Most superheroes become defined by their morals over time. Captain America upholds the ideals of the United States. Tony Stark seeks to rectify the mistakes of his past. Batman has a strict no-kill rule (with recent exceptions). But what about Daredevil? The dark, gritty hero of Hell's Kitchen has beaten the absolute crap out of thugs for two seasons, but has he taken a life? Does it even matter to him? According to Charlie Cox, it's not necessarily a concrete rule. He explained:
You know, in Season 1, Episode 2 when he throws the guy off the roof -- that's a gamble, you know what I mean? ... So, you know, I think his no-killing record is slightly by chance at this point.
Charlie Cox and Elden Henson took the stage for a Q&A session at Toronto Fan Expo 2016, and the topic inevitably turned towards Matt Murdock's violent tendencies. When asked about whether or not Daredevil has killed throughout the course of his Netflix series, Charlie Cox revealed that---while Matt Murdock doesn't go out of his way to murder anyone -- the Devil of Hell's Kitchen keeps it fairly loose. After all, when you drop a guy off of a roof you take on the risk that he won't land on trampolines and mattresses.
Of course, that example takes place during Season 1, when Matt Murdock hasn't fully become Daredevil yet. Much like Oliver Queen on Arrow, the Season 1, proto-version of the iconic superhero may kill, but the more recent, and more established version doesn't. Right? Actually, Charlie Cox goes on to admit that this tendency to "gamble" on the lives of others definitely carries over into Season 2 of Daredevil. He explained:
And also, there's a couple of times where, there's a scene in Episode 4 of Season 2 where he goes to rescue The Punisher in the catacombs, and as he comes in, he then beats up a couple of guys, knocks them out, right? And then he goes in, he gets Frank, he goes through a couple other rooms, he beats up people, he has a quick conversation with Frank, they then beat up a couple of people together, and as they are leaving, those two guys are still knocked out. If they are not dead, they are seriously brained. If you get knocked out and you're still knocked out half an hour later, that's not good. It's a slightly loose moral compass at times, you know what I mean?
This revelation paints the conflict between Matt Murdock and Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) in a much different light, as Charlie Cox makes it sound like there's a distinction to be made between killing and murder. In the eyes of Matt Murdock: if someone dies during his war on crime, that's just the cost of doing business. However, he will fight tooth and nail to prevent the intentional taking of a life on the streets. It's all about those grey areas.
Charlie Cox makes a fair point with his statements. Do you think he can knock that many people unconscious and not expect some serious health issues to occur as a result? Just look at that Season 2 hallway fight:
DaredeviI doesn't outright kill those guys, but they're not going to just wake up and be alright. He knows he could cause some permanent damage with those highly trained fists of his.
I have to admit: this is an interesting place to take the traditional "kill or don't kill" comic book debate. With more Defenders action (and a Punisher solo series) on the way, we have a feeling that the body count will only continue to rise. Marvel's Netflix universe will expand further when Luke Cage premieres on September 30; until then, make sure to check out our fall TV premiere schedule and fill out your calendars accordingly!
