Daredevil Fans Can't Seem To Agree On Matt's Big Upgrade In She-Hulk Episode 8
It doesn't seem like that long ago that blind lawyer Matt Murdock — aka the dangerous vigilante Daredevil — was a staple of Netflix's streaming offerings. The dark, grizzly hero would beat human traffickers to a pulp, question whether or not to murder his head-crushing archenemies, and fight other emotionally broken people until the streets of Hell's Kitchen were red with their blood. And, yeah, one time, he found dragon bones underneath New York.
"The Defenders" notwithstanding, the "Daredevil" of "old" feels different from the yellow-clad acrobat who cooly strides into Jennifer Walter's courtroom — and later, her bedroom — in Season 1, Episode 8 of Disney+'s "She-Hulk." This Murdock (still played by Netflix's Charlie Cox) cracks jokes in the heat of battle, infectiously smiles at every turn, and takes the "walk of shame" in full Daredevil gear (save his boots, of course). And whether it's the ever-strengthening tone of the show, Cox and Maslany's oozing charisma, or simply solid writing, it doesn't feel like too sharp of a left turn. It's a change, but perhaps not a bad one. As the credits rolled, viewers took to the internet to discuss what they'd just experienced, and it seemed as though Jen wasn't the only one with confusing emotions about Mr. Murdock.
It's complicated
In the r/shehulk Episode 8 discussion thread, Redditors went to the comments to process their feelings about Daredevil's first full-fledged Marvel Cinematic Universe outing. Most of the discourse surrounded Murdock's supposed "lighter" attitude compared to his brooding characterization in the Netflix series. U/Groot746 said, "Loved seeing a lighter side of Matt..." to which u/Scared_Bobcat_5584 responded, qualifying, "Tbh it doesn't really feel like a lighter side of Matt... ["She-Hulk" Daredevil is] just Matt in a lighter setting if that makes sense. He totally acts the same as the Netflix series, he's just not dealing with horrible s*** happening to him 24/7 in LA" This comment smartly points out that it isn't necessarily a change in his attitude but a reflection of his surroundings and the plot — there's still room for "Born Again" to be a fan-pleasing brood-fest if need be.
There was also significant discussion surrounding the depiction of Matt Murdock's acrobatic abilities. "The parkour seemed too fake compared to what he did in his own show..." said u/whyth1. In Netflix's "Daredevil," the stunt work is more practical — in "She-Hulk," Daredevil performs like a superhuman gymnast, dipping slightly into the uncanny valley. "...in [Netflix's 'Daredevil'] it always felt like a stunt guy was performing the actual stunt, instead of a digi double." U/Der_Eggboi had a positive response to the episode but understood concerns in this area, saying, "Yeah I think both DD and Kingpin are getting the MCU treatment in that their feats are going to be a little more flashy and a little less grounded and realistic." It certainly appears as though the MCU is taking Daredevil in a more comic-accurate direction, which will please fans of the source material and ruffle feathers with fans of his Netflix reinvention.