Entertainment

The New 'Daredevil' Trailer is Here

by Kaitlin Reilly

Superheroes are supposed to be larger than life, but that doesn't mean that the shows about them have to be completely out of touch with reality: Fox's Batman origin story Gotham infused the familiar comic world with the inner workings of a city gone to ruin, and now it seems that Netflix is following suit with their latest venture. The new trailer for Marvel's Netflix Daredevil series has just been released, and from the look of the clip this series will be a gritty ride that stands out from what we already have on our DVRs.

Daredevil isn't quite as popular of a superhero as, say, Batman or Captain America, but he does have a unique story: Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox in the Netflix series, is a blind lawyer whose other senses are heightened by his lack of sight. He uses his special skills to fight crime under the alias Daredevil, and protect New York City — specifically Hell's Kitchen — from the crime wave plaguing his hometown. This makes him plenty of enemies, but it also keeps him from being completely honest with the people already in his life. (What's a secret identity good for if it isn't a secret?)

Daredevil is already standing out from series like The Flash and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by presenting itself as a touch more grounded and gritty than its fellow superhero shows. Here's how the trailer sets itself apart.

A morally ambiguous villain

The trailer does not start out with a voiceover from our hero. Instead, it's the villain of the series — or at least, the villain to be of the series — who speaks... and it's about making Hell's Kitchen a better place. We gather that the Kingpin, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, has very different ideas about what that means compared to our hero.

A morally ambiguous hero

"Sometimes you have to do things outside of the law." Kind of an unusual thing for a lawyer to say, though pretty on par with a modern-day superhero. Vigilantism isn't exactly legal. Could this version of Daredevil be our "Dark Knight?" It sure seems more intriguing than some of the more earnest superheroes.

Danger in the streets

In the trailer, one of the characters muses that she doesn't even see the city anymore — just "dark corners." This version of New York is struggling with crime and poverty, and that's not something that only superheroes have to contend with. The series will examine a degenerating city and how that sparks a fire in our hero.

Realistic violence

Many superhero films and television shows tend to avoid showing the real cost of the actions of the film. The real people who are hurt, the real cities that are destroyed, and the true scope of the mayhem are all downplayed in favor of the heroes looking, well, heroic. That doesn't seem to be the case here — the Daredevil trailer shows violence for what it is, in gruesome detail. It may surprise fans with just how much honest destruction it is willing to show.

Marvel's Daredevil will stream April 10 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.

Images: Netflix (5)