What To Expect From 'Daredevil' Season 2

In only a day's time until Netflix unleashes their third serving of Marvel drama, Daredevil Season 2! Fans of the Man Without Fear couldn't be more excited, but what can we expect from the latest #MarvelNetflix adventure?

More Of The Same

Daredevil Season 1 shocked fans with how on-point the series was. Charlie Cox portrayed a wonderful Daredevil, showing a character journey that impressed and inspired. He was a conflicted hero, struggling with his own violent nature, but committed to doing the right thing. Season 1 played him against Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, and the series was really a character study between those two men.

Although the Kingpin's story is supposedly finished, Cox is returning — as are his supporting cast, Elden Henson as Foggy and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page. Season 1 took each character on a journey, and by the end of it, the relationship between Matt Murdock and his partner Foggy Nelson was seriously strained. Trailers have made it pretty clear that this will continue, with Foggy challenging Daredevil's desire to protect the city, at any cost to himself. Meanwhile, we can expect the fascinating office relationships to grow ever more complex; Karen Page, after all, is one of the great loves of Daredevil's life, but is hardly an innocent herself.

Certain moments in Season 1 — such as the epic hallway scene — were viewed as iconic, and the Daredevil team knew they had to take it to the next level! This Season's "hallway scene" is in Episode 3, and cast and crew are excited to see the public reaction. Charlie Cox told TVline that "it's one of my great memories of Season 2, and the thing I'm most excited for the fans to see."

But A Lot Of Changes

There's one big difference between the Daredevil of Season 1 and the one we're about to meet. As Charlie Cox told TVline:

"There is a swagger and an arrogance to him now. When I read the first episode of Season 2, at the end of the opening credits sequence it specifically said that there's 'a smile on his face,' and I remember thinking, 'We're meeting a Matt Murdock who's enjoying being Daredevil more than he ever has.' He kind of probably believes that he's 'nailed it,' and things will only get better from here on out."

He's wrong, of course. Season 2 is bringing in a new antagonist: Jon Bernthal as the #Punisher. As well as being a capable warrior, the Punisher makes a wonderful contrast to Daredevil; while Daredevil refuses to kill, the Punisher does nothing but kill. The Punisher is essentially Daredevil unrestrained, and the contrast between the two should be seriously entertaining. Not least because the Punisher will make Daredevil question what he's doing; is he actually inspiring the Punisher's brutal vigilantism?

As Jon Bernthal told CBR, he's been preparing himself mentally for it:

"I’ve got to tell you, I think that being a father and a husband was sort of all the — that’s the major preparation. I think this guy lives in a world of darkness that no other person in this universe can compare with that. My goal here was to put myself in that darkness and bring it up and again, to never pull punches. To never do half measures. To never be apologetic. To never pursue likability at all. To be completely unapologetic at all times because this is a highly personal mission that this man is on, and I think that this show, I’m not just whistling dixie, I think that this show and what they accomplished with last season is a perfect fertile ground to bring a character like that to light. It’s not a superhero show. It’s a human show."

Meanwhile, the Yakuza plot that was teased in Season 1 is becoming a major part of Season 2. The Hand — a mystic Japanese clan of ninjas who inspired the series' Yakuzas — are one of Daredevil's most formidable foes, and it looks as though they're using Daredevil and the Punisher as a chance to clear away their competition in Hell's Kitchen. They bring with them Elodie Yung as Matt Murdock's old flame, Elektra (often portrayed as a Hand assassin in the comics).

Elodie Yung explained the character to Collider:

"We think Elektra is a sociopath. This world is a game for her. It’s like a chess game, and what motivates her is what she wants. She’ll use anything she needs to use to get to her goal, and if she needs to kill people, she will. She has this coldness in her, and I tried to keep that. But on the other hand, we wanted to create a character with different layers. I think Elektra isn’t a bad person, but she’s not a good person. She’s a person with different traits, with layers, and she’s seeking who she is. In this season, there’s an arc to her story. Hopefully, she’ll find we’ll find out who she is, by the end of it."

Elektra's presence will no doubt complicate the burgeoning relationship with Karen Page.

All this ninja action also means we'll see the return of Daredevil's mentor, Stick (played by Scott Glenn). Interaction between the two in Season 1 was tense and difficult, and that's likely to continue. Stick was notably irritated by Daredevil's refusal to kill, so ironically he'll be another source of pressure on the hero's troubled morals.

Like any good series, Season 1 of Daredevil laid the groundwork for Season 2 and established the tone. Tomorrow, we'll be able to see just what happens!