Marvel and Netflix pretty much took everyone by surprise when they announced -- just a few days after the release of Season 2 of Iron Fist -- that Season 3 of Daredevil would premiere on October 19. Since Season 2 of the series hit Netflix more than two years ago in March 2016, fans have been waiting a very long time to see Matt Murdock’s next solo adventure. Yes, we say solo because Daredevil was one of the four pillars of The Defenders, the 2017 team-up series that saw the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen unite with Jessica Jones, Danny Rand and Luke Cage to save New York City from The Hand. The Defenders was integral to Matt’s story arc, but now he’s set to return to save New York on his own once again.
The ensemble series delivered a surprise ending for Matt Murdock. While Jessica, Danny and Luke were propelled into new directions, Matt was left believed dead by the world at large. However, we the audience know that he is still alive – and in very bad shape. Now in the care of his mother’s convent, it appears as if Matt will enter a return to basics approach to his crime-fighting. The production of the season was surprisingly secretive and for that reason, there is a lot we don’t know about Season 3 of Daredevil. We have a general hint at the direction of the story but outside of that, there are many rumors floating around, as well as our own wish-list of things we want to see on the series. Here is everything we know, everything we’ve heard, and everything we want in Daredevil Season 3.
15 KNOW: THE BLACK SUIT IS BACK
When Matt Murdock first started fighting crime in the first season of Daredevil, he did so in a black homemade costume. It was far from a flashy superhero suit, but it became a signature of its own. But through Season 2 of the series, as well as The Defenders, Matt had a new red costume that made him stand out from the other heroes.
However, now, we already know that this newest season will be a return to basics of sorts. What few previews we have seen of Season 3 have revealed that Matt will be back in his black costume. The reasons why remain to be seen, but it appears the series will again delve into the grittier, more realistic approach of street-level super-heroism.
14 RUMORED: MATT WILL GET A NEW, DARKER COSTUME
Since Matt Murdock will be back in his black homemade costume for the start of Season 3, many wonder if we will see Daredevil's red suit make a return. It's likely the costume was destroyed at the end of The Defenders, meaning that the black suit may be the only thing Matt has left. But that doesn't mean he won't later get an upgrade.
Recently in the comic books, Matt Murdock donned a new Daredevil costume that was mostly all black, with only hints of red — as well as a more stylized DD logo on his chest — to make him still recognizable as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Since this costume appears more camera-friendly, many assume that Murdock will put on a similar costume in Season 3.
13 WANT: A FRANK CASTLE CAMEO
Season 2 of Daredevil came out of the gates running by introducing Frank Castle's Punisher to the Marvel Cinematic Universe of Netflix. On the series, Castle had a central role that saw him come into direct conflict with Matt Murdock, and where the two ended up as opposite characters who respect one another.
While Frank Castle would go on to have his own solo series, we would love for Jon Bernthal to come back in Season 3, even if only in a cameo capacity. Since these characters walk the same streets, it would make sense for The Punisher and Daredevil to meet once again -- and hopefully, this time, we would get to see a team-up.
12 KNOW: WILSON FISK RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE
Wilson Fisk's Kingpin of Crime was the main antagonist of the first season of the series. As Matt became a hero throughout the season, so too did Fisk embrace his path as a villain. The character made a brief return in Season 2, where we saw how much power he still had even though he was locked up in prison.
With the upcoming Season 3, we already know that Fisk will return to torment Matt's life more than ever before. Apparently, we will see a different Kingpin, one who is more calculating and manipulative – and just as deadly as before. Wilson Fisk has returned with a vengeance, and we already know he has an axe to grind with Daredevil... as well as Matt Murdock.
11 RUMORED: BULLSEYE WILL BE THE VILLAIN
While we already know that Wilson Fisk will make a return as one of the main antagonists of Season 3, there is also a strong rumor that a second iconic Daredevil villain will also make an appearance on the series. After being teased with an Easter egg in Season 1, many fans believe that expert marksman assassin Bullseye will clash with Daredevil.
While this hasn't been confirmed in any official capacity, the rumors appear to be true thanks to pictures from the set of the series. New cast member Wilson Bethel is a part of the show, although his role has been kept mysterious as of yet. Better still, a certain picture of Bethel was posted with the hashtag Bullseye. We shall know soon enough.
10 WANT: GUEST APPEARANCE FROM JESSICA JONES
The Defenders was a unique miniseries because it brought Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Danny Rand and Luke Cage together. The characters met and interacted, and better still, we saw the formation of two separate team-ups, one in the form of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and the other with Daredevil and Jessica Jones.
Since Iron Fist came to visit Luke Cage in Season 2 for a full team-up episode, we would love for Daredevil to do the same and bring in Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones for a special episode that sees the private investigator team-up with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. The two had an intriguing relationship, and it would be great to see Jessica teach Matt a lesson or two.
9 KNOW: BORN AGAIN
The first season of Daredevil took some cues from creator Frank Miller's iconic run on the Daredevil comic books while telling a mostly new story. These inspirations also continued into Season 2 with the introduction of Matt's love interest, Elektra. However, Season 2 also told an original story.
Similarly, the ending of The Defenders teased that Season 3 of Daredevil would take heavy inspirations from Frank Miller's Daredevil: Born Again storyline. In fact, it's been stated that the comic, which saw Wilson Fisk dismantle Matt Murdock's life, will be the basis of the new season. Again, however, we expect to see an adaptation that will tell its own twist on the story.
8 RUMORED: IT WILL BE THE FINAL SEASON OF THE SHOW
As of right now, there is a lot we don't know about the future of Netflix's Marvel series. Jessica Jones is getting a third season, but there is no word yet on Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders. For all we know, three could end up being the magic number for Netflix, who will choose to end its Marvel series then.
If that is the case, then Daredevil, much like most of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, would get its trilogy before coming to a conclusion. Of course, that doesn't mean that Matt Murdock wouldn't be able to appear in other potential series — but it does mean that Daredevil, the series, would be over.
7 WANT: THE INTRODUCTION OF BLINDSPOT
When writer Charles Soule and artist Ron Garney relaunched Daredevil with a new #1 issue in 2015, they not only debuted a new darker costume for the character, but also a sidekick for the Devil of Hell's Kitchen: Samuel Chung, aka Blindspot. Samuel is an illegal Chinese immigrant who was brought to the United States by his mother.
Samuel is not only a genius, he is also an expert gymnast. Using his knowledge, he was able to develop an invisibility suit that he takes to the streets of New York to help people. There's already been mention of bringing the character in an upcoming season of Iron Fist, so introducing him in Daredevil first would seem to make a lot of sense.
6 KNOW: THE SEASON WILL BE A RETURN TO FORM
Season 1 of Daredevil launched the Netflix side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it set up a precedent that subsequent series would try to match. The bar was set so incredibly high that even Season 2 of the series, which many agree was another strong entry, wasn't deemed as good as the first.
With the expansion of the universe with Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and The Defenders, there have been some hits and misses over the past few years. But it's already been stated that Season 3 of Daredevil is a "return to form" for the series. In fact, early reviews have already ranked it as one of Netflix's best.
5 RUMORED: A DARKER DIRECTION
If Season 1 of Daredevil was about Matt Murdock becoming Daredevil, then Season 2 was about dealing with the rising threat of The Hand, which itself was a setup for The Defenders. Now, however, Season 3 doesn't have to setup any future series -- it only has to tell its own story, and focus on the characters.
In fact, from the latest posters and trailers of the series, it looks like life will once again be a living hell for Matt Murdock — and things will be even darker than the previous two seasons. If anything, Season 3 promises to be hard-hitting and devastating. It's no wonder the black suit is coming back – this new season will be less flashy, grittier, darker, and possibly bloodier.
4 WANT: TYPHOID MARY
In the comic books, Typhoid Mary first appeared in Daredevil #254 and became a villain associated with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. However, on television, the character instead debuted in the second season of Iron Fist, where she was played by Alice Eve. On the series, we saw two of Mary Walker's identities, but not her third, Typhoid Mary.
Since Season 2 of Iron Fist ended with Walker acknowledging that she had a third personality inside of her, the stage seems all but set for Typhoid Mary to clash with Daredevil. Alice Eve's portrayal of the character was brilliant, and it would be great to see her take the character even further sooner rather than later.
3 KNOW: AN UNLUCKY NUMBER
Most of the seasons of Netflix's Marvel Cinematic Universe series have featured 13-episode counts. However, most of those seasons received a common criticism, and that was that there seemed to be too much filler in the middle of the seasons before getting to the end stretch.
It seems that Netflix listened, because the streaming service changed things up with Season 2 of Iron Fist, which only counted 10 episodes. There was a question after this about whether or not Season 3 of Daredevil would also feature 10 episodes, but we now know, for certain, that it will be a full season with 13 episodes.
2 RUMORED: IT WILL SET UP MATT'S ROLE IN BLACK WIDOW
So far, it's been incredibly rare that the Netflix series crossed over with the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Outside of a few mentions of characters or events, there isn't all that much in terms of interconnectivity. However, that could end up changing with the arrival of the solo Black Widow movie, which was announced several months ago.
While we know next to nothing about that film, fans have expressed interest in seeing Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock make the jump to the big screen. After all, in the comic books, Natasha and Matt have a long history, one that even saw them grow quite close. For that reason, the ending of Season 3 could work as a springboard of sorts for Black Widow.
1 WANT: A SETUP FOR DEFENDERS SEASON 2
The Defenders was a series that brought together Iron Fist, Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones to fight the threat of The Hand, a villainous organization that had a presence in various series. With that threat now dealt with, it seems like there isn't much of a need for the Defenders to unite once again.
While a second season of The Defenders hasn't been announced yet, we hope that Season 3 of Daredevil will discreetly plant seeds for an upcoming storyline that will see all four heroes (and perhaps even more) reunited. After all, Luke, Danny and Jessica all believe that Matt is gone... surely they have to find out that he is alive somewhere.