Daredevil Season 3 Will Not Be an Adaptation of the Comics

CBR

By Jason Cohen

Published Oct 1, 2018

Daredevil's new showrunner says that despite some homages and nods, Season 3 will not be a direct adaption of any comic storylines.

Marvel's Daredevil is returning for a third season on Netflix, but showrunner Erik Olsen plans to take the show in his own direction.

CBR was among a select group fortunate enough to visit the set of the series during filming, and during our time there, Olsen dished on his plans for the season, and whether or not it will adapt any well known Daredevil comic book stories.

Talking to a group of reporters via video conference call, Olsen opened up about his grand plans for Season 3. "My hope was to draw inspiration from the comics, like 'Born Again' and 'Guardian Devil,'" he explained. "There are certainly moments that resonated for me tonally that I used for inspiration." However, he was firm in his declaration that Season 3 "is an original story" rather than an adaptation.

Both stories are considered classics among the character's greatest stories. The 1986 "Born Again" by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli saw Matt Murdock's secret identity outed and his life torn apart by the Kingpin. 1999's "Guardian Devil," by Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada, depicts the demise of Daredevil's long-time love interest Karen Paige.

Olsen hinted that some elements of these stories would be incorporated into the new season of Daredevil, but the question will be what pieces will stay and what will go. After all, he reiterated, "I am not doing a direct translation of any of the comics. I think that would have been a mistake."

While we can't be sure what will and won't happen this season, Olsen assured us what we can certainly come to expect. "I want to make sure that everyone is really hooked with an original story, where they are deeply invested," he reasoned. Instead of adapting a specific story to the screen, he wants viewers to emphasize with and understand the actions of the characters on the show. "I was very much interested in bringing more contradiction and dimension to some of the characters that we have grown to know and love."

Arriving Oct. 19 on Netflix, Daredevil Season 3 stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Joanne Whaley, Vincent D’Onofrio and Wilson Bethel.