A relic of the time Netflix led the charge in superhero series, Daredevil's best episodes redefined live-action Marvel adaptations from 2015 to 2018. Long-time viewers of the beloved Marvel Studios and Netflix series were crushed when it was canceled after three seasons, as there was so much of the character's story still to tell. In the show that finally - and properly - brought Matt Murdock to live-action, actor Charlie Cox put on such a compelling performance that he has since become the definitive version of the titular Daredevil. The show's influence can still be gleaned in more recent Marvel series featuring street-level superheroes, such as Hawkeye and Moon Knight.
Even with the canonical status of Netflix's Daredevil still in question, Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock is definitely a key part of the MCU's future. With appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Matt Murdock has officially joined the MCU proper, and there's more of the vigilante to come, with a scheduled appearance in Echo and the announced Daredevil: Born Again to expand on his story. In the meantime, those wishing to revisit Matt's story so far can do so, as all episodes of Netflix's Daredevil series are available to stream on Disney+. Here are Daredevil's best episodes in its entire 3-season, 39-episode run.
10 A Cold Day In Hell's Kitchen
Season 2, Episode 13
Unlike most of Daredevil's great second season, "A Cold Day In Hell's Kitchen" barely featured the Punisher, and instead focused on the Hand/Black Sky storyline that focused on Stick and Elektra. Notably, Daredevil's costume got another upgrade in this episode, in the form of his iconic billy club. Inarguably one of Daredevil's best episodes, "A Cold Day In Hell's Kitchen" is high stakes and incredibly fast-paced, with the final rooftop battle featuring a number of great moments, including the death of Elektra, which paid homage to the comic book moment. Frank Castle did make a minor appearance in this finale, but it would be the last fans saw of him until his own spin-off series later premiered.
9 Speak Of The Devil
Season 1, Episode 9
As Murdock's life as a vigilante brought him closer to a confrontation with Wilson Fisk, he would end up meeting the future Kingpin for the first time in their civilian identities in "Speak of the Devil", kicking off a series of meetings between Murdock and Fisk that would turn into a deep rivalry. Apart from that, this is also among Daredevil's best episodes for featuring a showdown between Matt and the Hand leader named Nobu, who teaches Murdock the value of body armor during their bloody battle. The threat of the Hand really began to make itself known in this episode, and Matt's wounds would lead to him further improving his crime-fighting gear.
8 Penny And Dime
Season 2, Episode 4
Up until this episode, not much was known about Frank Castle beyond his brutal methods and hints at his tragic origin story. "Penny and Dime" is one of Daredevil's best episodes for diving into Frank's history and revealing why he became the Punisher. This episode also featured a shootout at the carousel in Central Park, which would later play a key role in The Punisher spin-off series, as well as one of Frank's most vulnerable moments - when he related told Daredevil about his daughter. Additionally, this episode shows the culmination of a season's worth of relationship development between Matt and Karen, as the two share their first kiss.
7 New York's Finest
Season 2, Episode 3
This is one of Daredevil's best season 2 episodes for being the introduction of one of Matt Murdock's main comic book villains, Frank Castle, also known as the Punisher. This episode opened with a scene right out of the comics, which saw Daredevil chained to a rooftop chimney while he and Frank got to know each other a little better. This episode explores the moral choices behind Daredevil and Frank's motivations, and also features some incredibly tense moments that were capped off wonderfully with an energetic fight scene that rivaled the first season's hallway fight. For long-time readers of Daredevil and Punisher comic books, nothing compares to finally seeing them together onscreen.
6 One Last Shot
Season 3, Episode 12
Throughout season 3, FBI Agent Nadeem struggled with his complete loss of control over every aspect of his professional life due to Fisk, who managed to manipulate the FBI while incarcerated under their personal watch. One of Daredevil's best episodes, "One Last Shot" featured the return of the partnership between Foggy Nelson and Murdock, who had been moving in different directions since the second season. Together they managed to play their last hand against Fisk using Nadeem, though it, unfortunately, failed due to Kingpin's incredible influence. This led to Dex cutting all ties to his past life, which included Agent Nadeem.
5 Daredevil
Season 1, Episode 13
Most of the first season of Daredevil was spent establishing Hell's Kitchen alongside Matt Murdock's growth as a vigilante, and Wilson Fisk's growth as a crime boss and all of these pieces came together in the climactic season finale that finally saw Daredevil face off with Kingpin in battle. Decidedly one of Daredevil's best episodes, "Daredevil" stands out for featuring the first appearance of one of the best Daredevil costumes, replacing the makeshift black uniform he wore in the early episodes with the iconic red suit. This showed Matt's commitment to his new vigilante persona. The final fight between Fisk and Daredevil also served as the payoff viewers waited all season to see.
4 Seven Minutes In Heaven
Season 2, Episode 9
This episode further teased the threat of the Hand and saw the reappearance of Nobu, but the main focus is the return of fan-favorite character and villain Wilson Fisk, who is incarcerated at Rikers Island alongside Frank Castle. "Seven Minutes In Heaven" features some great moments between the two antagonists, but it also leads to Castle being involved in one of the best and bloodiest fight scenes in Daredevil, as he is forced to violently take out an entire cell block of prisoners. This alone makes "Seven Minutes In Heaven" a shoo-in for Daredevil's best episodes.
3 The Devil You Know
Season 3, Episode 6
As Kingpin takes advantage of Agent Dex's fragile state and sets him on a dark path that led to one of the season's most highly-anticipated moments, "The Devil You Know" ranks highly among Daredevil's best episodes. While Murdock had been wearing a costume reminiscent of his first season look, Kingpin tasked Dex with wearing the red Daredevil costume in order to take out a witness at the offices of the New York Bulletin where Karen worked. Dressed as Daredevil, Dex killed the witness, the FBI agents guarding him, and almost everyone else in the room before Matt showed up, meeting his future nemesis for the first time.
2 Blindsided
Season 3, Episode 4
The third season of Daredevil is technically Matt Murdock's fourth series of adventures, as he starred alongside Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones in The Defenders mini-series, which served to partially wrap up the Hand storyline. The Defenders left Daredevil recovering from a near-death experience, and all the while Fisk began to manipulate the FBI. "Blindsided" continued to build a relationship between Fisk and Agent Dex, who eventually became Bullseye before the series was canceled. "Blindsided" remains one of Daredevil's best episodes for Matt's frantic escape from prison during a riot.
1 A New Napkin
Season 3, Episode 13
The series finale featured an epic battle between Daredevil, Dex, and Kingpin as everything fell apart for all parties involved. Dex had been betrayed by Kingpin, causing him to turn on Fisk at his wedding while Daredevil attempted to seek justice in any form he could. Their battle tore through Fisk's luxurious hotel suite and left Dex seriously injured while Fisk and Murdock had their final emotional exchange of the series. In hindsight, Daredevil's best and last episode was a fantastic way to say farewell to this iteration of the characters, though the final glimpse of Dex in surgery - as the iconic Bullseye logo flashed in his eye - teased a future that would never come for Netflix's Daredevil.