The original Daredevil Season 1 (2015) was among the first of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s TV shows. In those early days, the shows were spread around. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all received their own series, combining in the end for a Defenders limited series. Daredevil Season 1 was directed by Steven DeKnight, with Drew Goddard serving as showrunner and featuring writers such as Christos Gage.

Daredevil was released in my first year of university. The first trailer revealed that it sent shivers down my spine, as I saw the comic series come to life. Daredevil is my favourite superhero, elevated high above all others. When it released, I consumed every one of the 13 episodes in one go. It consumed my life for a full day. Since then, Marvel has released many more limited series and TV shows, now using their own streaming service in Disney+. And none have had the acclaim nor matched the personal feeling that Daredevil Season 1 did. So what was it that made the first venture with Marvel television so impressive, and why is it so hard to do that again?

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The plot is close to perfect, brilliantly circular and self-contained. Matt Murdock is not yet Daredevil. He goes out at nighttime, brutally beating gangsters, drug dealers, human traffickers and more. By day, he’s a poor lawyer, struggling to make ends meet with his partner, Foggy Nelson. They stumble onto a conspiracy that feeds through the fabric of New York. A series of crime families have joined together, led by Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. The plot opens slowly, letting the pieces take their position.

The origin of Matt’s powers and troubled upbringing are unveiled slowly, only shown when needed underneath the main story. Daredevil Season 1 is a true chess match, with Daredevil as a sole pawn against a master who controls the entire board. The story is grounded and gripping, existing in a darkness that feels bottomless and haunting.

Daredevil Season 1 (2015) was different from anything else in Marvel’s TV lineup.

Daredevil is separate from anything else seen on superhero TV shows. Nothing else within the MCU possessed this tone before. And what seems to set it aside from more recent attempts at Marvel TV shows is that it sticks the landing. The ending feels complete.

One by one, the other villains are removed from the board, taken out by either side. By the end, it leads to a final showdown between two characters who have gone through a journey to become something else by the end. All of the most crucial stories are wrapped up, and there is a satisfying, positive, and rewarding ending, even after so much pain.

The characters are phenomenal, embodying the varied personas of their comic book counterparts and making them all real. At the heart of Daredevil Season 1 is Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, the three members of the law firm, played by Charlie Cox, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll. This trio is the core of the series, and all are wonderfully portrayed with delicacy and depth. There are many moments when the characters talk, and the dialogue is beautifully written and delivered.

When the team is drinking together or musing over evidence, the chemistry is calm and consistent, with a warmth that draws you in. The pressure builds, and the actors beautifully show that exhaustion as the season progresses. With what they experience, the show can leave you feeling depressed and even physically ill. However, the characters’ strength and realism keep viewers engrossed and entertained.

Charlie Cox became synonymous with Daredevil.

Cox’s performance, in particular, is sensational. It’s a physically arduous role, especially due to the character’s disability. Although he has enhanced senses that give him a form of vision, Matt Murdock is blind. His eyes are damaged beyond repair. Cox is diligent in acting physically blind. He can’t react to things by looking at them or see when he’s trying to pick things up. The dedication to adjusting every move he makes is extraordinary acting.

So many other details of the performance make Cox a tremendously talented actor. He can be scary and imposing when interrogating a criminal or facing off against the worst people Hell’s Kitchen has to offer. He becomes an action star. Even when most of his face is obscured by a black mask, he can still show so much with his jaw and posture. He is also vulnerable and beaten down throughout the show to the point where he can barely stand. And when his voice breaks, and he falls apart, so do the viewers.

Cox is now ingrained within Daredevil’s history. He is as iconic and synonymous as Hugh Jackman is as Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and the other most famous castings. He adores playing the character, which can be seen by his devotion to keep playing him. Through studio politics, Cox has remained. Even when the show’s survival was up in the air, he appeared in She-Hulk and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He has a genuine love for Daredevil.

On the opposite side of the coin is Kingpin. Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of the crime boss was a staggering surprise. When you first see him, he has the look. He’s huge and bald and chills you to the core just by looking at him. But when he talks, he is softly spoken and gentle. Fisk can be loving and considerate, and is deeply devoted to Vanessa, whom he rapidly falls in love with as the show progresses. But when he flips, oh boy does he turn terrifying. It’s very difficult to suggest he’s a relatable villain, but he has rich depth and understandable reasons for why he turns into a feral, barbaric monster.

Fisk is an all-time great villain in Daredevil Season 1.

The volume goes up, and Fisk is a dangerous juggernaut who cannot be stopped. He gets more volatile and unpredictable as his empire begins to fall. He is easily the best villain in the MCU. Not just in the TV shows but across the whole empire. Both actors have absolutely embodied their characters. When they meet, the intensity is heart-pounding and hanging off every word is easy. At the start of the season, Matt Murdock is not Daredevil, and Wilson Fisk is not Kingpin. But they both make the journey together to embrace those identities.

Daredevil Season 1 is famous for its fight scenes, especially one in particular. When going to rescue a kidnapped child, Daredevil triggers a fight in a hallway that becomes a sprawling brawl. There are flips, kicks, throws, and dozens of punches. What is unique is that the fight is all in one shot. The characters and camera constantly move, spin, and turn around as Daredevil takes on a seemingly endless number of Russians. It goes on for ages and jaws get closer and closer to the floor at the sheer majesty of it all.

Stunt coordinator Philip J. Silvera deserves credit for the genius approach, as does Cox’s stunt double Chris Brewster who was at the centre of most of it. Every episode has a conflict, often more than one, that are pivotal to the storytelling. Daredevil’s athletic fighting style is fully realised on screen with a violent ferocity. And the hits damage both Daredevil and the villains, making the show authentic and grounded. Some of the injuries and deaths are truly stomach-churning, making a stand that says that it’s not the family-friendly outing that the MCU movies often are.

Something that should be considered is that Daredevil set the tone for the rest of the Netflix series. Many of the subsequent shows, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, borrow so much from that first outing. The twists happen in the same place in the show, and there are similarities in how the villains are written. And the corridor seen is replicated and homaged many times. Defenders could be considered a culmination of many story threats that began in Daredevil, and the whole miniseries felt largely like a sequel to that first season.

Daredevil Season 1 is all-around one of the greatest superhero adaptations.

Daredevil Season 1 is one of the greatest superhero adaptations. It feels like the comic book pages have been translated and transformed perfectly. The things you wanted to see on screen are done so stunningly. It’s a perfect mix of characters, plot, tone and production. The other shows on Disney+ have their merits. They’ve had fascinating concepts, great casting and high entertainment value. However, so many of the limited series on Disney+ have struggled to make that cultural and personal impact.

For one, they’re not long enough. Daredevil had 13 episodes, and the metaphorical chess match was beautifully stretched. You could get close to the characters. Now, the new shows are squeezed into 6-8 episodes, with a few reaching 9. For those smaller series, it’s harder to get engaged with the characters and get ready for an epic story that is over so soon.

The Disney+ shows are all trying to create avenues and cross bridges between movies and other MCU projects. They have to provide set ups and cliffhangers. Some of their questions have been left unanswered, with studio politics changing the creative direction of the MCU (which led to the ultimate death of the Netflix shows too, until Daredevil: Born Again). And how many of the shows have failed to make an impressive ending? Daredevil Season 1 felt complete. If the show had ended after the last episode, it would have been circular, self-contained and complete. None of the newer shows can claim that.

As someone who prefers superhero TV shows over movies, I have been looking for something like Daredevil Season 1 to grip me like it did all those years ago. The other Marvel shows haven’t been scratching that itch because they miss at least one thing that the first venture has in abundance. Even subsequent seasons of Daredevil, whilst still amazing, pale in comparison. Daredevil: Born Again cannot match that hype, and it would be harsh to expect that. But if it comes anywhere close, that can be deemed a success.

Daredevil Season 1 and the other Marvel shows are available on Disney+.