Now that Netflix has cancelled Daredevil, it is highly unlikely that we'd ever get the gritty, almost realistic, and shockingly violent fight scenes ever again. Considering the "family friendly" content that Disney likes to put out, even if the show gets picked up by the company's new streaming services, fight scenes like the ones in the Netflix show are simply not going to happen. So it is fitting that we have a quick look at some of the scenes that elevated this show above most other heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The list below was put together by Marvel.
Hallway fight
Was there any doubt as to which of the many fights will eventually take the top spot on this list? "That hallway fight" came early in episode two of the first season and set us up for what will be among the show's best sequences. A single take tracking shot that shows a very human Daredevil beat the crap out of a group of Russian thugs. The set up was simple, the action simply glorious. The idea that a superhero could get really tired by the end of a fight was refreshing and to see a person use nothing but his fists and skill to deliver a beat down like no other was simply riveting.
The devil is in the details. #Daredevil Season 1 is now streaming in High Dynamic Range. pic.twitter.com/1iVce8Kqow
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) September 30, 2016
Stairwell fight
The hallway fight already cemented Daredevil as the hero in Netflix's portion of the MCU to look out for, but as season two was rolled out, the stakes were upped and so was the fighting. One chain, an empty gun taped to his hand, Matt Murdock fights his way out of a building starting at a hallway and going down a flight of stairs, decimating a small army of faceless thugs along the way. Gritty and fast, the fighting is still top-notch and flickering red lights at the bottom of the stairwell shows both the gangsters as well as the audience that the Devil of Hell's kitchen is not to be toyed with.
Not in my city. #TBT pic.twitter.com/ums7GsZN3J
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) June 8, 2017
Escape from prison
Season 3 had several really good, noteworthy fights, especially that three-way fight between Fisk, Dex, and Murdock in the last episode was masterfully crafted with each person fighting each other while Daredevil and Kingpin protect Vanessa from getting killed. The best fight in the third season, however, was undeniably the escape out of prison sequence from the fourth episode. Caught deep inside a prison block and in a doctor's room, Murdock finds himself recovering from the previous season's trauma, so he is not in full form and fighting off wave after wave of highly motivated prisoners makes up for an interesting sequence that is both intense as well as wonderfully violent. The single take fight lasts a whole 12 minutes and viewers are left white-knuckled throughout—an amazing achievement.
Next? pic.twitter.com/2QZ0cj7882
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) November 23, 2018
Other notable fights that didn't make the top three:
The fight between Daredevil and Bull's eye in the New York Bulletin (Season 3—episode 6) offices is one of the better scenes that show Matt's tenacity and drive to never give up, especially when facing an opponent who outclasses him.
While not involving Daredevil at all, the prison fight between the Punisher and eight hardened criminals (Season 2—episode 9) is a bloody, gory and somehow satisfying fight that ends with Frank Castle bloody, bruised and standing over 8 corpses of the men he had just killed.
One week until he puts them down for good. #ThePunisher pic.twitter.com/MtbQaVGhBG
— The Punisher (@ThePunisher) November 10, 2017
The church fight (Season 3—episode 10) was not just high in emotion but serves to transform Matt into a person who is willing to kill. Throughout the show, Matt does not kill anyone directly, but by the second half of the third season, he comes to a conclusion that the only way to end his battle with Fisk is to kill him. A lot of character development happens and one can never be angry with a hero who is pushed to the edge and finally cracks.
Daredevil will NOT be back on Netflix, but the streaming service is likely to host the shows on their platform for the foreseeable future.