Marvel’s first Netflix original series, ‘Daredevil,’ drops in just a little more than a month (April 10th). A brand-new, extended trailer hit the Interwebz earlier today. The newest of the new reveals a bunch of footage, Karen Page, Wilson Fisk and a tone that some are already dubbing ‘Ultra Grim’ & ‘Nolan-Y’.
Take a look for yourself
A couple of things here.
-The fact is that this show has to instantly, and completely distance itself from the Affleck movie, playground fights and campy one-liners. There will always be a subset within media criticism that bemoans any trace of dark-n-gritty in genre entertainment, but it seems like a very wise direction here, when the non-comics-reading public is most likely to associate this character with a famously ridiculous, haphazard attempt.
-This is a new, low-powered facet of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which means it has to sell the audience on the appeal of watching unpowered people duke it out over issues that would seem weirdly petty in any other MCU property. That’s a tricky thing to pull off. Do you really think it makes sense to introduce a light-hearted tone to what’s basically a crime show? If we’re starting from the beginning, and trying to get people who don’t know Daredevil to give a damn, of course you play up the angst and the drama. You can’t assume that a general viewership is going to have the luxury of decades of backstory and familiarity. Start with the Miller version (which I’d argue really isn’t much different from Batman, except insofar as he lacks gadgets and resources), make crime scary, and go from there.
That being said, Daredevil has always been in my top five.
Daredevil is a guy who refuses to give up — or even ask for help — regardless of how many lumps he’s taken is a huge part of the appeal. I’m fine with dark. I’m down with grim and grit. However, I also like it when superheroes can crack a smile on occasion. Fingers crossed, I hope they can balance it with some of the wit and humor Marvel has put into their tent pole films.
Right now Mark Waid is writing the character (in the comics that is), and I think it might be my favorite run of Daredevil yet. There’s still the elements of dark and grit. The character still gets beat up pretty badly. The people in his life still suffer for knowing him. However, all that darkness is mitigated by the fact that Daredevil occasionally gets to put a solid win up on the board. His friends and family are put in danger, but he’s able to save them. Or, sometimes they’re able to save themselves. THAT is what I love about ol’ Hornhead.
The joy of Daredevil is that he keeps getting back up.
The appeal of Daredevil, at least one take on his metaphorical resonance, is that life is sh!t. For some people, it never becomes easy. It never becomes Hollywood. It doesn’t reward the deserving. It is grueling, grinding, and, yes, gritty sh!t. Certainly for those struggling in big urban settings.
But you keep getting back up. You get in that ring. You take your lumps. And maybe, just maybe, you pull out a win, now and again. You find friends, you find support, you find love, you even find joy. Some people read comics or watch movies/shows to escape (and there still is escapism in the DD mythos). Sometimes, though, you like things which reinforce your own struggle, or validate the tougher times you’ve had (perhaps, some would say, the escapism is in the infusion of a victory into a victory-less life).
However, what I see in the trailer is the beginning of the mythos. That beginning, and the way it is positioned to people new to the Daredevil story, necessitates this darkness being in the trailer and (I would argue) most of its first season. I think the joy will come.
And when Daredevil proves to be a success (a HUGE boon to the brand)…who’s thinking a Netflix/Marvel re-telling of The Punisher? Because, I’d be so in.
-Dagobot
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