15 Things You Didn’t Know About Netflix’s Daredevil Series

It is seriously hot in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and we are definitely feeling the heat of the Netflix series Daredevil. Since the show was released it became an instant hit, having viewers warm up to the idea of Charlie Cox portraying Matt Murdock, a lawyer by day, vigilante by night. And it’s not just his devilish good looks that keep the viewers coming back for more.

From epic fight scenes, to heavy hitting villains, this show has proven it is a solid knockout. No one was blindsided when they saw the huge effect the series had on millions of people worldwide. Season 1 and 2 were everything we could have asked for and the show has already been renewed for a third season. While the anticipation might be killing some of you out there, here are some eye opening secrets about Netflix’s Daredevil that you may have not known, a few tasty morsels to keep your appetite wet while you eagerly await Season 3.

Here are 15 Secrets About Netflix’s Daredevil Series.

15 Charlie Cox Was Given A Helen Keller Achievement Award

Since the release of Netflix’s Daredevil series, it has not only caught the eyes of millions of viewers, but also grabbed the attention of The American Foundation for the Blind. During their 19th Annual Helen Keller Achievement Awards in New York City, Charlie Cox was praised for his performance. Daredevil was also the first Netflix show to offer audio description to its viewers. For those of you who are unaware, audio description verbally explains the visuals of what is happening on-screen, in between the dialogue. This has helped raise awareness of availability and accessibility issues for the blind.

Charlie Cox explained during his acceptance speech at the event that he has gotten a huge number of emails and letters from people who are a part of the blind community and who have been experiencing vision loss. Doing this show has also been very eye opening for him as well, since he isn’t not blind and has never portrayed a character in that light before. An “enlightening” experience for him, one might say.

14 Daredevil Is The First Step To The Defenders

Daredevil is the first of many Netflix series that will lead up to a TV show called The Defenders, which is set to premiere in 2017. The show will include not only Daredevil (Charlie Cox) but also Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones).  Luke Cage and Iron Fist are set to have their own TV series in the future.

In fact, Luke Cage started filming in New York City in September of last year and concluded March 2016. All episodes are set to premiere on Netflix on September 30, 2016. As for Iron Fist, the exact release date is still unknown, but it is believed to be released sometime in 2017. Jessica Jones has already been a huge hit with audience viewers and you can find the complete first season of the show on Netflix now. As for season two, the release date is still unsure. And Daredevil himself? Fans may have to wait until 2018 until they can see their blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night, kick some serious ass!

13 Charlie Cox Is The First Non-American Actor To Play Daredevil

Although Charlie Cox is the third actor to portray Matt Murdock on screen, he is in fact the first actor who isn’t American to do so. Charlie Cox happens to be British. He has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Prior to him, Ben Affleck played the hero in the 2003 Daredevil movie that many of us cannot forget, but might wish we could. Rex Smith also played the vigilante in the 1989 television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. In this movie, Smith actually wears a black costume, instead of the traditional red. Very Batman.

Although Charlie Cox happens to be British, there is something pretty prestigious about the 33-year-old. He is a descendant of British nobility. He is descended from many prominent figures such as Royal Navy captain Frederick Lewis Maitland, the Colonial Governor of New York, and many more. We hail you Charlie! Oh and we also hail you for pulling off that tight, red, leather suit so, so well. Cheers, mate!

12 The Three Minute Hallway Fight Scene Is One Continuous Shot

In this dark and brutal show we see a hero get beaten as often as the criminals he pursues. We see a man with enhanced senses, strength, speed, agility and endurance. We see him jump from rooftops, a blur in the shadows, a ghost in the night. We all see insane and incredible fight scenes and stunts. One in particular is the brutal hallway fight in season 1, episode 2. In the final minutes of episode 2, Matt Murdock tries to save a missing boy by taking on a whole gang. This three minute fight scene is actually one extended shot. Yes, you read that correctly, one shot! By the end of the fight, we see Daredevil bloodied and bruised, but victorious.

The crew had two days of rehearsal before they shot the scene. Normally for a fight scene like that they get about a week or two of prep. Charlie Cox did most of the fighting himself. His stunt double did appear here and there for things that are outside of Charlie’s training and ability, but for the most part, it really is him in that hallway fight.

11 Matt Murdock’s Hair Is Brown Rather Than Red

The Netflix series Daredevil has been trying to stick to the look of the comics as much as possible and for the most part they have nailed it. Portraying him as a devout Catholic, who is blind, jumps from rooftops, fights criminals, and feels guilt, they have hit all of those traits right on the money. But when it comes to the red hair– that is one thing they got wrong.

In the Daredevil comics Matt Murdock’s hair has always been distinguishably red. However, in the Netflix series, his hair happens to be brown. The show tried making Charlie Cox dye his hair to match the comics but he thought it looked too weird on him. For those of you out there who prefer the red hair to the brown, it will not be changing anytime soon. But hey, let’s face it, the man has phenomenal hair. That thick dark mane is always gorgeous and flowing, perfectly coiffed in all those death and life situations. I think we can all agree on that one.

10 Charlie Cox Worked With A Blind Coach

Portraying a blind character is no easy task if you are not blind yourself. Charlie Cox knows this first hand since he has to portray Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer by day, superhero by night. However, he actually had no idea that the character was blind. It was not until the day before the audition that he realized this. Since he was taking on such a huge and difficult role, before shooting season 1 of Daredevil, he’s worked closely with a blind coach.

A man named Joe Strechay, who has been legally blind for 20 years, took Charlie Cox under his wing. Cox observed his trainer’s cane movement and technique, as well as what he did with his eyes, especially while talking to someone. He noticed that his blind coach’s eyes would ‘look’ at people’s mouths, where the sound of their voice was coming from. So Cox tried to include that in his acting. He also tried wearing contacts lenses that looked just like his eyes but made so he could not see anything out of them. After takes people would have to come and grab him and sit him down to get him out of the way. After a couple of days, he decided to ditch the contacts and not use them at all. Cox also tried practicing stunts with a blindfold on to improve his coordination.

9 Deborah Ann Woll’s Boyfriend Is Going Blind In Real Life

All good superhero shows have to have a love interest. The woman who fills this role in Daredevil is the brilliant and beautiful Karen Page, played by actress Deborah Ann Woll. Matt Murdock relies on her and his friend Foggy Nelson, who is played by Elden Henson, to help him protect Hell’s Kitchen. In the last few minutes of the season-two finale, Matt Murdock revealed his crime-fighting alter ego to his now ex-girlfriend, Karen. Leaving it with a cliffhanger, the camera cuts to the next scene before we can see her reaction.

Having to portray a character in a series whose on and off again boyfriend is blind, Deborah Ann Woll is also becoming familiar with this off camera. The role is now personal. Her boyfriend of seven years, EJ Scott, has a rare genetic disease called choroideremia, which is causing him to go blind. There is no cure for this disease. Although Woll is devastated by knowing it will only get worse, she believes in staying positive and that her boyfriend is not defined by his sight. Same with the character Daredevil, we’re not meant to pity him, but we are also not supposed to just ignore the fact that he is blind. He is very capable and Woll is determined to see that shine through in a realistic way on screen.

8 Both Matt Murdock And Charlie Cox Were Raised Catholic

One of the main characteristics of Daredevil, which is portrayed not only in the comics but also on the show, is that he was raised a devout Catholic. Portraying a blind man is definitely a stretch for Charlie Cox, but not so when it comes to portraying his religion. Cox was in fact raised Catholic.

In the show Matt Murdock is a true believer in Catholicism and often visits a priest to relieve his feelings of guilt. He also beats criminals to a pulp in dark alleyways at night, but never actually kills them. That is one thing that Daredevil believes in, trying to stay true to his faith the best way he can. But in season two, when Frank Castle (John Bernthal), AKA The Punisher, comes along, he disrupts the peace that Matt had between his faith and fighting criminals. Since Charlie Cox is Catholic himself it has helped him relate to the character more.

7 The Series Became The Second Most Pirated Show A Week After Its Debut

Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Any fan of a TV show knows this feeling when they cannot find a website to watch their favorite series legally online. Matt Murdock may stop crime in Hell’s Kitchen, but no one could stop the crime of people pirating the show after its launch. Just a couple weeks after season 1 was out it, became the second-most pirated show in the world– after Game of Thrones. Brazil had the most downloads of Netflix’s original show, with India taking second and the United States coming in third. The show had 2.1 million downloads while Game of Throne had 6.5 million.

There are many people out there with a Netflix account who share their password with friends, family, neighbors, and vigilantes. But piracy is still taking place, especially for the people who sadly do not have Netflix. Although it is unknown when season three of the Netflix original series Daredevil is going to be released, or how many people are going to pirate the episodes, one thing is known for sure. Viewers will go to lengths of piracy to get it. Perhaps – just for the hell of it. Pun intended!

6 Charlie Cox Had Never Read The Comics Before

Most superhero fans have probably read some of the comics here and there. Many actors who portray such heroes, whether it is in movies or TV shows, have read some of the comics themselves too. For example, Grant Gustin, who plays The Flash, is a huge fan of the character and read many Flash and Superman comics as a kid. However, when it comes to Charlie Cox, who plays Daredevil, he’d never read any of the comics before the show started. He had never seen the 2003 movie either that stars Ben Affleck. It’s okay, we’ll let that one slide. He wasn’t missing too much.

Once the series got started, Cox immersed himself into the comics and the history of the character. He then believed it was a good thing that he had no knowledge about the comics because it allowed him to not come up with any biased ideas about Daredevil himself.

5 Deborah Ann Woll Had Also Never Read The Comics Before

Charlie Cox was not the only actor on Daredevil who had never read the comics before the show started. Deborah Ann Woll was unfamiliar with the story as well. Woll is probably best known for her role as Jessica Hamby in the HBO drama series True Blood. Taking a huge bite of this deliciously sweet Netflix series, she is the leading lady and the main love interest, Karen Page.

When Woll first got the job, she started to read the beginning of the comics and the storylines that revolved around the Karen Page character. She also read a few series that she knew the show was going to bring up and base storylines around. Another interesting fact about Woll is that she never watches her own work. You may not be watching your work on the show Deborah, but we definitely are. And we have to say, keep up the good work! You don’t know what you’re missing!

4 Scott Glenn Is The First American Actor To Play Stick

Sometimes even the best superheroes did not start off super. Many of them needed some training. Many needed their own sensei. We can see this when it comes to Batman, who was trained under Ra’s al Ghul. We can even see it when it comes to Daredevil, who was taught by Stick. Stick is also blind like Matt Murdock, and trained him at a pretty young age.

In the 2005 movie Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner, Stick is played by British actor Terence Stamp. In the Netflix original series, Scott Glenn is the first American actor to play that character. Glenn makes a striking impression (yes, pun intended again) as the blind teacher who uses his cane to strike someone any chance he gets. Falling in love with the character was pretty easy for him and having background in different kinds of martial arts made the role a bit easier. When it comes to this character, Scott Glenn is a knockout.

3 There’s More Than Meets The Eye In That Prison Fight Scene

If one thing is for sure, Daredevil knows how to pull of insane stunts and brutal fighting scenes. But in season 2, episode 9, “Seven Minutes in Heaven”, there is one hell of a brawl. Brutal would have to be an understatement. It is probably the best Punisher fight scene we have seen on this show so far. Locked in one of the wings in the prison, the Punisher (Frank Castle), played by Jon Bernthal, makes his way past numerous men. He beats them to a pulp, he slices a guy’s head with an axe, and even rips someone’s eye out with his bare hands. In the end, we are left with a man covered in bruises, blood and bodies; dead bodies.

But if you look closely at Frank’s chest when he pushes a body off of him, at the very end of the scene, the blood stains on his white jumpsuit reveal a Punisher skull. Marvel has recently announced that Marvel’s The Punisher is getting his own TV series, set to premiere in the fall of 2017 or early 2018.

2 In Season 1, Fisk Is Never Referred To As “Kingpin”

Vincent D’Onofrio did an incredible job and gave a overall phenomenal performance when it came to playing the character Wilson Fisk on Daredevil. He started off as a quiet, shy man until the first season began to lend light to the range that was underneath.  Like a waterfall of rage waiting to erupt, D’Onofrio is one of the finest character actors out there, with a stellar ability to show “maintained rage” in his hulking figure and circumspect demeanor.  By the final few episodes, we see a man who can beat people to a bloody pulp with his bare hands. A man with a disguise all his own; his hatred for Daredevil.

Everything about his performance was spot on. The only thing that was missing was the iconic white suit that Fisk is famous for in the comics. In season 1 he is never shown wearing it. He is also never referred to as “Kingpin”. This is all because the show was portraying the origin of the story, how he becomes Kingpin.

1 Charlie Cox Performs Most Of His Own Stunts

If portraying a blind man was not hard enough, Charlie Cox goes above and beyond once again by performing most of his own stunts. What can’t this man do? Cox would learn as much of the stunts as possible and perform them. Of course there are things his body cannot physically do, such as many of the flips that occur in the show. That is when his stunt double, Chris Brewster, takes over. Cox does anything from parkour, getting punched and beaten up, to even crashing into tables. His stunt double said Cox is also better at throwing the batons than he is.

During that complicated stairwell fight, Cox did most of his stunts. He has said, however, that the suit can get very hot and sweaty when performing vigorous scenes like that. Many of us work up a sweat of our own just watching you. Keep up the good work Charlie

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Wel,l there you have it. But if you know some other secrets that we don’t please let us know in the comment box below!

Daredevil’s season 3 release date is still unknown and is expected to come out in late 2017 or early 2018. But have no fear, you can find the first and second season on Netflix now!