Alright, folks. It’s been a week now. Have you made your way through all thirteen episodes ofDaredevilSeason 2? If not, definitely don’t read this article because it is jammin' withspoilers.If so, there is a lot to talk about. Building off the groundwork laid in the first season, and under the confident guidance of new showrunnersDoug PetrieandMarco Ramirez,Daredevil’s second season went full-tilt comic book, spawning its own little interconnected universe within the Netflix MCU. The Punisher and Elektra came on the scene beautifully, thanks to thoughtful spins on the characters and killer performances from newcomersJon BernthalandElodie Yung. The Hand swarmed into town. Even Kingpin got in on the action! (And me oh my, he really is Kingpin now.)
With so many players in the game, there were a lot of loose ends and teases at the end of the season, leaving a ton of burning questions as the final credits rolled. Scratch your heads along with me here, as I break downDaredevilSeason 2’s biggest lingering questions:
How Long Do We Have to Wait for Season 3?
There’s a very real, very horrifying possibility that we won’t get our nextDaredevilfix until afterThe Defenders. Word is, Marvel and Netflix’s original plan was to debut the Avengers-esque superhero team-up series after introductory seasons ofDaredevil,Jessica Jones,Luke CageandIron Fist. While the popularity ofDaredevilandJessica Jones' first seasons led to some shifting and re-prioritizing, eventually one of these series' follow-up seasons is going to have to take a backseat to make room in the schedule forDefenders. Most worrisome is the fact that Netflix has so far remained keen to release only two series per year. So, withLuke Cagearriving this September, andIron Fist,Jessica JonesSeason 2 andThe Defendersall on the docket, that meansDaredevilSeason 3 could be a mighty long ways off. That said, release schedules are always flexible, andDaredevilis huge for the Netflix MCU, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that Netflix’s ever-mysterious viewership numbers demand that Season 3 arrive sooner than later.
Will The Punisher Get His Own Series?
Oh yeah, if that two-Marvel-series-per-year ratio wasn’t bugging you out enough as it is, let’s not forget the fact thatDaredevilSeason 2 introduced Jon Bernthal’s scene-stealing Punisher, who could very easily headline his own series. There are plenty of unanswered questions about his past. Frank’s love of war is canonically a huge element of his character, so what exactly happened to in Kandahar? And what role will Micro, a nickname for The Punisher’s ally turned enemy in the comics, play in the series? Will he still be a man, or does the name on the disc indicate Micro will be a program of sorts? What’s more, The Punisher has been the widely-touted MVP of Season 2, which is really saying something since everybody brought their A-Game. There’s no shortage of demand for a Punisher standalone series, and there’s definitely no doubt Bernthal could headline one, but it’s also easy to see why The Punisher might serve better as an antagonistic counterpoint to Marvel’s more down-the-line heroes. This version of The Punisher is dark –reallydark – and while that works well as an addition to a more conventional hero’s tale, it might be too much murder and mayhem for a solo series. One thing the finale makes very clear is that The Punisher’s tale is far from over. Thanks to Colonel Schoonover’s shed armory, Frank is now fully costumed, armed and ready to take on the criminals of Hell’s Kitchen, but will he do it as a solo mission, or will he be a recurring character throughout the Netflix MCU?
How Will Karen React to Matt’s Confession?
It was only a matter of time until Karen learned that Matt Murdock and The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen were one in the same. After all, it was starting to strain the limits of believability that Karen Page – Nelson and Murdock’s intrepid resident sleuth – wouldn’t be able to put the pieces together (especially after her very well-lit face-to-face reunion with Daredevil in “A Cold Day in Hell’s Kitchen.” But nobody could have predicted that showrunners Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez would pull such a savage move for the big reveal. Moments before Season 2 draws to a close, Matt finally confesses, “I’m Daredevil.” We get only a few seconds of Karen’s inscrutable reaction before being left to wonder, for god knows how long, how Miss Page will take the big news. Karen Page is often called the great love of Matt’s life, so will his honesty finally allow them to explore that side of their relationship for real? Or did the confession come too late? And given Karen’s consistently tragic comic book history, how worried do we need to be?
What’s Karen’s Big Secret?
There have been allusions to Karen’s dark past throughout the series, and she has shown herself capable of killing (which is perhaps why she was so able to sympathize with Frank where Matt could not), but we still don’t know what it is that haunts her so. She speculated at the beginning of Season 2 that maybe she deserved Frank’s punishment, and the research file she found on Ben Urich’s old desk labeled ‘Karen Page’ sent her into an immediate state of panic. A good freeze-frame, like the one I’ve provided above, reveals that at least part of the puzzle has to do with her brother, who seemingly died in a car crash at 16 years old. What about that would make Karen feel so guilty? Was she the one behind the wheel? Did she seek retribution against the person who was? What exactly is Karen hiding, and how long will we have to wait to find out?
What Will Claire Temple Do Next?
Poor Claire; constantly awesome with no rewards. Not only has Claire always been there for Matt when he needs it, she even came through in a pinch for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage in the first season ofJessica Jones. Generally speaking, she’s just the best. But she’s also in a bad spot.DaredevilSeason 2 found her overburdened with work as a result of her extra-curricular activities, but when The Hand set siege to Metro General resulting in the death of her friend and colleague, Claire found herself in an even bigger spot of trouble. Unwilling to the hospital’s cover-up of the circumstances surrounding Lisa’s death, Claire officially called it quits, walking out on her career towards an unknown future. Well, sort of unknown. We know that Claire is set to play a significant role in the first season of Luke Cage, but what role will that be? Will Claire finally fully inhabit the role of the Netflix MCU’s Night Nurse, tending to the needs of wounded heroes, or willLuke Cagespin her character in a new direction? If so will we see her onDaredevilagain, or has she left Saint Matthew and his crazy ninja stuff behind for good?
Who Will Elektra Be Now?
After a season of struggling with her innate desire to kill, some very wishy-washy feelings on Stick, and the eventual reveal that she is the mysterious Black Sky (!?), Elektra finally had a moment of pure goodness and selflessness when she sacrificed herself to save Matt and deny The Hand their weapon. Unfortunately, there’s basically no chance the second part of that plan is going to pan out. “This is not the end,” said Elektra as she bled out in Matt’s arms, and indeed, it very likely isn’t as the final moments of the finale revealed The Hand has dug up her grave, dressed her in some very comic book-esque garb, and placed her body in the giant ceramic blood vase of resurrection (official name TBD), but not before touching up her red eyeliner, which was super considerate. Joking aside, Elektra struggled to be good for Matt’s sake, but it was a battle hard won. Having been resurrected, will she become villainous outright, or will they take a page out of the comics and resurrect her as a purer soul? Will she still love Matt, or will her rebirth come at the cost of who she was before?
What Does the Black Sky Do?
After small shoutout in Season 1, we heard an awful lot about the Black Sky inDaredevilSeason 2 – how dangerous it is, how much The Hand wants it, howdangerousit is – but we never found out exactly what makes it so dangerous or why The Hand wants it. Sure, we found outwhoit is: Elektra. Or at least, she’s one Black Sky, one of many…maybe. Again, nothing about it has been made clear at this point. That kid Stick killed last year was a Black Sky too… maybe. Stick describes it as a major weapon that will help The Hand bring down The Chaste, but what exactly does it (or she) do? Will Elektra simply become the ultimate assassin, or does her power as Black Sky entail more mystical elements?
What Was up with That Giant Pit in The Ground?
Seriously, what the hell? What even was this. At the tail end of the seventh episode, Matt and Elektra’s investigation into Roxxon leads them to a crazy, giant hole in the ground. The series makes a point of highlighting how deep it goes before…completely changing the subject and never bringing it up again. Presumably, this is a set up for a storyline in eitherDaredevilSeason 3 or one of the other MCU shows, and not just an excuse for Stick to “This is Sparta!” some ninjas off a cliff. What purpose could such a pit possibly provide? Maybe Nobu just had a digging fetish? Is that even a thing? So many questions, so few answers.
What Did The Hand Do to Those Zombie Kids?
If you’re noticing a running thread here, it’s that basically nothing about The Hand made any sense. It’s perhaps the one glaring flaw in what was otherwise a tremendous season. The Hand clearly didsomethingto those people, and it wasn’t just draining their blood. Claire theorized that they were being used as incubators of some sort, but that doesn’t explain the murder zombie stuff. It most likely has to do with The Hand’s secret to resurrection, but what exactly did they do to those people and how are they important?
What Happened to That Saucy Detective From Episode 1?
“It’s going to take weeks to process this shit! And where’s this asshole’s hand?” First seen through the gaping bullet wound in one of The Punisher’s victims, dropping sass and crude language all over the place like a total boss, the unnamed detective from “Bang” was a real hoot of a scene-stealer. So why the hell was he never seen again?! Given his memorable introduction, it seemed the saucy detective could become a new player in the jaded legal scene of Hell’s Kitchen, but alas, stars that shine the brightest burn the fastest. What happened to the foul-mouthed detective after he witnessed The Punisher’s butchery? Did he climb the ranks like Mahoney? Did he give up the law for a life in comedy? We may never know. For now, we can only remember him for his delightful rudeness. “What kind of bullet can punch through polyethylene fiber vest, thick as my dick, and then punch straight through the same shit on his back?”
