A few weeks ago I wrote a long, rambling op-ed about who I thought might be joining Daredevil in Hell’s Kitchen in season two of the Netflix exclusive series. There are so many possibilities due to Marvel getting the rights to so many characters back in the past year, and it’s fun to speculate. This week I’ll be taking a look at the villains Horn Head might face next season, and how it might play out.
The obvious choices would be Bullseye and Elektra, but I have a feeling they might be kept on the shelf for at least one more season, as I read somewhere that not enough time has passed since the film for Marvel’s liking. We COULD however get an appearance by Lady Bullseye, giving us a nice mix of the two, but the closest I think they will get to actually being on screen is Foggy’s comment about the Greek girl Matt dated in college. And do you know what? I’m totally okay with that. After all, Daredevil has a couple great villains other than those two, and there are plenty of other villains in the broader Marvel universe that would work tonally with what Steven DeKnight set up with the first season.
I have a feeling we won’t be seeing Stilt-Man either. We saw his legs in the background of Melvin Potter’s workshop, and honestly, that’s enough for most DD fans. Stilt-Man would just be way too silly in live action. Although, if the Punisher makes it onto the show, as our Film Editor Sean pointed out, it would be pretty amazing to have Stilt-Man’s funeral in an episode. Stilt-Man stretched out on two pool tables at The Bar With No Name surrounded by criminals paying their respects, as the Punisher poisons their drinks and blows up the building would be awesome! But, unfortunately I don’t see this happening.
Mr. Hyde is one of Daredevil’s long time foes, and is currently being played by Kyle MacLachlan on Agents of SHIELD. They keep saying it’s all connected, so might we get a little crossover action? It could happen, but the Calvin Zabo on SHIELD is VERY different than the one in the comics, so I doubt it.
Now that we have the villains I DON’T see coming in season two let’s talk about who we could see, or at least who I think would be cool to see. Now, Daredevil doesn’t exactly have the rogues gallery that Spider-Man, Batman, or the Flash do, and that’s okay. Of the villains he has faced, the Enforcers could totally work in the cinematic universe Daredevil inhabits, if they aren’t in Sony’s hands due to their Spider-Man deal. Fancy Dan, Ox, and Montana would be a great low level threat, maybe working for Wilson Fisk on the outside handling his business until he is finally set free, which I see happening sooner rather than later.
They don’t have costumes, per se, so they would be a realistic ground level threat for DD, and Fancy Dan is a proficient martial artist so we’d get more of those great fights like the one in episode two that everyone raved about. We’ve already seen DD take on multiple combatants, mostly ninjas, so I don’t think it would be a very long fight, but still, Fisk is going to need men on the outside, and the Enforcers would be passable at least. And come on, Montana is a lasso master. I’d love to see DD try to go up against three men without the use of his arms, and still take them down.
Another villain with a Daredevil AND Enforcers history is the Larry Cranston version of Mister Fear. A law school classmate of Matt Murdock who goes mad and blames Murdock for his failures in life, Mister Fear would be a great villain of the week. Adapt the Without Fear storyline in which Cranston works with the Enforcers to distribute a drug throughout Hell’s Kitchen that turns people psychotic and unafraid of death. Since Murdock isn’t married in the show, have Cranston give the drug to Foggy or Karen instead, giving Daredevil the rage he needs to take Mister Fear down.
Mister Fear is basically a knockoff of another DD villain, Scarecrow, but I feel he would make a much more imposing villain, especially with Nolan’s batfilm version of DC’s Scarecrow still being fresh in everyone’s minds. The skull mask with its glowing eyes slinking around in a dark alleyway preying on the citizens is just too great an image. Due to the drug he created Cranston is a fearless as Murdock, and he has the ability to influence others; a perfect power for a lawyer to have. Cranston could take on Daredevil in the streets AND the courtroom, making him a double threat! I feel last season didn’t show enough lawyering, and I hope to see more coming next season, making Cranston a perfect villain.
Another low level villain that would work, in an episode or two at least, is the Eel. The Edward Lavell incarnation would be perfect, and since he fought them all in the comics would be a great connection between Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. I’d suggest toning down his costume, as bright pink and purple wouldn’t look very intimidating on telly, but the suit’s abilities could look pretty cool. I mean, how would Daredevil fight a man he can’t touch? The suit generates bursts of electricity, as well as being coated in a slippery substance, making the Eel a hard man to hold onto. Plus, the gloves emit electrical bolts, making him hard to even get close to.
I see more done-in-one episodes coming in the next season, and those need good cannon fodder. He could be hired by the Enforcers as back-up, or by Fisk when the Enforcers can’t seem to get the job done on their own. OR, the Eel could be working for the gangster Hammerhead, a rival of the Kingpin AND the Owl.
It would be a cool way to bring in another foil for both Daredevil AND Fisk, and Mafia rivalries are always better in threes. Again, Hammerhead is a villain pretty grounded in reality, other than the fact he has a flattened skull reinforced by adamantium. With Fisk imprisoned and Leland Owlsley apparently deceased, Hell’s Kitchen has a power vacuum that Hammerhead could more than fill.
Hammerhead in the comics is a formidable and vicious criminal, a man that would kill his own father to move higher up the Maggia (Marvel’s version of the Mafia) ladder. With how vicious we’ve seen the Netflix version of Fisk to be, Hammerhead would fit right into the Hell’s Kitchen we’ve been binge watching. How would Daredevil stop an emerging gang war between two powerful Mafia families? I have a feeling we may get to see just that when Daredevil returns.
Daredevil needs the Kingpin, but Hammerhead would be a good replacement for a little while at least. And the epic confrontation when Fisk is inevitably released would be brutal in its violence; two bulls in a china shop pummeling each other into dust while Lee Owlsley quietly takes over in the background setting him up as THE bad guy for season three.
Speaking of the Owl, with his father dead, Lee may just take up the mantle, and take on Daredevil. What better way to show that you have what it takes to run a crime family than to capture the vigilante causing it trouble, like he tried to do in an early appearance in the comics. I feel that one of the worst things about season one was the criminal under use of Lee’s father, a slight that can and should be remedied in the next. We all know that sequels and second seasons always have to up the ante, and what better way than having TWO crime lords to contend with.
What son of a criminal mastermind wouldn’t want to avenge his father? When Lee sees that not only has his father been killed, but there’s a new boss in town taking over what should have been HIS turf, the rage wells up inside him and things will get messy. The Owl and Hammerhead have clashed in the comics, and they’ve both gone up against Daredevil and the Kingpin with varying degrees of success. Get rid of some of his sillier attributes, like his hollow bones and eyes that can move independently of one another, and give him some of the viciousness that owls are known for, and he could be a terrifying addition to DD’s rogues.
There are plenty of great Mafia-related villains in Daredevil canon, and one who would look fantastic on screen is Tombstone. As in the comics, Hammerhead could rule with Tombstone as his right hand man. Even though Tombstone works in secret to take over his rackets. I mean, isn’t that how it usually goes? One of the constants of Daredevil in the comics is the tension between the mob families threatening to tear the city apart, and that I feel is only going to be exploited more in the Netflix series, and Tombstone would be a great addition to that mix.
L. Lincoln Thompson was picked on as a child due to being Harlem’s only albino African American, but being bigger than his classmates he began to turn the tables by extorting protection money and becoming a bully. This of course didn’t stop in school and he eventually became a hitman and enforcer for the mob. Being six foot seven with ghostly white skin and teethe filed razor sharp, he strikes an imposing figure, many times momentarily throwing his victim off guard. I don’t know who they’d get to play the role, but it would be cool to see Daredevil’s martial arts moves go up against Tombstone’s sheer brute force and savagry.
The only problem with Mafia villains is that with the Hand in town they just aren’t as intimidating fighters. I mean, what street level thug is going to go up against ninjas and win? Well, if you bring in someone like the Taskmaster to train them, those ninjas might face some competition. The Taskmaster is the go-to guy in the comics if you need henchmen with fighting skills, and his skull mask would be chilling in live action if done right. He’d be a great element in the background playing the bad guys against each other too. He could even be building his own army to take over Hell’s Kitchen, that is until Daredevil takes him down.
I’d definitely strip down his rather garish comic book costume quite a bit; hell, I’d honestly take away everything BUT the mask. I know, me and skull masks, right? I’d love to see him in a pinstripe suit. Taskmaster wouldn’t really be a villain per se so I don’t see him personally clashing with Daredevil, but all of those henchmen need a trainer.
One villain that I would REALLY like to see is Typhoid Mary. Infinitely more interesting than Bullseye, Elektra, or anyone else on this list, Mary is also a much deeper character. This oft times enemy of Daredevil and former lover of Matt Murdock has dissociative identity disorder, with three separate, distinct personalities other than her regular personality; Mary is the timid pacifist, Typhoid is a violent seductress, and Bloody Mary is a sadistic and brutal.
Bring her in as an enforcer for one of the mob bosses, a savage hitman tasked with bringing down a rival, or a red garbed vigilante perhaps. I know she’s worked for the Kingpin in the comics, but I see her as a perfect number one for the version of the Owl I see in my head. I’d love to see her take on Tombstone as Hammerhead’s right hand.
She’s as tragic a character as she is savage though. A victim of child abuse and prostitution, Mary struggles to keep her personalities in check. On top of all of that she has psionic powers; low level telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and the ability to implant mental suggestions in the minds of others and hypnotize the weak minded. All of these powers become stronger depending on the personality using them. She is also adept at many forms of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, and an expert with throwing knives.
In the comics, for a time at least, Matt couldn’t tell that her differing personalities were the same person due to their different heart rates. It would be great if Matt falls in love with Mary while battling Typhoid as Daredevil, without him even realizing they were one and the same for a number of episodes; the tragedy of this realization would create amazing drama for a guy who seems to have really bad luck with the ladies. Much like with Mister Fear, having her in his life in multiple fronts would increase tension, and tension is good for drama.
These are just a few of my guesses/speculations/hopes for the next season of Daredevil when it returns to Netflix next year. Even if none of these characters make it, that’s okay. I’m just having a little late night fun here, and I’m sure whatever the showrunners have planned will be as amazing as the first season. But, man, I hope I’m right about at least a few of these.
Who are you excited to see Matt Murdock tackle when Daredevil returns next year?
