Season 1 of Netflix’s Daredevil series pitted the titular superhero against his arch-nemesis, Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. Kingpin). The pairing was an obvious choice given their long history in the Marvel comics upon which the show was based, but for season 2 the show is expanding beyond Fisk to introduce a new challenge for Matt Murdock.
The show’s depiction of Fisk was a little more nuanced than in the comic books, portraying him as a flawed individual who justified his violent misdeeds as the means to an end goal of cleaning up Hell’s Kitchen. Fisk may be out of the picture for season 2, but in his place will be someone else who seems intent on cleaning up Hell’s Kitchen by any means necessary: Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher.
EW talked to showrunner Doug Petrie about how they will be handling The Punisher’s appearance in season 2. According to Petrie, who took over showrunner duties for the new season along with Marco Ramirez, their portrayal of The Punisher is very much rooted in the current national dialogue about gun violence:
Scans from EW’s article recently showed up on Twitter, giving fans a first look at The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal as The Punisher as well as G.I. Joe: Retaliation’s Elodie Yung as Elektra. Now that EW has posted their article online, fans can get an even clearer picture of Bernthal as Frank Castle. The article also features a picture of Matt Murdock getting a little bit closer with Karen (Deborah Ann Woll), who returns from season 1.
“Taking lethal justice into your own hands is in America in 2015 is tricky s—t. We have not shied away from the rich complicated reality of Now. If you’ve got a gun and you’re not the police you’re going to incite strong feelings. We’re stirring the pot and we’re aware of the headlines where we live and we’re trying to get people to think.”
UPDATE: EW has also posted a higher-res look at Yung as Elektra, while Netflix has debuted additional images from Daredevil season 2. Check them all out, below:
The image of Matt Murdock and Karen getting a bit intimate is significant, as it teases the possibility of a love triangle for season 2 once Elektra shows up. Viewers of season 1 will remember that Elektra was briefly teased as a past girlfriend of Murdock’s, and according to Petrie, she will appear in season 2 as “the best bad girlfriend you can possibly have.” Petrie added:
It’s fair to say that there will be both sparks and bullets flying when Daredevil season 2 hits sometime in 2016.
“She does everything wrong and attractive, she’s his id, the wild side. Matt is always taming his wild side. Elektra just lets it out. He’s both repulsed and deeply drawn to that.”
Daredevil season 1 and Jessica Jones season 1 are now available on Netflix. Luke Cage season 1 and Daredevil season 2 will debut on Netflix in 2016. Release dates for Iron Fist and The Defenders on Netflix have not yet been announced.
Source: EW [2]
