It wasn’t until the final episode of Season 1 that we finally got to see Daredevil don his iconic red suit in the Netflix Series, and for most fans it turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, especially given how well the Frank Miller inspired Black Ninja costume had worked for the first 12 episodes.
For Season 2 however, they have made several minor and major tweaks to the costume which have really worked wonders, resulting in a Daredevil costume which is both suitably grounded and realistic, and yet still instantly recognisable as The Man Without Fear.
Season 1, Episode 13 – Mask
There are several things which are instantly off-putting about the mask from Season 1 – not least the high angular arches over the eyes, as well as the protruding covers over his ears which are reminiscent of Captain America’s similarly awkward looking headgear from the first Avengers Movie.
Season 2, Episodes 1 to 3 – Mask
Whilst essentially the same design as Season 1, they appear to have made several minor adjustments to the mask's colour scheme which results in a vastly improved look for the first few episodes of Season 2.
The face portion of the mask is now a darker, matt black colour, which really helps to bring the eyes out more and draw attention away from the arches. Overall the helmet also just seems to fit the actor much better and looks far less goofy in action than it did previously.
Season 2, Episodes 4 to 13 – Mask
After Daredevil’s bruising encounters with The Punisher in the first few episodes of Season 2, Daredevil returns to Melvin Potter’s workshop to get a new mask, and receives a vastly improved design in return.
Gone are the high angular arches over the eyes, and gone are the coverings over the ears – a design change not too dissimilar to those made to Captain America’s helmet in between the two Avengers movies. We also now have a consistent red colouring across the helmet, and the eyes too are now a metallic red colour which really help to give life to the mask as they glint in the light.
Season 1, Episode 13 – Suit
The changes made to the actual suit throughout the series appear to be much more minor in comparison to the mask, however there are several alterations that have been made which really help to improve Daredevil’s overall look.
For Season 1, the suit has a somewhat lumpy look to it, with the contrast between the red and black portions of the suit giving it something of an uneven design. Overall it looks more like a collection of odd bits of tactical gear that has been thrown together, rather than a cohesive superhero suit, though that is perhaps kind of the point.
Season 2, Episodes 1 to 3 – Suit
At first glance there does not appear to be many changes made to the suit portion of Daredevil’s costume for the first few episodes of Season 2, however they do appear to have toned down the colours a bit, giving it more of a muted look. As a result, the red and black elements are much less contrasting, and the armoured portions of the suit also appear to be much less bulky.
The end result appears to be a suit which is much more cohesive in design terms. Granted, much of this could be due to the fact that they worked out better ways to light and shoot the costume in between series, but to my admittedly untrained eye there do appear to be some slight amendments made.
Season 2, Episodes 4 to 13 - Suit
Again, at first glance there does not appear to be a whole lot different to his actual suit for the latter episodes of Season 2, though the armour plating on either shoulder now appears to be red rather than black, and the straps across the top of his shoulders also now appears to be red rather than black.
The gloves that Melvin Potter provides Daredevil with are also much more bulky, and as Charlie Cox
explains in an interview, there are also changes to the lower half of the suit – “
there is more of a combat-y feel to it, that is more reminiscent of the cargo pants in the first series. So the lower portion of the suit is slightly baggier, and we go back to the old combat boots”.
The end result of both changes is to give Daredevil a much bigger, more muscular looking frame, which makes him far more of an intimidating presence on screen than he did on his first appearance.
What did you think of the changes made to Daredevils costume throughout Season 2?
What further tweaks or amendments would you like to see them make for Season 3?