We’ve known for a while now who the major characters in the Daredevil TV show. From Matt Murdock and his nemesis Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. The Kingpin, to Matt’s allies Foggy Nelson and Karen Page and Fisk’s financial advisor Leland Owlsley, the 13-episode Netflix series will be featuring a variety of characters that have featured heavily in the Daredevil mythos. Now Marvel has officially announced that Matt Gerald will play the villainous Gladiator, and they've also added five more supporting actors that will appear with their own unique roles to play in this world.
The most notable of the actors announced is Matt Gerald, who will be playing Melvin Potter, better known in the comics as The Gladiator. The announcement describes him as a “machinist caught between a rock and a hard place,” and a report from last week mentioned that Potter will design a battle suit for Fisk, as well as work on his armored cars. This will be Gerald’s second role in the MCU, as he played White Power Dave in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King. He was also cast in Ant-Man last year, but was cut from the film months later. His other notable work includes Avatar, Dexter and The Shield.
Next up is Rob Morgan playing Turk Barrett, a “small-time” criminal in Hell’s Kitchen. Barrett also originated from the comics as a character who tried to work himself up through the organized crime ranks, but repeatedly failed. Morgan’s resume includes guest roles on Person of Interest, Believe and The Knick.
Last year, Peter Shinkoda was cast as a mysterious character named Hachiro, but no other details about him were revealed. This announcement not only shows that the character’s name has been changed to Nobu, but also identifies him as a businessman allied with Fisk, though one who still has his own agenda. His recent roles have included a minor appearance in Godzilla and a recurring part as Dai in Falling Skies.
Wai Ching Ho has been cast as the powerful trade runner Madame Gao. Her body of work includes Premium Rush, Compulsive Love and Blue Bloods.
Finally, Nikolai Nikolaeff and Gideon Emery have been cast as Russian brothers Vladimir and Anatoly, who have come to America to make new names for themselves. Emery (pictured left above) has appeared in the Teen Wolf TV series and How To Train Your Dragon 2, in addition to his many video game voice roles, while Nikolaeff (pictured right) has appeared in TV shows like Camp, Sea Patrol and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury.
Showrunner Steven DeKnight stated that these actors did a great job playing “deeply flawed, wonderfully human antagonists,” so it sounds like Matt Murdock will be facing off against all of them. These castings confirm once again that Daredevil will be a street-level show with the hero dealing with more standard criminal activity rather than superpower threats.
Daredevil Season 1 will premiere on Netflix on Friday, April 10.
