Of all the Marvel properties currently in production, the Daredevil web-television series is the one I am the most excited about. Not just because of the recent announcement that the Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal has been added to the cast as the Punisher (possibly as the main big bad of the season), but because I was so impressed with and enthralled by the first season. Drew Goddard was able to bring a complicated, tortured hero to the screen and set him in a very believable and dark corner of the Marvel Cinematic universe. Charlie Cox’s portrayal of Matt Murdock as a man struggling with what he must do to protect what is most important to him deserved every bit of critical praise that he received, but really it was the world created by the dynamic supporting characters that brewed the melting pot that is Hell’s Kitchen. With the second season due out in 2016 and many cross-over rumors running rampant, (How can Spiderman and Daredevil exist in the same universe and not team up???) here are five of my favorite supporting characters from Daredevil’s comic book history that I believe would pose a legitimate threat to the Man With Fear.
1. Black Tarantula
Carlos LaMuerto is a man with a complicated past. His namesake
the Black Tarantula and most of his abilities were passed down to him from his father and the lineage is supposedly over 700 years long. He has some out-there powers, but the ones that show up most often are his increased strength, durability and his healing powers (he can not only heal himself but others as well). Though he eventually turns into an ally of
Daredevil, the Black Tarantula is a formidable opponent with an origin story that could fit right into the
Daredevil narrative. He first comes to the United States as a South American crime lord looking for his ex-wife and son, and ends up wrestling for control of the criminal enterprises leftover after
Wilson Fisk is sent to Rykers Island. In addition, his fighting skills are so great the he eventually turns into a member of
the Hand, the ninja clan that is sure to pop up more and more as the story progresses. I think
Carlos is a character that has a lot of potential due to his start as a powered criminal and his redemption (and resurrection) as a soldier of
the Hand. I like
Theo Rossi, best known as playing an emotionally convoluted biker named
‘Juice’ on
Sons of Anarchy, for the role.
2. Typhoid Mary
Another complicated character with ties to
the Hand, Mary Walker is a mutant with psionic abilities and multiple personality disorder. Her psychosis may have been caused by
Daredevil when he unknowingly knocked her out of a window while being attacked by her co-workers at a brothel. Her abilities include the ability to telekinetically throw small objects weighing less than ten pounds, causing things (and people) to spontaneously combust within her line of sight and being able to implant mental suggestions into weak minded people. If anyone is known for their
“hoe’s gallery” it is
Matt Murdock, so it would make sense to start populating said group with interesting and deadly characters. I think that
Typhoid Mary can be a successful villain if she is interpreted as a seductive assassin with low-level telekinetic abilities, and maybe without the ‘Firestarter’ power-set (which may be a bit much). Exploring her multiple personalities and how they affect her powers would also make her a uniquely tragic character on a show full of uniquely tragic characters. Her appearance is also very unique so that may need to be…toned down for Netflix. I would go with
Anna Torv for the role, who is best known for playing alternate versions of her own character
Olivia Dunham on
‘Fringe’.
3. Tombstone
A longtime associate of
Wilson Fisk, Lonnie Thompson Lincoln a.k.a. Tombstone has been a mainstay in Ney York’s seedy underworld for almost 30 years.
Tombstone is an albino African American hitman that usually shows up on the radar of your friendly, neighborhood
Spiderman but he has crossed paths with
Daredevil on more than one occasion. He has enhanced strength, reflexes and a high level of resistance to pain and injury. If that isn’t enough, he has filed down his teeth so they are razor sharp and he stands 6’7”. I have always liked
Tombstone but I doubt he is flashy enough for a
Spiderman movie, but maybe a T.V. show is the right place for him. He could be depicted as a very realistic mob type enforcer or a super-human vision straight out of a nightmare, depending on the interpretation. I would make his character a bit of both, with the veneer of a gargantuan chalk white hitman and the enhanced abilities to be able to stand toe-to-toe with a hero like
Daredevil. I believe that
Ron Pearlman would do the role justice if even he is a different race than his comic book counterpart and a bit long in the tooth.
4. Mysterio
Yep, I am calling to bring old ‘fishbowl-head’ to the screen.
Quentin Beck is a special effects creator that eventually turns to a life of crime and adopts the moniker
Mysterio. He is a master of disguises, mechanical and visual effects, hypnotism, applied chemistry and he wears a powered costume that has many features and enhances his durability. The biggest problem with this very compelling character is his signature helmet, which does in fact look like an upside down goldfish bowl. I think a smart thing to do would be to create a smaller, mirrored helmet with a smoky interior that shows the movement of smoke or gas behind a one-way facade, similar if not more subtle then how the ink moved on the
Rorshach mask in the
Watchmen. Although he is another rogue that has done more battles with
Spiderman, the
“Guardian Devil” storyline is one of the most well revered stories in the
Daredevil library and
Mysterio is the main cog that drives that story. I think pairing this story with the
“Born Again” storyline would make for a very interesting season and would hold many long lasting ramifications for the
Daredevil family. The part does not need anyone too famous, since their face should be covered most of the time, so I would go with
Doug Jones who is a master of invoking emotion through movement.
Speaking of the
“Born Again” story…..
5. Nuke
While the first season of
Daredevil was a pretty realistic depiction of a super hero, the show could probably use a little more comic book sensibility in future seasons and an out-there lunatic like
Nuke would surely fit that bill.
Agent Frank Simpson is a former U.S. military serviceman who is abducted (by
Wolverine) and put into the
Weapon Plus program. There he is augmented with several cybernetic enhancements which include a second heart and a metal bone structure. His skin is covered in a type of durable plastic and he takes different colored pills that are tied to his abilities. After the
Weapon Plus program he was captured by the Viet Cong where they tortured him mentally and physically (and carved an American flag onto his face). His backstory would obviously need to be updated, but I think it really works when a dark show like
Daredevil proves that it does not take itself too seriously, and dropping in a crazy character like
Nuke would fit that bill. When he meets
Daredevil it is during the “
Born Again” story after he is dropped into the middle of
Hell’s Kitchen (on the order of the
Kingpin) and starts blowing away everyone in a sight with a huge machine gun. It takes
Daredevil and
Captain America to take him out, but that isn’t the last we hear of
Nuke. I could see
Kellen Lutz in this role.
What do you think?