Daredevil is back at Marvel, for many that is incredible news. I myself can’t help but feel slightly doubtful, based on the fact that Marvel were willing to grant Fox an extension on the rights, thus suggesting a lack of interest in the character’s next big screen outing.
Anyway...that being said, Matt Murdock is finally back with his friends The Avengers, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and The Punisher.
Now one of the major reasons that many fans seem to be excited about this is that ol’ Hornhead can now be integrated into the MCU, and fight alongside Iron Man, Cap, and the rest of the superheroes. Equally, there are some of you who feel that DD does not belong, nor will he fit into that world. Both arguments have their merits.
Now I feel there is a solution to this “problem” that would result in the character fitting both into the extraordinary world of giant green monsters, and Norse Gods, and still remaining true to the source material that the likes of Miller, Mazzucchelli, Janson, Nocenti, O’Neil, Romita Jr, Brubaker, Bendis, Maleev, and co, worked so hard to create. Joe Carnahan’s Daredevil.
I can’t imagine any of you missing Carnhan’s sizzle-reel for Fox’s DD reboot, but here it is in case you missed it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cVd9HalHs
Now the biggest, most obvious factor to consider here is the setting/time period: 1970’s New York. So what does this mean? Well, as you can see the world was a very different place all those years ago. Thus, we could expect a very vicious portrayal of Hell’s Kitchen, with plenty of drug-pushers, pimps, rapists, fiends, and street gangs for our hero to wage war against.
You can’t help but wonder how much of Sidney Lumet, New Hollywood, and Blaxploitation would feed into the mood and texture of the narrative and the movie overall. You only need to look at Narc and The Grey to see how brilliantly the director depicts violence on screen. It’s a mixture of brutality and beauty, which makes us uncomfortable yet unable to take our eyes of the screen, and really feel for the characters involved. Check out the scenes below to see my point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xfrmlcIQf4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo3uFhI67RI
So there you have it, Daredevil operating in 1970’s New York, steeped in all its dark grittiness that would enable the film to remain faithful the comics.
But what would this mean, in relation to the wider MCU?
Well, fast forward 40 years or so, and we have The Avengers. Now that would make Matt a very old man indeed, but that’s not say he would be useless. He could still be integrated into the much more extravagant storylines as a supporting character, even as an “old wise man” that provides guidance to the superheroes, possibly aiding them in legal activities when the government comes crashing down on them (e.g. Civil War).
On another note, the 1970’s MCU could become the official universe for the street-level heroes like The Punisher, and Heroes for Hire, who would only benefit from that old-school crazy world of social unrest and revolution.
In a sense, it could become a type of off-shoot of the current universe, thus giving Marvel/Disney wider options of how best to explore their characters. What’s then stopping them from moving up to the 80’s and 90’s to explore the lives of our other favourite heroes? The MCU would then become as large and intricate as the comic book universe, expanding through time and space.
Basically what I’m saying is if Carnhan’s vison of DD was realised, the effects would be enormous for Marvel/Disney, and just as importantly, Daredevil would finally get the film treatment he so greatly deserves.