Daredevil Recap: Where Season 2 & The Defenders Left Matt Murdock

After a two years wait, Daredevil season 3 has finally dropped on Netflix – but just where did previous Marvel Netflix shows leave Matt Murdock and his friends? There’s a sense in which Daredevil is the flagship Marvel Netflix series. It was the one that started it all off, the first to get a third season, and the series with – it’s generally believed – the highest viewing figures. As such, there’s been intense anticipation for season 3.

We can expect to see all the familiar cast return in Daredevil season 3: Matt himself will return from the dead, revealing just how he survived Midland Circle; the Kingpin is back, and he looks to have launched a cunning plan to get himself out of jail; and, of course, there’ll be Foggy and Karen to boot. All this plus a new character’s origin story – the introduction of the Marvel Netflix version of Bullseye, Daredevil’s most dangerous foe.

Related: Daredevil Introduced Bullseye In Season 1 (Then Forgot About Him)

Given it’s been two years since Daredevil season 2, a lot of viewers could be forgiven for forgetting just what happened last to these characters. So here’s our brief recap (including The Defenders and The Punisher).

Daredevil Was Presumed Dead After The Defenders – But He Will Return

Previous Appearances: Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, The Defenders

The first two seasons of Daredevil saw Matt Murdock’s personal life crumble around him. Once established as a hero, Elektra’s arrival in New York threw Matt’s life into disarray, and after her death he abandoned his costumed identity. He was drawn back into the vigilante life during the events of The Defenders, but was simply unable to emotionally process the fact that the Hand had resurrected Elektra as their agent. Finally, with the entire Midland Circle building about to come down, Matt pretty much decided it was time to die. He passed the baton of protecting New York City on to Danny Rand, and then headed down into the chambers beneath Midland Circle to die at Elektra’s side. The Defenders ended with the revelation that Matt had someone survived, and had fallen into the care of a group of nuns – including, most notably, one named “Sister Maggie.”

Read More: How The Defenders Sets Up Daredevil Season 3

The Kingpin Is In Jail After Season 1 – But Not For Long

Previous Appearances: Daredevil seasons 1 and 2

The first season of Daredevil saw the Man Without Fear successfully tear down the Kingpin’s criminal empire. But Kingpin made a surprise appearance in season 2 as well, when Matt Murdock visited Wilson Fisk in jail. Fisk may be in prison, but he could still make a powerful enemy, and Matt made the mistake of threatening to exert legal pressure upon Wilson’s beloved Vanessa. There’s no way the Kingpin will languish behind bars for long, and it’s only a matter of time before he hatches a ruthless plan to get out of jail.

Foggy Nelson Is A Successful Attorney – Who Carries The Weight of Daredevil’s Death

Previous Appearances: Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, The Defenders, Jessica Jones season 2, Luke Cage season 2

Matt’s long-suffering best friend has no idea Daredevil is even alive – and he probably blames himself for it. Foggy broke up his partnership with Matt in Daredevil season 2, and now works at Chao and Benowitz (Jeri Hogarth departed from the firm in Jessica Jones season 2). In The Defenders, Foggy found himself drawn into the insanity of Matt’s life once again, and he made the fateful decision to bring his friend the Daredevil suit and encourage him to return to vigilante activity. No doubt Foggy was heartbroken that Daredevil then vanished in the rubble at Midland Circle. Curiously enough, Foggy’s experience with vigilantes appears to have made him a sought-after attorney among New York’s super-powered community. In Luke Cage season 2, he was called in as Luke’s defense attorney.

Related: Daredevil Season 3: Foggy Steps Out Of Matt’s Shadow

Karen Page Is A Successful Journalist At The New York Bulletin After The Punisher

Previous Appearances: Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, The Defenders, The Punisher season 1

Karen Page is no stranger to secrets and lies; when she was introduced back in Daredevil season 1, there were rumblings of a dark secret in her past involving the death of her brother. Since coming to New York, the secrets have simply built up. She got drawn into Matt Murdock’s world back in Daredevil season 1, and it led to tragedy when she was kidnapped by Wilson Fisk’s right-hand-man, James Wesley. Karen killed him, and although it was in self-defense, the fact remains she shot Wesley seven times. She’s carried that ever since, and the weight of it caused her to become fascinated with brutal vigilante Frank Castle. At the end of Daredevil season 2, Matt finally decided to reveal his secret identity to her, and the two began a relationship – one that came to a heartbreaking end with Matt’s apparent death at Midland Circle.

Karen has been working as a journalist at the New York Bulletin for some time now, a role she was introduced to when she began to work alongside ill-fated reported Ben Urich. She’s good at her job, and has a strong friendship with her boss.

More: Daredevil Is The Unluckiest Marvel Hero In The MCU

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4896 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

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A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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