Samantha Reyes

Daredevil is an American television series created for Netflix by Drew Goddard, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.

It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is the first in a series of shows that lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries.

The series stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, as well as Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson, and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Toby Leonard Moore, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Bob Gunton, and Ayelet Zurer join them in the first season, while Jon Bernthal, Élodie Yung, and Stephen Rider join them for the second; Joanne Whalley, Jay Ali and Wilson Bethel join for season three.

In addition to original characters, several characters based on various Marvel properties also appear throughout the series.

Matthew "Matt" Murdock (portrayed by Charlie Cox) was blinded in a car accident as a child, which heightened his other senses.

Approached by the elderly and blind ninja Stick, Murdock trains to hone his senses so he can "see" using them, and also learns martial arts, with Stick wanting a soldier for his secret war.

Stick leaves Murdock when he realizes that the boy wants a father figure, and Murdock eventually attends Columbia University School of Law.

Meeting Foggy Nelson, the two graduate and intern at the law firm Landman and Zack, but Murdock grows uncomfortable with the firm's lack of morals, just as he begins to take vigilante action against those he knows the law cannot prosecute.

Murdock and Nelson decide to start their own law firm, and through their first client, Karen Page become embroiled in the politics of post-Incident Hell's Kitchen.

Murdock and his allies are able to take down crime lord Wilson Fisk using the law, and when Fisk escapes custody, Murdock defeats him as the vigilante, who is christened 'Daredevil' by the media.

On creating the character of Karen Page, after portraying Jessica Hamby in True Blood from 2008 to 2014, Woll said, "I'm already starting to notice huge differences between the two characters [...] I can feel myself go, 'Oh, if this was Jessica she would do this,' but wanting to kind of steer differently than that. It's always going to be me in some way. I think, as an actor, that's part of it."

Woll had not previously read any Daredevil comics, and turned to her boyfriend who is "a huge comic book fan" for guidance.

She also added that Page's backstory would be different from the one from the comics, saying, "In the comic books, in the beginning Karen is very innocent, and then towards the end she's really swung a full 180, she's in a lot of trouble, so I wanted to find a way to make her both of those things at the same time. Can she be a really wonderful, kind person who is a little bit attracted to danger? She's not just always getting into trouble because 'Oh, silly woman!' Karen is actually looking for it, and she won't let her fear stop her from finding the truth."

Woll does not watch the series, which helped in the second season where Page was unaware of Murdock's role as Daredevil, as she never saw Cox acting as Daredevil in the costume.

Maslansky looked to Page's backstory within the show when designer her costumes, with Page having dreams and fantasies of a life in New York along the lines of Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall, and dressing according to those thoughts ("retro, slim skirts, tighter fitting tops and slim dresses").

Maslansky also said that "Page embodies innocence and knowingness. We referenced the comic illustrations and updated them, then built her wardrobe with the same retro nod as for the other characters [...] Her look is body conscious and professional."

Explaining why Page does not tell Murdock and Nelson that she has killed Wesley, DeKnight said, "There's something that happened in Karen's past — we allude to it, Ben alludes to it — and when she grabs the gun she says, "You think this is the first time I've ever shot somebody?" That's a secret from her past that she doesn't want anyone to know. The fact that she shot him once, you can explain that as self-defense; but then she pretty much unloaded the gun into him. That crosses a bit of a line. The last thing she would want is for those two to be horrified by what she's done."

Woll will reprise the role in Marvel Studios' Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2025).

Franklin "Foggy" Percy Nelson (portrayed by Elden Henson) met Matt Murdock at law school and became best friends with him.

After interning together at Landman and Zack, Nelson and Murdock start their own law firm in Hell's Kitchen, where Nelson wants to fight for 'the little guy'.

His friendship with Murdock falters after he discovers the latter's vigilante activities, but they become close again following their defeat of Fisk.

The idea of casting Cox as Daredevil came from Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada in 2012, before Marvel Studios gained the rights to the character from 20th Century Fox.

Cox wanted to be involved with the series after reading the first two scripts for the series, telling his agent "These are two of the best TV scripts I've read".

Season one showrunner Steven DeKnight stated that "He's not super strong. He's not invulnerable. In every aspect, he's a man that's just pushed himself to the limits, he just has senses that are better than a normal human's. He is human."

On the character's "grey" morals, he said, "He's a lawyer by day, and he's taken this oath. But every night he breaks that oath, and goes out and does very violent things. I really liked the flawed heroes, the human heroes."

The character's Catholicism plays a large role in the series, with DeKnight calling him "one of the most, if not the most, religious characters in the Marvel Universe".

Cox, who was raised Catholic, found that helpful, saying, "You grow up steeped in that. If you're in church, standing in front of the altar, you sort of automatically know how to respond. It all kicks in – you genuflect, you sit in the pew. I didn't have to pretend any of that."

On how the name Daredevil is revealed in the series, DeKnight explained that "We talked about, do we do one of the versions in the comics where when he was a kid people used to taunt him with the name Daredevil, but that didn't quite feel like our world. At one point we were going to have Ben Urich (Vondie Curtis-Hall) give him the name, but the timing wasn't right from where he's in his black outfit and then gets his suit, which is after Ben's untimely demise. There was something technically tricky of somebody actually saying the words, "Hey you're some kind of Daredevil." The solution was to play that off-screen and then hit it in the paper that he's been given this name Daredevil."

Skylar Gaertner plays a young Matt Murdock.

Cox reprises the role in MCU productions produced by Marvel Studios, starting with the film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

Karen Page (portrayed by Deborah Ann Woll) discovers corruption in her place of employment, Union Allied, and is subsequently framed for murder, and then subject of attempted murder, with Murdock and Nelson helping her with the former, and the vigilante with the latter.

Joining Murdock and Nelson, Page is determined to take down the corruption in Hell's Kitchen, and works with reporter Ben Urich to expose Fisk.

When Fisk's assistant James Wesley discovers their investigation, which lead to Fisk's beloved mother, Wesley kidnaps Page and attempts to blackmail her.

Page kills Wesley with his own gun in self-defense and escapes, but becomes traumatized by the incident enough to sympathize Punisher's goals.

At the end of May 2014, Cox was cast as Murdock.

Woll was cast as Page in July 2014.

Henson joined the cast as Nelson in June 2014, and in April 2015 he spoke of his excitement for the character's role in the series, saying "I was really excited as I was getting the scripts and reading that Foggy wasn't just a useless sidekick. He's not just comic relief. I mean, he is some of those things. He does have comic relief, but it was exciting to know that these other characters would have their own path and their own things that they're dealing with."

Maslansky noted that "In the original comics illustrations Foggy wears a bowtie and his color palette is lively. We updated his look but didn't stray from his overall distinctive style—quirky but not flamboyant. He favors warm colors and printed shirts. His ties are patterned with animals or objects. Even his socks are patterned and colorful. The audience may never see them, but the actor does. Foggy has one particular accessory that helps define his look, a vintage tie-bar w/ the letter 'F'. We imagine it was a gift from his father."

Henson will reprise the role in Marvel Studios' Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again.