Daredevil took Netflix, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and indeed the entire world by storm last April when it premiered. Centering on the origins of blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) turned Hell's Kitchen vigilante, the series provided one of the darkest and most violent -- yet most mature and well-rounded superhero crime stories Marvel has offered to date.
Although many people are still coming down from the high that was Jessica Jones, Marvel still has more Daredevil on the way, and soon. This year, the laywer from Hell's Kitchen will go up against iconic foes Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) as well as Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung). While the season 2 of Daredevil has thus far proven to be a fairly closely guarded secret, new photos have emerged, giving fans a better look at some of the show's new characters.
The photos come from a scan of EW's print edition and showcase one of Daredevil's encounters with The Punisher. Check it out below:
Daredevil vs punisher #Daredevil pic.twitter.com/zQAi2Wc0YA— Comic News (@News2Comic) December 29, 2015
The second image offers a first look at one of Matt Murdock's potential future (or past) love interests, Elektra:
First look at Elektra in daredevil season 2 #Daredevil pic.twitter.com/HsMWErsRiJ— Comic News (@News2Comic) December 29, 2015
While these photos don't give us too much insight into the overall story arc for the upcoming series, they do provide us a better understanding as to how these characters will interact with one another. Bernthal's Punisher has thus far been advertised very much as the shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later type. The fact that he ties Daredevil up and is willing to have a conversation -- as uncivil as it may be -- leads us to believe that he has at least some shred of respect for the red-clad vigilante.
Some astute fans on Twitter also recognized that this scene bears remarkable similarity to one shared between the two character in the comics in which The Punisher ties Daredevil up and gives him a pistol as the only means of stopping Castle from killing his target. This could lend credence to the notion that the gun Castle is holding in the photo is not to threaten Murdock, but to be placed in his hands for a similar purpose. Such a moment would perfectly encapsulate the difference between these two men: one is willing to cross that line, while another isn't.
Notably less information can be gleaned from the photo of Elektra. Wherever she finds herself in this image, it appears to be somewhere far classier than most places that Matt often finds himself. This could lead one to believe that this version of Elektra either comes from wealth, or is doing well for herself in the assassin game. Then again, season 1 of Daredevil referenced Matt having a past relationship with a Greek girl, so this picture could be a flashback of happier times between the two.
Daredevil season 1 and Jessica Jones season 1 are now available on Netflix. Luke Cage season 1 and Daredevil season 2 will debut on Netflix in 2016. Release dates for Iron Fist and The Defenders on Netflix have not yet been announced.