Daredevil’s third season ends with a spectacular three-way battle royale and, in the series most shocking creative move of all, a happy ending. For almost this entire season of Daredevil, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) didn’t just have the deck stacked against them, they had an entire card factory fall on top of them. Every time it seems like they’re about to gain some headway into taking down Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofiro), he somehow manages to gain the upper hand. It certainly made for some exciting, suspenseful television thus far. Take the last episode, “One Last Shot,” in which Agent Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali), despite several assassination attempts and threats to his family, still managed to testify against Fisk before a grand jury. Then it turns out Fisk blackmailed the jury, which also meant Nadeem’s sealed testimony was all for naught. Then, after Nadeem escapes back to his house, Dex (Wilson Bethel) finds and kills him, thus seemingly ending what little chance was left in bringing Fisk to justice. As if this wasn’t bad enough, Fisk reunites with Vanessa and the happy couple decide to get married, both as a declaration of love and as a proverbial flipping of the bird to the law enforcement community. By the time “A New Napkin” opens, Matt, yet again, has denounced the legal system and “Thou shalt not kill” as he prepares himself to give Fisk a fistful of lethal justice. Of course, as Foggy observes, this will destroy Matt, and remove any chance of him ever clearing Daredevil’s name, if he actually goes through with his plan. The danger in having these characters have so much against them heading into the finale and the risk of having events suddenly working in their favor without looking like a cop-out is very high. However, while the last episode of this season of Daredevil does wrap things up a little too quick and neat, it’s still extremely entertaining, with moments that not only feel reminiscent of the first season, but a lot more satisfying. The second fall of Wilson Fisk With the third season ending with the incarceration of Wilson Fisk yet again, comparisons between this and how he was brought down in season one are inevitable. While Matt and Foggy’s investigation into Fisk was instrumental in bringing Fisk down in season one, much of it was also due to Fisk’s own hubris. Remember, most of Fisk’s allies were already losing confidence in him over his obsessive love for Vanessa and anger over Wesley’s death. Even if Detective Hoffman hadn’t flipped, Fisk’s incarceration seemed like a foregone conclusion. Not so during this season. As the Kingpin, Fisk had everything going in his favor. The FBI was in his pocket as his own private army. He consolidated the criminal underworld under his leadership. A federal court pardoned him for all his crimes. He bought the Grand Jury’s silence. He turned the entire city against Daredevil. And, as we see in this episode, he’s marrying the love of his life, Vanessa. So, it’s funny that the one thing which topples Fisk’s new empire is Agent Nadeem’s dying declaration that he leaves on his smartphone for his wife. In all fairness, “One Last Shot” did lay the groundwork for this to happen, so, although Agent Nadeem’s phone is a literal machine, it doesn’t qualify as a deus ex machina. It is, however, a little too convenient that the Feds never bothered to watch the entire video Agent Nadeem left, or that they didn’t confiscate it the moment they brought Nadeem’s wife in. Even so, there is poetic justice in that, by having Nadeem killed, Fisk once again brings about his own downfall. Daredevil vs. Kingpin vs Bullseye Speaking of convinces, Matt certainly found Felix Manning (Joe Jones) really quickly considering how careful and elusive Kingpin’s blackmailing hatchet man as been all season. Plus, Matt had to have known what would happen by goading Dex (Wilson Bethel), right? Especially, when he tells him truth about what really happened to Julie (Holly Cinnamon)? Then again, this is probably what Matt’s plan was for killing Fisk–trick some other guy into doing it for him. Thing is, Matt knows darn well that Dex is a homicidal maniac. Thus, why he he act shocked when Dex, bringing along Julie’s corpse has his plus one (yuck! ), crashes Fisk and Vanessa’s wedding and proceeds to start killing everyone. That the episode sort of glosses over Matt’s culpability here speaks to the notion of how rushed the finale is. Yet regardless of whether Matt made things worse than they should’ve been, it still led to one of the best climatic fight sequences of the series: a three-way brawl between Daredevil, Kingpin, and Bullseye with the newly Mrs. Fisk caught in the middle. This fight is as vicious, brutal, and exhilarating as anything the show as done up to this point, with combatants thrown through walls, furnishing destroyed, objects thrown, all while staying true to who they are as characters. For Matt to go out of his way to protect Vanessa despite his rage at Fisk shows that he hasn’t given in to his darker impulses. Likewise, having Dex’s projectiles shatter off Fisk’s coat and then Fisk draping that coat over Vanessa was a great touch, as well as a nice callback to the fact that Melvin Potter (Matt Gerald) also designed Fisk’s wardrobe. What was slightly disappointing was that it was Fisk who defeated Dex instead of Matt, considering how Matt besting Dex was something that was being built up all season. Likewise, the deal Matt cut with Fisk at the end in that, so long as Fisk doesn’t out him as Daredevil, he won’t go after Vanessa. Sure, it makes sense in context but, again, it also feels too neat and tidy considering the animosity that’s been building between these two. Yet, in terms of endings, this fight sequence is definitely on par with the finale from season one. Murdock, Nelson, and Page Yet, by far one of the most unexpected aspects about this entire episode is that it ends on a happy ending. Matt reconciles with and forgives Sister Maggie (Joanne Whalley). He doesn’t condemn Karen for her killing Wesley or her past, reassuring her that she’s still a good person in spite of everything she’s done. Foggy tells his brother that he’s arranged for him and their parents not to be indicted. Even the funeral for Father Lantom (Peter McRobbie) seems like a joyous, hopeful celebration. As Matt delivers the eulogy, one can see he is a man transformed. After wallowing in doubt and self-pity to the point where he contemplated suicide by vigilantism, his faith in God, in his friends, and in himself is restored, all because the priest who helped raise him literally gave his life to save others. Yes, the biblical allusions of a man of the cloth dying for another’s sins are obvious, but proper, and instrumental in completing Matt’s arc this season, and possibly the entire series. Also, for Matt to say that Father Lantam inspired him to be “a man without fear,” the very tagline from the Daredevil comics, is a wonderful touch. It’s also an episode which ends full circle from season one, with Matt and Foggy deciding to restart their law practice and having Karen as their new investigator. It’s a little corny, to be honest, and some may find it a little disappointing seeing Foggy’s bid for DA comes to such an abrupt end. At the same time, however, it’s an ideal way to end Matt, Karan, and Foggy’s seasonal arcs, especially after the depressing ending of season two and the finale of The Defenders. One could even say this had all the trappings of a series finale instead of season finale. While not the best episode of the series, “A New Napkin” caps off a season that rivals the first season of Daredevil as the best of the Marvel Netflix offerings. While there certainly are developmental differences, these characters are now in a place where they’re arguably indistinguishable from their comic book counterparts. At this point, it’s almost impossible to foresee where the series can go at this point should Netflix decide to renew Daredevil for a fourth season. That said, if the last scene is anything to go by, it looks like fans should prepare themselves for a Daredevil vs. Bullseye rematch.<doc-sep>Daredevil Season 3 ended the same way all Marvel shows and movies do: with a huge tease about what's to come. We're breaking down that Daredevil Season 3 ending, so obviously there's massive spoilers ahead. (Showrunner Erik Oleson also explains the ending in an interview with Newsweek.) Wilson Fisk breaks Dex's spine in the final battle of the series. It was a three way fight between Daredevil, Dex (Bullseye in the Daredevil suit) and Fisk — all on their own side at this point. Daredevil came out with the win, but agendas were complicated to say the least. Fisk, hoping to protect Vanessa and avoid prison time, is fighting Daredevil. Dex, who finally realized that Fisk manipulated him into doing all his dirty work, is after Fisk now. Dex is extra pissed becuase Fisk murdered Julie, who Dex believed was the "moral compass" who could help him through all his mental health issues. And finally, Daredevil is fighting both Fisk and Dex, though preventing Fisk from escaping is his main concern at this point. Thankfully for a Daredevil, Fisk takes care of Dex by smashing him into a wall. Dex is paralyzed for the rest of the scene, and we don't find out what happens to him until the last moments of the series when two doctors operate on a man's spine. One is named Dr. Oyama, and he says the patient agreed to be part of a risky procedure that involves "cogmium steel reinforcing framework." The camera zooms in on the patient's face: it's Dex. When his eyes open, his pupil forms a bullseye. While Dex actor Wilson Bethel confirmed his character was indeed Bullseye at NYCC (as if Dex chucking objects with insane accuracy wasn't enough of a hint), he was never actually called Bullseye in Daredevil Season 3. So this scene essentially confirms Dex will become Bullseye, and it adds another canon element to his character. In the comics, Bullseye's bones were coated in adamantium, just like Wolverine. Dr. Oyama is a reference to a Marvel character named Kenji Oyama, also known as Lord Dark Wind. Created by Dennis O'Neil and Klaus Janson in 1983, he's obsessed with designing super soldiers and is known as the father of the adamantium experiments. Oyama's research were used for the Weapon X project, which lead to the creation of Wolverine and more, including Bullseye. In the comics, Oyama eventually recruited the perfect patient in Bullseye, who had a broken spine at the time. Wolverine and Daredevil teamed up (with a tip from Turk Barrett) to stop Oyama from shipping Bullseye off to Japan for the experiments, but they ultimately failed. A lot of this went down in Daredevil #196 and the couple issues following. Needless to say, the experiments were successful. Dark Wind hoped Bullseye would stick around as his personal assassin afterword, but Bullseye had other plans back in New York. There's not enough on cogmium steel in Marvel Comics to know how strong it is compared to adamantium, one of the strongest metals in the Marvel Universe only second to vibranium (the compound that makes up Captain America's shield). The obvious reason why adamantium wasn't used for Bullseye in the Daredevil series is because of X-Men rights (The Disney Fox deal hasn't gone through quite yet). Regardless, comic book fans are always keen to learn about yet another precious metal, especially if it means more Daredevil vs. Bullseye fight scenes in Season 4. Aside from Bullseye tease, Daredevil Season 3 concludes with Fisk going to prison (thanks to Agent Nadeem's dying confession that was blasted all over social media). Vanessa remains free of murder charges, as long as Fisk doesn't escape prison again. Nelson, Murdock & Page is also happening. Anything we missed? Sound off in the comments. Also check out our list of cliffhangers/Season 4 questions here.<doc-sep>
Daredevil season three, which dropped in its entirety on Friday, is arguably the best season of the Marvel-Netflix series so far. With the addition of a new, emotionally complex enemy, the return of an old favorite and Matt Murdock’s struggle with faith and identity, the season, overseen by first-time showrunner Erik Oleson, is a return to form for the series. But with the recent cancellations of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, what does the future hold for Daredevil? [Ed. note: This post contains major spoilers for Daredevil season three.] A bullseye of an ending The final scene in Daredevil’s third season depicts FBI agent Benjamin Poindexter on the operating table, undergoing surgery for his spine after being crushed by Wilson Fisk during a climactic three-way battle between him, Fisk and Daredevil. To those who are familiar with Daredevil comic book lore, it was a significant moment, teasing out Dr. Oyama, Cognium steel and the bullseye symbol. Dr. Oyama is known in the X-Men comic-book universe as Lord Dark Wind, the father of Lady Deathstrike and the creator of the adamantium infusion process that gave Wolverine his shiny claws. Cognium steel is Marvel’s way of using adamantium without infringing on its contract agreement with Fox, the company that currently owns the X-Men movie rights (at least until that Disney-Fox deal is sealed). So, according to this scene, Dex’s spine is being repaired with cognium steel, aka adamantium (wink wink), giving him the heightened powers Bullseye has in the comics. And with the classic Bullseye symbol zoomed in on in Dex’s eyes, this pretty much guarantees that Bullseye will be the main villain in Daredevil season four, fully-formed and ready to take on Daredevil once again. That is, if there is a season four — this month Netflix canceled both Iron Fist and Luke Cage (though the company alluded to both returning in some capacity). Before we get into what these cancellations could mean for the future of Daredevil, let’s talk about The Kingpin and our hero. A deal with the devil Throughout this season, Fisk has not only been obsessing about the well-being of his love, Vanessa, but about whether or not Matt Murdock is Daredevil. But thanks to Karen Page’s not-so-subtle facial expression during their confrontation in his hotel room, in which Fisk asks her point blank if Matt is Daredevil, his suspicion is confirmed. Fisk spent season three framing Daredevil in a string of murders and trying to murder Matt Murdock for learning too much about how we was able to weasel his way out of prison. By the end, the big bad pulled double-duty in trying to frame Daredevil, and make Matt’s life a living hell by sending Dex to murder Karen Page. While wrestling with his faith, healing from his wounds and trying to come to terms that Sister Maggie is his estranged mother, Matt goes back and forth on whether he should just murder Fisk, knowing that it’ll make everyone’s lives so much easier. But after Foggy and Karen convince Matt to give the justice system one more chance, and have FBI Special Agent Ray Nadeem atone for his sins and testify against Fisk, things go from bad to worse. Fisk gets to the jurors and threatens their families. Nadeem is then murdered by Dex. And that’s when Matt decides that murdering Fisk is the only option left, much to the dismay of Karen and Foggy. But right when Matt Murdock has the chance to do it, as Fisk prods him on, Matt stops himself, of course. Because he realizes Fisk wants Matt to murder him, because that means he would have crossed the line between hero and villain, making Daredevil just as bad as the Kingpin. Matt refuses, his faith in himself, and his strong Catholic upbringing, restored. After the two strike a deal — Fisk won’t reveal Matt’s Daredevil identity if Matt protects Fisk’s now-wife Vanessa while he’s in prison — and seal it with handshake, that’s it. Matt, Foggy and Karen are all friends again, with talk about reforming their law partnership, this time making Page a full partner. And they laugh, probably for the first time this season. It’s a nice, mostly-optimistic ending for Daredevil’s darkest season yet. The question of Daredevil season 4 Besides the Bullseye tease, Daredevil’s season three wraps up with a nice little bow. The show teases Bullseye’s technological enhancements, but leaves us with a bigger, burning question: Will there even be a Daredevil season four?