DAREDEVIL Season 3: Breaking Down All The Biggest Moments From Bullseye's Origin To The Epic Finale - SPOILERS
The third season of Daredevil may have been the best yet and regardless of whether you've watched it and want a recap or are just curious about what happens, here's everything you need to know about it...
Season three of Daredevil hit Netflix on Friday and the show has quickly been declared one of the greatest Marvel Comics adaptations of all-time (and deservedly so). Some of you may have already finished it, while there may be those among you have only just begun or simply aren't interested - really?! - in checking the series out.
Regardless of which category you fall into, we've now compiled a list of all the biggest moments and twists and turns. If you're looking for a recap or just want to know what happens, then this is the feature for you.
It was one heck of a season which delivered an origin story for Bullseye, a fascinating story arc for Matt Murdock, and the return of The Kingpin in a loose adaptation of "Born Again" and a number of other storylines. So, to take a look at this, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button below to check it out. Spoilers obviously follow!
How Daredevil Survived The Defenders
The season kicks off with a flashback as we learn that the foundations beneath the building Matt Murdock and Elektra were trapped under crumbled as it collapsed and pulled the Man Without Fear into the sewers, resulting in the hero eventually falling out of a pipe leading to the river.
From there, he managed to crawl his way to the street and was eventually found by a cab driver who somehow resisted the urge to take off Daredevil's mask and call the cops and instead took him to Father Lantom's church where he and his nuns spent months nursing him back to health.
Bullseye's Origin Story
Bullseye has a number of origin stories in the comic books, none of which are particularly interesting. It makes sense then that the series changes it, making Ben Poindexter an FBI agent who is an expert marksman.
However, we quickly learn that he grew up in care and has psychopathic tendencies, murdering animals and attempting to kill those who hurt him (when his baseball coach benches him, he hits him on the head with a ball and kills him). Dex needs a "north star" to keep him on the right path and uses a woman who he once worked with at a suicide hotline.
After Wilson Fisk witnesses Dex in action, he starts manipulating events and eventually removes the woman he loves (well, stalks) in order to become the FBI agent's new north star, something which results in Dex agreeing to suit up as the new Daredevil. It's clear that he's insane and has no qualms about killing.
Wilson Fisk's "Escape" From Prison
Wilson Fisk is a master manipulator so it probably won't surprise you to learn that after agreeing to help the FBI by providing them with information about his fellow criminals, he arranges to be shanked by a fellow inmate in order to be placed in a safe house in Manhattan (which he owns and has a secret room in where he can monitor those who cross him).
Once free, we learn that Fisk has pretty much the entire FBI in his pocket and it's not long before he's been cleared of all charges and convinced the city that the true enemy is Daredevil, someone the public is quick to believe actually framed Fisk in the first place.
Karen Page's Origin Story
An argument could be made that Karen Page has previously been one of the worst things about Daredevil and it's fair to say that most fans would probably wince at the prospect of almost an entire episode dedicated to her. Well, the character undergoes some huge improvements in this season and her origin story actually makes for very interesting viewing.
You see, when Karen was living back at home, she turned to drugs to escape her life but when her brother attempted to stop her from seeing her shady boyfriend, she was forced to drive them home and crashed in the process, killing her sibling. Karen's father kicked her out and she made the journey to New York, desperately trying to escape her past.
Sister Maggie's True Identity
If you're a comic book fan, it's highly unlikely that this will have surprised you. As expected, Sister Maggie is revealed to be Matt Murdock's mother and we learn that she met his father during a boxing match she attended as a nun in training before falling pregnant. Unfortunately, she suffered from postpartum depression and Jack had no other choice than to turn to the church for help.
They took Maggie away and in a bid to atone for her sins, she once again became a nun, choosing not to interfere in Matt's life. Needless to say, the Man Without Fear is furious about this deception but ultimately manages to earn forgiveness from her son during the final episode.
Wilson Fisk Learns Daredevil's Secret
In a bid to find out what exactly Wilson Fisk is up to, Matt visits an old client in prison. However, things quickly go wrong when a nurse attempts to kill him and what follows is an incredible action sequence in which the hero is forced to try and fend off criminals and crooked prison guards alike.
Fisk is watching all of this and it simply confirms his suspicions that the blind lawyer is indeed Daredevil. Surprisingly, the show doesn't dedicate enough time to this plot threat as it probably should but this revelation definitely changes their relationship and sets the stage for the finale.
A Major Character Death
When Bullseye - dressed as Daredevil - attacks Father Lantom's church in a bid to kill Karen Page, we get a superb homage to Kevin Smith's "Guardian Devil" storyline when Matt Murdock's mentor steps in front of a billy club meant for Karen and dies in her arms (in the comics, it's Karen who takes that hit for Daredevil).
Lantom's final words are asking for Matt's forgiveness as this scene takes place shortly after the hero learned that he and Sister Maggie kept the fact that she's his father a secret from him.
Vanessa Returns
At first, Wilson Fisk makes a deal with the FBI in a bid to protect Vanessa from prosecution but when he's finally declared a free man, she returns to his life. However, there's something a little off about her and we soon learn that she wants to be involved in his criminal enterprises, going so far as to order the murder of an FBI agent who has tried to turn state witness on the criminal.
With this, she becomes every bit as complicit as her husband (they get married in the finale) but that helps Matt Murdock to strike a deal of sorts with the villain which we'll get to a little further down.
"The Kingpin"
I'm pretty sure we've heard Wilson Fisk referred to as the "Kingpin of Crime" before now but Daredevil season three takes that to the next level when we learn that the FBI agents under his control have given the villain the codename, "Kingpin." It's a nice nod to the comic books and a realistic way to finally give him the moniker which is so often associated with him in the comic books.
Daredevil Vs. Bullseye Vs. The Kingpin
The show's final battle doesn't disappoint as we see the Man Without Fear going to war with both Bullseye (suited up as Daredevil) and The Kingpin in the latter's penthouse apartment.
Throughout the course of this fight, Matt is forced to try and protect Vanessa as Bullseye attempts to take her out in a bid for revenge after he learns that Fisk ordered the woman he "loved" to be killed. Eventually, Fisk overpowers his FBI assassin and smashes him spine first into a wall.
With that, Matt finally manages to overpower his old foe and mercilessly beats him as Vanessa pleads with him to stop. Grabbing the villain's neck, the real Daredevil prepares to deliver a killing blow but stops at the very last minute...
Striking A Deal
Declaring that he won't kill The Kingpin and allow the villain to turn him into a monster too, Daredevil agonises over what to do next and is met with taunts about Fisk revealing his identity to the public. However, Matt makes it clear that he won't do that and he'll go back to prison because if he doesn't, the lawyer will tell everyone about what Vanessa did and ensure she's put behind bars.
Fisk has no other choice than to accept but you have to believe that if anything happens to Vanessa or if The Kingpin finally realises he's incapable of love, he will end up outing the costumed hero.
There's No Costume...
While I'm sure we can all agree that it would have been awesome if the finale had pitted Daredevil (back in his classic red costume) against Bullseye (in his own comic accurate suit), that doesn't happen. Instead, the Man Without Fear remains in his tattered black suit for the entirety of the season.
Bullseye, meanwhile, wears nothing other than the Daredevil costume so it seems as if we'll have to wait until season four before getting to see these two recreate their battles in the source material.
...Or Cameos
We learned beforehand that Daredevil season three wouldn't feature any of the characters from The Defenders and that proves to be the case. There's no sign of Luke Cage, Iron Fist, or Jessica Jones, and the latter only gets a brief mention during the finale.
The Punisher also doesn't appear but he is briefly referenced by Karen fairly early on. This is kind of a shame but, honestly, none of them are missed and it was definitely a smart decision to keep the focus on the Man Without Fear for these thirteen episodes.
Nelson, Murdock, & Page
In the closing moments of the finale, Matt Murdock finally reunites with his friends and seems to be recovering from the issues which plagued him for the entire season. Foggy Nelson, who has now dropped out of the race to become District Attorney and quit his high paid job, has a suggestion: Nelson, Murdock, & Page.
The latter - who was fired as a journalist earlier on in the season - will seemingly serve as a private investigator for the two lawyers who are planning on setting up shop in the back room of Foggy's brother's deli. In other words, the gang is back together and it's a heck of a lot of fun to see.
Bullseye Returns
When the police recover the defeated Bullseye, he tells them that he can't feel anything and this is obviously a nod to what happened to his comic book counterpart when he was paralysed by Daredevil. That's the last we see of him until the very end of the episode when we learn that he's undergoing spinal surgery which will presumably allow him to walk again.
Bizarrely, Dex opens his eyes during the surgery and we see the classic Bullseye logo reflected in his eyes, setting the stage for him to return in that persona during season four.