A large part of the Marvel Universe, both in the comics and live-action media, involves epic fight sequences where punches, kicks and weapons are thrown around with reckless abandon. Some of this can be amusing, such as Hulk pummeling Loki in The Avengers, and some of it can be mildly disturbing, like watching Spider-Man bite the dust in Death of Spider-Man. Those of us who enjoy over-the-top mayhem like that are quite curious about the approach Steven DeKnight will be taking with his upcoming Daredevil series for Netflix. After all, this is the guy that created Spartacus, one of the most gloriously violent shows on TV.
When asked about it recently on Twitter, here’s what DeKnight had to say, presumably while shoving spears into people's eyes.
It’s a painfully vague answer, but still one that serves its purpose well. The violent content of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is generally pushed aside for different kinds of action, though it does get more interesting as its first season moves forward. (Can we get more power saw fisticuffs?) Still, it’s on ABC and isn’t what many people would call extremely realistic.
Spartacus, on the other hand, was a series that had no problem bringing its savagery to the forefront, which made crucifixion and execution scenes fairly regular occurrences. That sort of behavior makes screenshots like this available.
Daredevil obviously has to lie somewhere between bloodless fisticuffs and character’s heads being ripped off of their bodies. Given the series’ place on Netflix, there’s a much broader scope for what can and cannot be delivered to audiences. Netflix Original Hemlock Grove was pretty consistent in getting explicitly gory, though I don’t think Matt Murdoch will have a particularly gruesome transformation scene when he puts on his red suit and cowl. But the fight choreography will have to be a little more exotic than this, right?
With a cast that includes Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rosario Dawson, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Wolf, Daredevil will presumably be the linchpin in Netflix’s upcoming immersion into the Marvel Universe. They also have Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and a Defenders miniseries coming. Expect Daredevil's violence, however extreme it may be, when the series debuts in 2015.
