Blind Rage
An angry Matt Murdock confronts his inner demons in the new series of Daredevil
WE LAST SAW blind lawyer and Hell’s Kitchen vigilante Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, in The Defenders series finale when he joined forces with fellow heroes Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage to fight supervillain The Hand.
Things ended badly, however, when a building collapsed around Matt and former lover Elektra. Fortunately, Matt survived, and, as Daredevil returns for a third season on Netflix, we find him being nursed back to health by an order of nuns, including tough Sister Maggie.
‘When we meet Matt at the beginning of this season, he’s basically dead,’ says Charlie Cox, who plays him. ‘Early on, there’s a point where he’s convinced that he will not be able to continue to operate as Daredevil any more. He can’t function that way.’
KEEPING FAITH
As Matt continues to battle his inner demons, his strong Catholic faith takes a massive hit.
‘He still believes in God, but he now sees Him as a punishing God – cynical and almost vindictive,’ Cox reveals. ‘Hopefully, Matt will come back from that, but early on, at least, he’s angry. He feels let down. If you’re someone who
believes he was given this gift in order to help, and then that is taken away, it throws everything into question.’
This season, Vincent D’onofrio is back as villain Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, who’s just been released from prison after being locked up since the end of the first season.
Meanwhile, British actress Joanne Whalley, who’s best-known for The Singing Detective and Edge of Darkness, joins the cast to play Sister Maggie.
‘I was thrilled when she was cast. As a fellow Brit, I’m a fan,’ says Cox.
MUM’S THE WORD
In the comic books, Maggie turns out to be Matt’s estranged mother, but Cox is keeping quiet as to whether the series follows suit.
‘I’m excited for the fans to see their relationship,’ he smiles. ‘Some people will think that they know who Maggie is to Matt – but whether they turn out to be right or wrong, it will still be interesting to watch that dynamic.’