'd rather they waited until they had the time to do it properly. (They also could have skipped the part where her main motivation for becoming a reporter is to rehabilitate the public image of a male murderer, but you pick your battles.)

Daredevil Season 2: 8 Plots That Should Have Been Cut (9)

Roxxon and The Hole

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We get that Elektra needed a reason to enlist Matt's help, but couldn't they have figured out a more reasonable way than Elektra refusing to divest her money from Roxxon out of vengeful pride? Of course they needed to include Roxxon in order to lead Elektra and Matt to the giant hole, which is also somehow tied to the Hand and the Yakuza. Yet even after this massive (pun intended) discovery, the hole is never mentioned again. It's a literal plot hole! So unless the Season 3 villain is the hole, we could have done without it.

What did you think of Daredevil's second season?

FAQs

What was the big hole for in Daredevil? ›

Midland Circle was a building located in Hell's Kitchen, New York City that was constructed on top of hole the Hand dug in order to harvest dragon fossils, an ingredient necessary for the Resurrection Elixir.

What happens in Daredevil Season 2 episode 8? ›

Daredevil carries Elektra out to Stick's waiting car, where they make a daring escape from more ninjas that were waiting outside. In the end they evade their pursuers, though it appears too easy. Back at Murdock's apartment, Stick concocts a cure for the poison the ninja's blade was evidently coated in.

Is schoonover the Blacksmith? ›

Ray Schoonover is a recurring antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the secondary antagonist in Daredevil's second season, and later as a posthumous antagonist in The Punisher. He was a colonel in the U.S. Military who also is secretly a notorious drug lord known as Blacksmith.

What was in the coffin in Daredevil Season 2? ›

Petrie: We can't go near that one, unfortunately. At the end of the finale, Elektra was dead and buried, but the Hand dug her up and put her in that mysterious stone casket.

What did Daredevil whisper to Danny? ›

Before Daredevil “dies” in The Defenders—before he sacrificed himself for his home in ways Danny has never even thought of—he whispered into Danny's ear, “protect my city.” The last we see of Danny, he's perched above Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil-like, outfitted in the signature green-and-yellow of an Iron Fist willing to ...

What was the kid in the container in Daredevil? ›

The Black Sky was a mysterious young boy who was transported to the United States by the Hand only to be assassinated by Stick.

Why did Karen cry in Daredevil Season 2 episode 9? ›

Karen cried as she brought up Kevin's arrangements saying she would take care of it. Paxton told her not to as he wanted her gone. Paxton had lost everything and wanted his own daughter to leave. With that, Karen packed her things and left for New York City.

Why did Matt Murdock stop being Daredevil after season 2? ›

"At the end of Daredevil Season 2, everyone failed. Matt failed, and the consequences were devastating. Six or so months have passed, and he's had to completely reevaluate everything that he believes, everything that he does. And he's decided to hang up the suit, as it were," Cox explained.

Why did Daredevil lose his hearing in season 2? ›

Does Matt Murdock's impeded superpower mean something for Daredevil: Born Again? In the second season of Daredevil, fans witnessed how Matt Murdock's hearing started to get impaired after he suffered from a gunshot wound to his head.

Who killed Reyes Daredevil? ›

Reyes went against Nelson and Murdock and succeeded in sending Castle to Ryker's Island. However, when the Punisher escaped from prison and threatened to expose Reyes' part in the deaths of his family, Reyes was assassinated by Ray Schoonover.

Who is the red ninja in Daredevil? ›

Nobu Yoshioka is the secondary antagonist of the 2015 Marvel TV series Daredevil, serving as a major antagonist in Season 1 and the main antagonist of Season 2. He was a Japanese businessman and represented Murakami's faction of the ancient ninja clan organization known as the Hand. He was portrayed by Peter Shinkoda.

What is the black sky in Daredevil? ›

In “Daredevil,” the Black Sky is treated as an almost religious figure that The Hand worships, and many in the organization seem to think the person who becomes the Black Sky will lead them.

Why is Daredevil in gold? ›

Daredevil's yellow costume is right from the comics

So while the comics suit is not as high tech as the one that Matt appears to be wearing on the show, the yellow seemingly feels like an homage to the original Daredevil look from the comics.

Why is there so much yellow in Daredevil? ›

The main reason for Daredevil's suit being yellow—if we're being honest—is likely as a way to differentiate the MCU version of the character from the previous iterations; he was played by Ben Affleck in a 2003 film and then played again by Charlie Cox in the Netflix Marvel universe, both times most often in his ...

Who were the frozen bodies in Daredevil? ›

Matt provokes Dex with information regarding Julie's fate gleaned from his chat with Felix. Matt gives Dex an address at which Dex finds both the bodies of Fisk's hitmen and Julie stored in a meat freezer.

What mental illness does Daredevil have? ›

9) Daredevil- Depression

Daredevil's depression is an important aspect of his character. His mental health is explored in storylines from Born Again and The Elektra Saga. While he might be a great superhero and a good lawyer in New York, his depression has gotten the better of him multiple times.

What was at the bottom of the hole in defenders? ›

So here is the explanation for what's at the bottom of the Midland Circle hole: It's a dragon skeleton. As showrunner Marco Ramirez tells EW's Shirley Li, this is not the skeleton of Shou-Lao the Undying, whose heart Danny ripped out to gain the iron fist.

Who is the big guy Stick talks to in Daredevil? ›

- At the end of the episode, Stick is talking to a mysterious man in the shadows, which is a scene directly lifted from the comic book mini series, Daredevil: Man Without Fear. The man is Stone, a partner to Stick in a team called “The Chaste,” who helps him fight the supernatural ninja organization The Hand.

Is Matt Murdock Kingpin son? ›

In the climax of the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a young Matt Murdock from Gwen Stacy's home dimension appears in an "Easter egg" cameo during Miles Morales' final train fight scene with Kingpin, as an alternate universe adopted son of Kingpin, seen among several alternate reality versions of his ...

What is ninja Turtles a parody of? ›

The concept parodied several elements popular in superhero comics of the time: the teenagers of New Teen Titans, the mutants of Uncanny X-Men and the ninjas of Daredevil, combined with the comic tradition of funny animals such as Howard the Duck. Eastman and Laird developed the concept into a comic book.

Are the ninja Turtles and Daredevil connected? ›

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' origin story paid homage to the first issue of Daredevil from 1963, in which young Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioactive isotope while pushing an old blind man from the path of an oncoming truck.

Why does Karen tell foggy to touch her face? ›

Her eyes still flicker when Foggy talks about the girls Matt has dated. Foggy says that Matt used to ask the pretty girls if he could touch their face to tell what they looked like — so of course, Karen asks Foggy to touch her face.

What is Karen Page's secret? ›

Karen's really drinking and drugging to hide the pain she's in. Her mother died of cancer a few years back. Her father is a terrible businessman, attempting to run the family diner their mother left behind. Karen's brother, Kevin, is deeply concerned about his sister.

Did Daredevil love Elektra? ›

Created by Frank Miller, the character first appeared in Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981). She is a love interest of the superhero Matt Murdock / Daredevil, but her violent nature and mercenary lifestyle divide the two, before she ultimately becomes the second Daredevil in 2020.

Was Matt Murdock blipped? ›

As we know, Thanos snapped his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, which debunks a theory suggesting that Matt Murdock was blipped, as he was spotted walking on the streets on the specified date.

Why is Matt so weak in season 3? ›

Matt has issues with God, he has issues with his abilities. He is not in physically good shape at the beginning of the season and is physically incapable of being the Daredevil that he has always been. And [he] is going through somewhat of a spiritual crisis as a result, an identity crisis.

Why is Netflix getting rid of Daredevil? ›

The reason: Netflix's rights to the shows are about to expire per the original deal struck long before Disney+ was a public concept and the streamer's relationship with the now-shuttered division of Marvel Entertainment soured.

Why did Daredevil lose his suit in season 3? ›

However, this suit was severely damaged after the destruction of Midland Circle, prompting Murdock to abandon it. A third suit was created by Potter for Benjamin Poindexter on Fisk's orders so that Poindexter could impersonate Daredevil and commit murders publicly, as a means to turn the public against Daredevil.

Do they hurt the dog in Daredevil season 2? ›

Jessica and Luke Cage come across some dogs, but they don't hurt the dogs, and Jessica even asks about the dogs mid-fight, because she's that damn good.

Did Elektra survive the building collapse? ›

Elektra's Fate Was Left Unknown When The Defenders Finished

The final episode of The Defenders saw a building collapse on top of the Defenders and Elektra, with Daredevil and Elektra expecting to die together. Daredevil survived the destruction and looked for Elektra after, but her body was never found.

Who killed Karen Page? ›

Karen is killed by Daredevil's adversary Bullseye in Daredevil vol. 2 #5, (March 10, 1999).

Who killed Leland Daredevil? ›

Leland is forced to back into a corner, where an outraged Fisk throws him down an elevator shaft, killing him.

Who killed Julie Daredevil? ›

Kingpin, who had been trying to manipulate Poindexter, ordered Felix Manning to kill Barnes when she went to work in order to prevent her from ruining his plans with Poindexter.

Who is the powerful version of Daredevil? ›

Numerous Daredevil variants exist in the Earth X universe, but the most powerful by far is David Jarrett. Jarrett gained immortality from exposure to the Terrigen Mists and possesses incredible regenerative healing that renders most injuries moot.

Who married Daredevil? ›

Meanwhile, he began dating a young blind woman named Milla Donovan. After a whirlwind romance, Matt married Milla, but his double life placed a great strain on their relationship.

Does Daredevil marry Elektra? ›

Daredevil and Elektra are formally married in Daredevil #4 (by Chip Zdarsky, Rafael De Latorre, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Clayton Cowles), with the pair officially becoming King and Queen of the Fist by completing a marriage ceremony that involves fighting zombie ninjas.

Does Elektra become black sky? ›

The Hand then retrieved Elektra's corpse from the grave and placed it in a stone chamber to be exposed to the Resurrection Elixir. After her resurrection, Alexandra Reid manipulated and took her under her wing, re-training her to truly become the Black Sky.

Is Elektra the black sky? ›

Elektra is, in fact, the Black Sky, and The Hand has worked to remove her memories of her former life. She's a powerful fighter who seems to be super-strong, fast and resilient.

Can Daredevil heal fast? ›

Accelerated Healing

Matt Murdock has developed a mastery over his body, which has allowed him to perform extraordinary acts. And because of this, he's also capable of forcing his body to heal faster.

Is Daredevil in She-Hulk? ›

Cox finally gets to flex those dormant Daredevil muscles in Episode 8 (and Episode 9!) of Marvel Studios' She-Hulk when he crosses paths with Jennifer Walters, sending them on a Super Hero mission together.

What superhero has a DD on his chest? ›

Yellow and Black Suit: Early in his career Daredevil wore a yellow and black body suit with a large red D on the chest. This suit would later be modified slightly to include two overlapping D's, a design element that was incorporated into the red suit.

Is Daredevil in She-Hulk the same? ›

After his brief reintroduction in last year's “Spider-Man: No Way Home” — when Dardevil's alter ego Matt Murdock got the bogus Mysterio murder charges against Peter Parker dropped — generating much fan excitement, actor Charlie Cox finally reappeared in the final episodes of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” on Disney+.

Does Daredevil have a sixth sense? ›

He can sense atmospheric disturbances

One of the most interesting uses of his superhuman senses is being able to pick up on nearby atmospheric disturbances. In layman's terms, Daredevil can determine where a teleporter will appear moments before he or she actually does, due to his unique radar sense.

Is Daredevil yellow in She Hulk? ›

Appearing brighter and more saturated than any live-action depiction before, The Man Without Fear (Charlie Cox) showed up in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law sporting bright yellow elements to accompany his devilish red. This wasn't a departure from his roots, however.

What was the liquid that blinded Daredevil? ›

When he was nine years old, Matt suffered an accident involving a RAND Oil & Chemicals truck which carried radioactive waste when he pushed a man out of the truck's way and saved his life. Matt's eyes were exposed to the radioactive waste, and he became permanently blinded.

Who is Daredevil's girlfriend bullseye? ›

Lady Bullseye (Maki Matsumoto) is a supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A female counterpart of Bullseye, she was created by Ed Brubaker, Marko Djurdjevic, and Clay Mann, first appearing in Daredevil #111.

Was there a female Daredevil? ›

Milla Donovan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character in the comic-book series Daredevil. She was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev and first appeared in Daredevil vol.

Does Dex find out Julie died? ›

Matt says he doesn't have to, and gives him an address. At the given address, Dex finds Julie's body, and Matt, calling him on the phone again, tells him that Fisk killed her, that Fisk is getting married tonight, and that Fisk doesn't deserve happiness.

What is part of a hole Daredevil? ›

Parts of a Hole tells the triangular story of Daredevil, The Kingpin, and a new character, Echo. Echo was the child of one of The Kingpin's enforcers, and she blames DD for the death of dear old Dad....even though The Kingpin pulled the trigger.

Why does Daredevil have eyeholes? ›

Because he doesn't want to alert others that he's blind and has additional skills to persuade them to figure them out and work out ways to exploit and defeat them. Moreover, he would be making it easier to associate Daredevil with notable blind individuals of similar height and build.

What are they draining blood for Daredevil? ›

The Farm is a facility in New York City where the Hand established heroin manufacturing and blood draining rituals.

Can Daredevil walk without his stick? ›

Matt Murdock does not really require his stick to navigate his way around, despite being blind his heightened senses mean that he is perfectly capable of walking around without the aide of his stick.

What is the black hand Daredevil? ›

Known as the Black Sky, the weapon, and The Hand itself, was a major part of the second season of “Daredevil.” The Black Sky first came up in Season 2 of “Daredevil,” when Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) discovered that The Hand was behind a lot of the criminal activity he'd been dealing with throughout the series.

Why doesn t Daredevil wear his suit? ›

"It will only slow me down too much." Matt Murdock beginning his vigilantism. Matt Murdock refused to wear body armor during his vigilante activities in New York City, despite Claire Temple's warnings that he should wear some kind of protective suit, as the injuries he continuously sustained would end up killing him.

Why does Daredevil have gold helmet? ›

In the comics, Murdock made his Daredevil suit out of his father Jack's boxing materials, turning his trunks, boots, and robe into his superhero outfit. Hence, the yellow costume served as a tribute to his father.

Can Daredevil see with his ears? ›

The blind comic book star Daredevil has a highly developed sense of hearing that allows him to "see" his environment with his ears.

Can Daredevil go deaf? ›

Daredevil's history is presumably similar to his Earth-616 counterpart's except he became deaf instead of blind. While battling crime, Daredevil had trouble hearing what the thugs were saying.

Is Daredevil immune to fear toxin? ›

Daredevil is immune to Scarecrow's fear toxin. #daredevil #tvshow #thedefenders #comics #marvel #interesting #…

Do any Marvel characters have schizophrenia? ›

Robert Reynolds, aka the Sentry, has a very complicated history as a hero. His fractured psyche contains not only Sentry but also the villainous supervillain known as the void. While this symptom can be attributed to dissociative identity disorder, it is Robert's schizophrenia that haunts him the most.

Did the toxic waste give Daredevil powers? ›

Matt's eyes were exposed to the radioactive waste, and he became permanently blinded. When he was hospitalized, Matt discovered that the spill of radioactive waste caused his other senses to be amplified to superhuman degrees.

What nerve did Daredevil cut? ›

She points out that people are noticing what he's doing — she's seen his work up close as a nurse at Metro-General. However, she does agree to put on a white mask and a white hoodie (hello, Night Nurse?) and help Matt torture the Russian by telling him to stab the trigeminal nerve, which, yikes, you guys.

Who drugged the drinks in Daredevil? ›

On a fundraiser for Fisk, Owlsley poisons the champagne, killing several people. Vanessa also drinks the champagne and, to avoid suspicion, Leland grabs a poisoned glass as well.

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