Netflix’s Daredevil will always be a show that will be remembered for being way ahead of its time. The show gave us some really amazing moments. There are certainly some things that we would have wanted for the show to have. And some we would have died before letting the show runners even consider.
Better: Reference to Daredevil’s Original TV Appearance
Charlie Cox was made to play Daredevil. The way he effortlessly portrays Matt Murdock on screen is something no actor in the industry could have pulled off. But he was not the first actor to play Daredevil for the small screens. In the 1989 TV Movie The Incredible Hulk Rex Smith dons the black Daredevil suit and partners up with the Hulk to fight evil. Throughout the entire three season of the show, Rex Smith was not even given a passing reference. A mention of Smith’s work would have made for a good parting gift. Maybe Smith could have been featured in one of the episodes in a guest or cameo appearance.
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Not Better: His Original Yellow Costume
Daredevil has used two suits in the series. The Black Suit is more tactical and helps him use the element of stealth while trying to sneak into an enemy facility or take down his foes quietly. His Red devil horned suit had more protection and room for more equipment. But in the comic books, there is one other suit Daredevil has used. The infamous Yellow suit was the first costume worn by Matt Murdock as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. It was flashy and gave away Daredevil’s position from a mile away. The yellow suit would have made Daredevil the laughing stock of the viewers.
Better: Partnering with Spider-Man
Both operate in the city of New York. While Spider-Man sticks to his corner of NYC, Matt sticks to Hell’s Kitchen. But given their line of work, Matt and Peter were bound to run into each other one day. Spider-Man and Daredevil meet for the first time in an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man released decades earlier. Daredevil used his radar sense to listen to Spider-Man’s heart beat and decipher his identity. Now that is just pure friendship right there.
Not Better: His Marriage with Karen Page
Karen Page has been a pillar for Matt Murdock ever since the series began. For the entire three seasons of the show, Karen has been by Matt’s side as a staunch ally. In the comic books, Karen Page and Matt have eventually become a couple and married, only for them to break it off and go their separate ways. This plot line would have made the show into a cliche romantic drama. And we want none of that.
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Better: Daredevil’s Evil Twin Brother
During Marvel’s Infinity War saga, the villain Magus created several evil duplicates of major Marvel heroes. Daredevil’s evil doppelganger came in the form of the demonic Hell-Spawn. While Matt is called the Devil of Hell’s kitchen only on metaphorical terms, Hell-Spawn was an actual devil. Daredevil had to team up with Elektra Natchios to take down Hell-Spawn, a being not even Daredevil’s radar sense could see. The show could have introduced Hell-Spawn as an evil sibling or old childhood friend of Daredevil. This could have added an incredible sub-plot to the Daredevil trilogy series.
Not Better: Becoming an Avenger
The Avengers are the world’s mightiest heroes. They generally reserve their skills to fight high profile threats that could endanger the entire planet or the universe. Daredevil is a street level hero. He fights for protecting the little guy on the street. He would not fit well to fighting alongside the Avengers. In the comics, Captain America has offered Matt Murdock a spot on the prestigious team multiple times. Matt has refused every time. He is better serving as the leader of the Defenders rather than a supporting member of the Avengers.
Better: Moving to San Francisco
Daredevil is the Guardian Angel of New York. He belongs in Hell’s Kitchen. Taking Matt anywhere else but there is nothing short of blasphemy. But the comics have already done it. A recently concluded Daredevil limited issue arc took Matt Murdock to San Francisco. He shifted there to be with his new girlfriend Black Widow. Daredevil did not know the city’s lay out and had trouble adjusting to the vigilante life in the new city. The Bay was not good to him. So Daredevil returned back to New York. The struggle of Daredevil in an entirely new place where he has to start from scratch sounds very interesting. It should have been given a try. Netflix could have shifted to this gear early on.
Not Better: His Womanizing Talents
Matt Murdock has a terrible history of being a play boy and a ladies man. In the comic books, Matt is constantly accused by women of using them and taking their emotions for granted. Matt claims that his life as a vigilante is the reason he could never settle down. To some extent, it makes sense. He does not want to get too attached to a woman and later see her being used as leverage by a super villain. But Matt takes this thing too far. He constantly fools around with many women including his clients and secretaries. This in turn tarnishes the image of the Daredevil and we would not have wanted any of that in the show.
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Better: Battling Depression
Of all the superheroes of Marvel that have been adapted for the big and small screens, Daredevil has been the one with the most amount of layers. Matt Murdock is a complex character who battles a range of emotions while he plays the role of the costumed protector of Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil has seen the people he loved being murdered right in front of his eyes, has been possessed by demonic warlords, fought Criminal Empires and watched the horrors being inflicted upon his personal and professional life by the Kingpin, as well as a host of other tragedies. Going through this much has to take its toll on the Man without Fear. Battling Clinical Depression would be a good way of adding another layer to the Devil.
Not Better: Getting His Sight Back
Daredevil was not always blind. There were times when Daredevil’s visual impairment was shooed away. Daredevil and his radar sense are akin to Wolverine and his claws or Iron Man and his suit. It is a part of his identity. So removing the defining trait of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen sure sounds interesting but it would have impacted the character development of Matt Murdock in the long run. In the comic books, a powerful telepath called Moon Dragon used her psychic powers to restore Daredevil’s vision. When Daredevil was possessed by the Uni-Power, his sight was again restored. These things would not have worked in the show. Daredevil’s blindness makes him a beacon for the visually challenged.
