The third season of Netflix MCU darling Daredevil is here and brings with it a whole slew of faces both old and new as Matt Murdock's story enters a new, brutal chapter. You can read all about it in our Daredevil Season 3 review.
Murdock's live action road has been anything but easy. He's had two solo seasons and a starring role in the Defenders, which teamed him up with his fellow Netflix heroes Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand. During his time in the spotlight, Matt has faced off against the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk, Frank Castle aka The Punisher, ex-girlfriend Elektra, and shady occult syndicate The Hand. He's fallen out with his closest friends, Karen Page and Foggy Nelson. He's lost his law practice--hell, he may even legally be considered dead.
The end of Defenders left Matt in a bit of a tricky position. After he saved the world from the Black Sky and The Hand, an entire building was dropped on him, which left his entire team and all his friends assuming he hadn't survived the fight. Danny Rand loosely picked up the slack left in Hell's Kitchen in Matt's wake while everyone else grieved and moved on. Little did they know, however, that Matt had actually been rescued from the rubble and taken to a convent to be nursed back to health.
So, yeah. There's a lot going on. Daredevil's life has never been what you'd call easy, but coming into Season 3, he's playing a whole new ball game. But, at the very least, we do have some idea of what we should expect.
When is it coming out?
Daredevil Season 3 is out now on Netflix, having released on October 19. Like every other Netflix MCU show, Daredevil Season 3 will be primed for binge watching, so clear your schedules and get ready for a midnight sprint to the finish line.
Who are the villains?
We know that fan-favorite Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'onofrio) is making his return after spending Season 2 in jail, so expect a major showdown there. But we also know he won't be coming for Matt alone. At New York Comic Con, it was finally confirmed that Wilson Bethel would be playing Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter, AKA the infamous Bullseye, one of Daredevil's most lethal foes over in the comics.
Season 3 will be an origin story for Poindexter, Bethal said during the Daredevil panel, and feature his slow decline from FBI agent to full on super villain.
What is Fisk's plan?
After being sent away to jail by Daredevil in Season 1, Fisk is harboring a personal vendetta against everything Matt Murdock stands for. His plan in Season 3 is to ruin the Devil of Hell's Kitchen from the ground up by smearing his reputation and making the public see him as a murderer and a monster. To do this, as we've seen in the trailers, Fisk will be using Bullseye, dressed in a replica Daredevil costume, running around New York committing crimes.
Who is Sister Maggie?
Matt's life was saved by a mysterious nun we now know is Sister Maggie, played by Joanne Whalley. We know from the comics that Sister Maggie is actually Matt's long lost mother who divorced Matt's father and was taken in by the church, though it's not yet clear whether the show will keep her backstory the same. Maggie became a nun and lost all contact with her family, meaning we can expect she and Matt's reunion to be strained at best.
Where are Karen and Foggy?
They'll be here. Karen was featured in The Punisher Season 1, and has since been slowly convincing herself that maybe, possibly, Matt is alive. Foggy has been working for Jerry Hogarth and appeared in both Jessica Jones Season 2 and Luke Cage Season 2. He, however, is much less convinced than Karen that might might still be kicking around.
Where is Claire Temple?
Claire, sadly, will not be around. After a prominent feature in Luke Cage Season 2, Claire is taking a break from the complication of superhero life in New York City--and actor Rosario Dawson has no real plans to return to the MCU any time soon.
What about Frank Castle, Elektra, and the other Defenders?
Cameos from the other corners of the Netflix MCU are still up in the air, but probably unlikely. Elektra is still, officially, "dead" from the finale of Defenders--though she is known for her affinity for resurrection, so there's still a chance. Frank has had very little to do with any of the Defenders at all since his appearance in Daredevil Season 2, so he probably won't be coming back. Other cameos from Matt's superheroic teammates aren't entirely out of the realm of possibility--but we don't have much reason to hope for them right now.
What's going on with Matt, really?
After his near death experience, Matt isn't having a great time. Remember that aside from his super senses, Matt's still just a normal guy--this means no healing factor, no super strength, and no super speed. He's been hurt badly and is in the process of trying to recover. After (or, knowing Matt, during) that recovery process, he's going to go back to wearing his plain black suit and mask from Season 1--while Bullseye co-opts the red devil horns this time around.
Is it based on any comics?
From what we can tell, Daredevil Season 3 is going to be borrowing elements of the "Born Again" story arc which took place in the early '80s between Daredevil #227 and #233. It also looks like it's going to use some of the early Bullseye stories from issues like Daredevil #284 "The Outsider" and Daredevil #191 "Roulette."
Though, as with any MCU adaptation, these versions of comic book story lines are probably going to be heavily modified to work in the live-action universe--so don't expect a one-to-one translation. As for other MCU films, this is pre-Infinity War.
