Netflix & Marvel Comics You've probably had time to work your way through Netflix's new third season of Daredevil, and it's a real doozy alright. As is standard fare for Netflix's MCU shows, there are of course a ton of Easter eggs and sneaky references hidden within each of the thirteen episodes for fans to seek out at their leisure. With Daredevil having some of the densest, richest and most beloved lore of all of the Defenders, it's little surprise the show takes full advantage of this fact with countless homages to iconic comic panels, nifty new characters torn from the comics and a villain introduction that ranks among the MCU's best (be it movie or TV). There are even a few cutesy nods to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, and some ultra-sneaky, mega-geeky references you'll need a real pair of eagle eyes to catch. So, did you pick up on these 20 Easter eggs and references, or did they pass you by? Let's find out...<doc-sep>The best superhero shows operate on two levels. There’s the surface level, where a gripping story and compelling characters keeps you glued to your screen. And then there’s what’s going on below the surface, where Easter eggs are hidden. Since superhero shows pull from comic book mythologies that span decades, there’s always plenty of opportunity for them to reference what came before. As with most of Netflix’s Marvel Universe, Daredevil Season 3 has a whole lot of Easter eggs and references to the comics hidden in plain sight. As plenty of people (myself included) guessed following the way last year’s Defenders limited series ended, Season 3 of Daredevil pulls heavily from the classic comic book storyline “Born Again.” That story, written by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzucchelli, was originally published in 1986 in Daredevil #227-233. In it, Kingpin learns Daredevil’s secret identity and systematically dismantles his archenemies entire life and livelihood. Daredevil Season 3 is not a beat-for-beat retelling of that well-known story, not by a long shot. It’d be pretty boring if it was, as a whole lot of comic book fans would know where the season was heading from the start. Instead, Season 3 remixes “Born Again,” placing it deep within the Netflix show’s pre-existing continuity and diverting from the source material freely and boldly. Still, a few of that original story’s most iconic moments have been preserved along with a few other deep-cut references to other parts of Daredevil history. It makes for a compelling show on both levels; the story is unpredictable to even the most hardcore Daredevil fans, and its comic-accurate nods to DD history will make those same fans scream. You can check out the gallery below for a look at four such moments that Season 3 pulled from the comics–and here’s your spoiler warning, just in case. There is no corpse Daredevil #228, “Purgatory,” 1986; Marvel’s Daredevil 3.4-3.5, “Blindsided” and “The Perfect Game,” 2018 There’s one phrase that sticks out in all of “Born Again,” a phrase that haunts the usually unshakeable Kingpin: “There is no corpse.” After beating Matt Murdock senseless, the Kingpin has his men shove the hero’s unconscious body in a cab, framing him for murdering a cab driver and drunkenly driving the car off a pier. But when the cab is found, the report comes back: “There is no corpse.” This moment is directly echoed in Season 3 at the end of Episode 4 and beginning of Episode 5. After Wilson Fisk tries and fails to kill Murdock in a prison riot, Matt wakes up in his cab seconds before the driver dives out and the car dives off a pier. When the next episode starts, Fisk’s lawyer gives him the bad news: “There’s no corpse.” Karen gives up the devil Daredevil #227, “Apocalypse,” 1986; Marvel’s Daredevil 3.8, “Upstairs/Downstairs,” 2018 The “Born Again” storyline starts with, to put it bluntly, the character assassination of Karen Page. Originally Matt’s one-note receptionist/girlfriend, writer Frank Miller reintroduced the stereotypical 1960s love interest on the very first page of the story as a strung-out, washed-up wannabe movie star, one so desperate that she sold Daredevil’s secret identity to get a fix. Once Kingpin learns his enemy’s real identity, all bets are off and Murdock’s life becomes a living hell. On the show, Fisk already had a hunch that Murdock was Daredevil after their very brief encounter in Season 2. Just like in the comics, Karen is the one that lets the secret slip–albeit in a totally different way. Karen chooses to confront Wilson Fisk and, sensing a rare opportunity, Fisk asks her about Murdock’s secret life and her pause, her eyes give it away. But this being TV Karen Page, as tenacious as they come, she flips the script on Fisk and reveals a secret of her own that guts him. Bullseye misses Daredevil vol. 2 #5, “Devil’s Despair,” 1999; Marvel’s Daredevil 3.10, “Karen,” 2018 Surprisingly, not all of Season 3 pulls from the classic “Born Again” storyarc. Episode 10 actually adapts almost panel-for-shot an entire sequence from the run that put Daredevil back on everyone’s radar in 1999. Written by Kevin Smith with art by Joe Quesada, the “Guardian Devil” arc brought Karen Page and Bullseye back into Murdock’s life. This issue, like the episode, pits Daredevil against Bullseye in a Catholic church. And like in the comic, Bullseye chucks a billy club at his target only to have someone else intercept it. In the comics, Bullseye’s aiming for Daredevil and Karen jumps in the way, killing her. This death has been a permanent one; Karen Page has not been resurrected in the almost 20 years since (a real rarity in comics). The show, however, trades out Karen’s death for Father Lantom, the priest that’s helped guide Matt Murdock throughout his life. He jumps in the way and saves Karen’s life. Role reversal Daredevil vol. 2 #5, “Devil’s Despair,” 1999; Marvel’s Daredevil 3.10, “Karen,” 2018 If you know the comics, all of “Karen” is even more stressful than if you’re just watching it with fresh eyes. Knowing that Bullseye kills Karen in a Catholic church in the comics has you expecting the absolute worst end for her. The issue in question, Daredevil #5, ends with a full-page illustration by Joe Quesada of Daredevil cradling his dead ex-girlfriend in his arms. The show recreates this moment, mirroring the comic’s composition and everything–except there’s one big change. This time it’s Karen, not dead, cradling Daredevil’s body after he’s been beaten senseless in a battle with Bullseye. Daredevil’s definitely seen better days, but TV Karen survived the fight her comic counterpart didn’t. Stream Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix<doc-sep>Season 3 is going to see some big changes for both Matt and Daredevil. At some point during the season, Matt will make the decision to stop using his fancy red suit, and actually go back to fighting in regular old black clothes with either a dark scarf or torn cloth over the top part of his face, just like in the first season. According to the trailers, Matt will also be dealing with what seems like a pretty serious crisis of conscience, as he tries to figure out the best way to protect the people of New York now, given all that's happened.<doc-sep>Daredevil season three touched down today from Marvel, and fans are eager to binge it in its entirety. Some have already crammed the entire season in overnight, and easter eggs from the series are starting to appear online. One hidden gem does not connect to anything within Marvel, but instead, links to one of the best RPGs in the last decade. Mass Effect 3 completed the heroic trilogy of Commander Shepard, a soldier who is thrust into the middle of a war only he can stop. As reported by Comicbook.com, one Reddit user noticed that the song "Leaving Earth" from the game's soundtrack is used in Daredevil season three. "Leaving Earth" was scored by Clint Mansell, and is used during Daredevil's recap. In the game, the song is used to highlight an emotional moment where the Reapers torment Earth. Another user pointed out that Daredevil's second episode uses a song from the new Spider-Man video game. Season three of Daredevil pits the Man Without Fear against his arch-nemesis Bullseye. The Kingpin also returns as the orchestrator of a massive plot to ruin Daredevil's life after he discovers the hero's secret identity. All 13 episodes of season three are binge-able now on Netflix.<doc-sep>
You already know how this goes by now. The Netflix arm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not be the main MCU--no one is fighting Thanos or dealing with half the population of the world disappearing in the middle of the afternoon--but it still features plenty of hidden references and nods to the comic book source material for us to unearth. This season was based heavily on the iconic Born Again story of the Daredevil comics by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, which was originally published across Daredevil #227 through #233 back in 1986. Though Born Again is perhaps less famous than Miller and Mazzucchelli's other work from around that time--Batman: Year One--it fulfills basically the same function. The idea behind Born Again was to strip Daredevil down to his most basic components and see what stuck by throwing Matt Murdock through a brutal ringer of betrayal and death over and over again until he either broke entirely or, hopefully, emerged a hero. Though Season 3 is anything but a shot-for-shot recreation of Born Again, it draws pretty heavily from both the themes and the plot elements, kicking not only Matt but Karen Page and Foggy Nelson through the proverbial fire as they work (sometimes futilely) to take down the recently released Wilson Fisk. That said, Daredevil Season 3 is packed with Easter Eggs from all over the Daredevil canon, both vintage and modern. We compiled a list of them here for you to test your reference-scouting skills. Obviously, there are spoilers from here on out for the entire season, so please proceed with caution.