Before Daredevil became one of the most grounded and popular shows in the Marvel universe, the Man Without Fear was almost doomed to a very different release on the big screen, with a much grittier tone than the MCU was prepared to accept at the time.
The Daredevil Movie We Never Got Sounds Darker Than MCU Ever Was
Recently, writer and producer Drew Goddard disclosed that his initial idea of Daredevil was not a TV series. Rather, he had sold a two-part film franchise about Matt Murdock, one that would be heavily R-rated.
“I was always like, ‘Why aren’t you making Daredevil the movie? I don’t understand.’ I think there was concern that it was too adult. The Marvel model at that time was definitely not a play to adults,” he shared on the Happy Sad podcast.
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The notion of a darker, more adult-oriented superhero movie just did not fit the formula at a time when Marvel Studios was establishing its brand with blockbusters like ‘The Avengers’. The idea of Goddard was quite simple, but very strong.
The initial movie would feature Daredevil battling Kingpin, and it would be a grounded crime story set in Hell’s Kitchen. The sequel, though, is where it would have gone out of proportion, with Punisher as the main antagonist.
The conflict between Daredevil and Punisher has always been one of the most interesting moral conflicts in Marvel. Goddard himself was obviously attracted to that conflict, and he underlines the thrill of having heroes to fight each other instead of a conventional villain. Ironically, the films never came to fruition. However, that very dynamic later made its way into the Netflix series.
Why The Netflix Series Was The Right Move
In retrospect, it is difficult to disagree with the direction that Marvel eventually took. The extended narrative of Daredevil allowed characters to breathe in a manner that a two-hour movie could not.
Throughout several episodes, viewers were able to watch Matt Murdock falter, fail, and develop. This made him much more human than most big-screen heroes.
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It also assisted in the introduction of Charlie Cox into the role, which has since become iconic. His depiction now compares to other roles like Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Chris Evans as Captain America. This is high praise in a world of larger-than-life characters.
Would an R-rated Daredevil movie have been successful? Possibly. However, it was not the right time.
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