The exciting plans that had been cooked up forDaredevilseason 4 and 5 make me wish that we’d gotten further seasons of the original show - though I’m gratefulDaredevil: Born Againmakes one of these storylines a reality so many years later. As a whole, superhero shows either tend to continue for a massive number of seasons, or be limited to a far shorter run of one to three seasons. While both approaches have had some major successes, this does mean the genre is split between two very contrasting approaches, and not always to its own benefit.
For example, the MCU’s decision to at first give its shows only a single season received criticism for limiting the franchise’s storytelling capabilities in this format, and for undermining potential audience engagement, since viewers had less time to build an affinity with specific releases before they came to a conclusion. However, the MCU’s early shows were by no means the first times people lamented a superhero show ending before it perhaps needed to, as evidenced by the calls forDaredevilto get further seasons or a different follow-up after the show was limited to three seasons.
Daredevil’s Original Netflix Story Ran For 3 Seasons
Until its new 2025 follow-up - and the cameos that pre-dated it inthe MCU timeline- the story of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil was told entirely between three seasons ofDaredeviland the vigilante’s role inThe Defenders, which takes place betweenDaredevilseason 2 and 3. With each season ofDaredevilhaving 13 episodes, and each episode being between 45 minutes and an hour long, the series had plenty of time to tell Matt Murdock’s hero story, and provided a thrilling look into his life and escalating tensions with Vincent D’Onofrio’s iconic version of Kingpin.
However, the show being three seasons wasn’t the plan from the start for the series. Indeed, even watchingDaredevilseason 3 now gives the impression there may have been plans for further chapters of the show, if only because the story ends on a massive cliffhanger, with Benjamin Poindexter seemingly getting the experimental spinal surgery that would finally transform him into the Marvel show’s version of the comic villain Bullseye, and make him an even more dangerous opponent for Matt Murdock to face.
After the cancelation ofLuke CageandIron Fistafter two seasons each respectively,Daredevilwas similarly limited to three seasons, asit was confirmed in November 2018 that the show would not return for any further chapters after season 3, withDeadlinereporting that this news came two weeks after showrunner Erik Oleson had posted on social media about having just pitchedDaredevilseason 4. Unsurprisingly, this means some big plans for the show were ultimately unused.
In an interview betweenDaredevilseason 1 showrunner Steven DeKnight and season 3 showrunner Erik Oleson for 2020’s#SaveDaredevilCon, the pair discussed much about the iconic Marvel show, which included Oleson detailing some of the ideas and intentions they’d had for continuing past season 3 with the story.Oleson revealed that there were plans for Bullseye to return in season 5 after some presumable in-universe recovery time from his spinal surgery, with season 4 instead having its own version of Typhoid Mary and the son of season 1 villain Leland Owlsley, who becomes The Owl to avenge his father.
This all paints a fascinating picture for whatDaredevilseason 4 and 5 could have held - allowing for more of Daredevil’s villain roster to be fleshed out, and enabling the franchise to adapt some fascinating comic stories. With Kingpin seemingly in jail for some time followingDaredevilseason 3’s ending, the fact The Owl has tried to establish himself as the new Kingpin in the comics seems like it could have held weight for the show, and Typhoid Mary’s complicated comic relationship with Daredevil also seems like it would have perfectly fit in with the show’s world and story.
Indeed, Oleson referencing that the plans for the Typhoid Mary storyline would have been a “warped love story/murder mystery” does seem to suggest the story would have veered in this direction, adding more emotional weight and tension to the narrative alongside the seemingly more solely physical threat of Owlsley in his no doubt blood-soaked quest for revenge. As it stands, though, only one part of these plans has come to fruition in the years since they were thought up and then had to be abandoned.
Daredevil’s Season 5 Plan Did End Up Being Adapted In A Sense With Daredevil: Born Again
While the other parts of the prospective plans forDaredevilseason 4 and 5 have remained basically untouched currently,Bullseye’sDaredevil: Born Againreturn does serve as a kind of adaptation of the plan to bring him back later inDaredevilseason 5’s story. Though it’s not clear how much time would have passed betweenDaredevilseason 3 and 5 - and it’s almost certain thatDaredevil: Born Againhas a bigger timeskip out of necessity due to the show’s successor coming back so much later - Bullseye does still return to screens after having time away to recover and recalibrate here.
Indeed,Daredevil: Born Againseason 1, episode 1underlines the danger Bullseye poses after his experimental surgery in a major way. While it’s not made clear whether this surgery gave him the sort of upgrade his comic counterpart got - as he was enhanced with adamantium to reinforce his bones after taking similar damage to hisDaredevilseason 3 - Bullseye’s hatred for Daredevil and his allies sees him kill Foggy Nelson in the show’s debut episode, cementing him as one of Matt Murdock’s most hated enemies.
Though this isn’t the exact same as gettingDaredevilseason 5, being able to see a version of the plans that were cooked up for future chapters ofDaredevilthat never came to be is still far more satisfying than never seeing them come to fruition. It’s also a move that makesDaredevil: Born Againseem all the more promising, since it can continue to follow up on this cliffhanger further, and could even adapt other aspects of the unused plans forDaredevilseason 4 and 5 as well, despite the MCU series coming all these years after the original.
Daredevil: Born Againseason 1 is set to release weekly until June 22, 2025.
