Matt Murdock Is ‘Physically Incapable’ Of Being Daredevil In Season 3

According to Daredevil showrunner Erik Oleson, Matt Murdock is in a pretty bad place (both physically and spiritually) when season 3 gets underway. The last time viewers saw Matt was The Defenders finale, in which The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen stayed behind with Elektra as the Midland Circle building collapsed around them – leaving Matt’s teammates (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand) to assume that he perished in the aftermath.

However, as the final scene of the miniseries revealed, Matt was somehow able to survive the building’s collapse and woke up to inexplicably find himself recovering in a nunnery. While he seemed in pretty good shape given the circumstances, Matt was clearly in a lot of pain and had been left severally injured by what happened. The trailers for Daredevil season 3 have further hinted at the psychological impact that the event had on Matt and his mission statement to find justice as a crusading lawyer by day, masked vigilante by night.

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Suffice it to say, Matt’s struggling in ways that he never has before when Daredevil season 3 picks up. When Screen Rant spoke to Oleson on the Daredevil set, the showrunner explained that Matt’s still not physically up to the task of being The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen when the season begins. He further hinted at the effect that Matt’s condition has on his general mindset, from his moral code to his religious outlook:

As we kick off the show, we’re going to find Matt Murdock in a very, very dark place. He’s just come off of Defenders, and the events of that. He is not letting his friends know that he is alive in the beginning of this season. He’s letting Foggy and Karen think that he perished under the Midland Circle building at the end of Defenders. Matt has issues with God, he has issues with his abilities. He is not in physically good shape at the beginning of the season and is physically incapable of being the Daredevil that he has always been. And [he] is going through somewhat of a spiritual crisis as a result, an identity crisis.

Matt’s ongoing issues with God and his Catholicism was a major thread in Daredevil season 1, but ended up being pushed to the back-burner in season 2 and The Defenders. It sounds like season 3 will move those issues back to the forefront, as part of Oleson’s larger attempt to take the Daredevil series back to basics after it spent much of season 2 setting up not only The Defenders, but also The Punisher spinoff series.

With Matt keeping his survival a secret from his friends at the start of the season, it’s possible he will turn to his old pal Father Lantom for help instead. Actor Peter McRobbie, who’s played the character since season 1, isn’t officially confirmed for season 3 just yet, but it’s expected that he will return in some capacity. With Wilson Fisk getting out of prison and wanting revenge this season, Matt’s going to need all the backup he can get too, if he’s to have any hope of becoming the hero he once was and stopping The Kingpin yet again.

MORE: Read SR’s Full Daredevil Season 3 Set Visit Report

Marvel’s Daredevil season 3 begins streaming Friday, October 19 on Netflix.