When the “Daredevil” panel was announced for this year’s New York Comic Con, it was widely anticipated that Marvel and Netflix would use the special occasion to debut the first footage from the series.
That was exactly what they delivered. But it wasn’t all that Marvel and Netflix had in store for the crowd.
Marvel’s Head of TV, Jeph Loeb moderated the “Daredevil” panel and he immediately denied the rumors that Jessica Jones and Luke Cage have been cast. But Loeb once again confirmed that “Jessica Jones” will follow “Daredevil,” before “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage” get their own series. All four characters will then unite in “The Defenders” miniseries.
But tonight, the crowd came for “Daredevil.” And in the first of five preview clips from the show, Karen Page was attacked in her apartment before Daredevil arrived to save her while wearing a very crude costume. The action sequence was intense and it was filmed in almost complete darkness.
After the clip, Loeb introduced “Daredevil” showrunner Steven S. DeKnight as well as the cast, which included a few performers who hadn’t previously been announced. First was Toby Moore, who will play Wesley, Wilson Fisk’s right hand man. Then Bob Gunton was introduced to the crowd as Leland Owlsley; with Ayelet Zurer as Fisk’s lover, Vanessa; and Vondie Curtis-Hall as veteran reporter, Ben Urich.
The primary cast of Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson were also present. The only one missing was Rosario Dawson, whom Loeb said was filming in Los Angeles and she was unable to make the panel. Loeb then revealed that Dawson will play Claire Temple aka Night Nurse and he showed the crowd a clip in which her character treats a badly wounded Matt Murdock in her apartment. For his part, Matt tells her that his crude costume is “a work in progress.”
After the clip, Moore expressed his joy that he gets to play make believe with D’Onofrio. DeKnight noted that Moore was cast at the last minute but they could not be happier with him. Gunton shared his feelings with the crowd when he said that he jumped back into his fevered teenage dreams where broken people are trying to find their way through life. Gunton also noted his appreciation for Owlsely’s sardonic wit.
With little prompting, DeKnight recalled talking with Loeb about doing a “Daredevil” TV series back when they were both on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” He cited the Frank Miller and Brian Michael Bendis Daredevil runs as his primary influence on the series.
Curtis-Hall said that he was attracted to playing Ben Urich by his passion for the truth and for his city. He says that Ben and Daredevil have the same desires for New York. He added that the show is about the heart of the characters and he is very excited to play a part in it.
Zurer gushed about working with D’Onofrio and referenced a story about a painting that linked her character with Wilson Fisk. Without missing a beat, Loeb played the scene where Fisk and Vanessa meet for the first time. And while they contemplate a painting side-by-side, Fisk says something that surprises Vanessa.
D’Onofrio told the crowd that “our Fisk is a child and he is a monster.” Everything that Fisk does in the story comes from “the foundation of morality inside of himself.” Meeting Vanessa brings Fisk out of the shadows. D’Onofrio added that they are playing real and he is “digging it.”
Loeb admitted that there are scenes in the show where he is rooting for Wilson Fisk. DeKnight answered that by saying that there are no heroes or villains, just people who make different choices. He referenced the Punisher by adding that Matt is one bad day away from being Frank Castle.
Henson said that he had very little time to prepare for his role as Foggy Nelson, Matt’s best friend and his partner in a small law firm. Henson added that he loves coming to work and being excited about the people there with him.
Loeb told the crowd that Woll left “True Blood” early on a Monday and filmed her first scene as Karen Page on “Daredevil” on a Thursday. She hasn’t had a break between the two shows, but said that she felt so welcomed by her new family that it was easy. Woll also said that Karen Page doesn’t get into trouble, “she is trouble.” But to her, flawed characters are always more interesting.
It should be noted that Woll now has blonde hair like her comic book counterpart, while D’Onofrio’s head is now completely shaved.
When it was Cox’s turn to speak, he got a big round of applause from the crowd. Several crew members from “Daredevil” stood up in the crowd while applauding for Cox. Like D’Onofrio before him, Cox thanked the crowd for coming out to see them. He said that the role has been a real challenge, both in playing Matt’s blindness and with the physicality of Daredevil. Cox added that he loved the conflict that comes out of Matt’s love for justice as a lawyer and dealing out his own justice outside of the law as Daredevil. Cox praised the stunt work as grounded but spectacular and he believes that fans will be really pleased with what they see.
In the fourth clip from the series, we see Karen Page making dinner for Matt and Foggy in return for their legal help. She offers her services as a secretary for their law firm, and they accept as soon as she says that she will work for free out of gratitude.
With little time left in the panel, the audience Q&A began. D’Onofrio answered the first question by saying the artwork of the Frank Miller run really influenced him with his performance. He also recalled going into Forbidden Planet (a comic shop in New York) to load up on Daredevil comics for research. D’Onofrio added that he was once a regular customer of Forbidden Planet with his children, so they already knew him there.
Loeb was asked if “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” will tie into “Daredevil.” He replied that it was a “Level 7” question before adding that “it’s all connected, man.”
A young fan named Jonah clearly affected the panel with his emotional story about being inspired by Daredevil to fight his own disability. Jonah noted that he will be traveling straight to the Mayo clinic after the convention for treatment. The crowd and the panel applauded Jonah before he left the microphone.
Cox was asked about which comics influenced his take on Daredevil. He cited Miller’s Man Without Fear miniseries and said that it was widely used in this story. He also loved the Bendis run and said that “Daredevil” works better on Netflix because they can make it darker and give the fans who love the comic something that is true to the source. Cox recalled a courtroom scene from Bendis’ Daredevil run where Matt Murdock was defending the White Tiger. He told the crowd that it captured the tone of what they want to achieve in the series.
To close out the panel, a fifth clip was played that began a reprise of the brief scene from Karen Page’s apartment as the fight spiralled out of Matt’s control. In a brief flashback, Matt recalled his father bonding with him in the kitchen after he was blinded by allowing Matt to feel the bruises and cuts on his face. This inspired Matt in the present to finish the fight in brutal fashion before collapsing.
All 13 episodes of “Daredevil” will premiere simultaneously on Netflix in 2015.
