Despite an untimely cancellation, Netflix's Daredevil still has one story left to tell, and it's one of the biggest of the series: the return of Bullseye. The first of the shows produced as a result of the since-severed deal between Netflix and Marvel, Daredevil starred Charlie Cox as the blind lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night as he waged a one man war against organized crime and corruption in Hell's Kitchen. After being cancelled back in 2018, fans have demanded for Cox's version of the character to return in some capacity, be it a season 4 on Disney+ or a Daredevil cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming 3.
The third season of the series was a loose adaptation of Frank Miller's highly acclaimed Born Again story arc, which saw Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) discovering Matt Murdock's secret identity and using the knowledge to try and drive him insane. Netflix borrowed certain elements from the iconic run, while remixing and adding story points such as Karen Page's (Deborah Ann Woll) backstory and FBI Agent Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali). The result was a compelling final season that closed the book once and for all on the Daredevil/Kingpin vendetta.
However, even with the neat ending given to the show's other story threads, there was one loose strand left hanging: Special Agent Dex Poindexter, aka Bullseye (Wilson Bethel). His inclusion in the show's final season was a consistent highlight for most viewers, which makes the fact that his ultimate fate is left up to a cliffhanger all the more disappointing.
Daredevil's Story Is Mostly Finished - Apart From Bullseye
Throughout the entirety of Daredevil's three-season run, there were certain storylines and arcs that were designed to bring the characters closer to their comic book counterparts. Stories like the falling out between Foggy and Matt, Karen's shady past catching up to her, and even Wilson Fisk's love affair with Vanessa Mariana all slowly reach a natural resting point in the final season. With Matt and Foggy now practicing law again, the connection between our trio of heroes is stronger than ever, leading the audience to believe that they'll continue practicing law full-time. As it stands, with Fisk in jail and Matt's secret identity protected, the show ended on a pretty self-contained high note.
Except the idealism of the ending is directly contrasted by the final episode's cliffhanger, which shows Dex Poindexter receiving an experimental spine surgery. This was definitely intended to be Netflix's version of Bullseye's adamantium spine from Marvel Comics, something which the supervillain received after Daredevil dropped him off a building and crippled him. With this major comic book story being referenced, it's clear that the showrunners were planning on Bullseye to return in Daredevil season 4.
Why Marvel Needs To Finish Daredevil's Bullseye Story
When the final season of Daredevil premiered, the inclusion of Bullseye was one of the most consistently praised elements. The showrunners found a way to adapt the ruthless and terrifying nature of Marvel's most psychotic assassin, while also giving him a concrete backstory and a reason for his psychosis. His fight scenes with Matt were very comic accurate and perfectly attuned to Bullseye's fighting style and techniques, making him a much better physical adaptation of the character than Colin Farrell's cartoonish and over-the-top performance.
Going off their relationship in the comics, it's also clear that Bullseye and Daredevil have so much history left to be told. In the 40+ years since the character's creation, Bullseye has been responsible for some of the greatest tragedies in the life of the Man Without Fear, including killing Elektra and the murder of Karen Page. Conversely, Daredevil has also given Bullseye some of the worst beatings he's ever received, and even gone so far as to kill the villain in the divisive Shadowland storyline. Their rivalry is so brutal and deeply-rooted that seeing the showrunners tease Bullseye's adamantium spine is evidence that they weren't even close to being done with the character, and it would be a shame to not see him return in a more comic book-accurate costume.
How The MCU Could Finish Daredevil's Bullseye Story
Lots of fans have petitioned and lobbied for Marvel to revive Daredevil in some way, shape, or form. While their dedication to the show is admirable, it seems as if the show itself wasn't ever really planned to continue on for a prolonged span of time; instead choosing to tell an overarching story over maybe 4 or 5 seasons with a defined beginning, middle, and end. While it may never be clear exactly what Netflix's plan was for Daredevil's endgame, it's obvious that Dex Poindexter was going to be crucial to the future of the series and Matt Murdock's increasingly tumultuous double life.
While many options have been presented, including simply renewing the show or bringing the characters back in another property, the most exciting way for the MCU to finish Daredevil's story with Bullseye would be a full-length feature film with an R-rating. This would allow them to preserve the dark and gritty tone that the show itself was so praised for, while also giving the story the unique cinematic feeling that only movies can capture. On top of this, if they wanted, they could use a film as an opportunity to fully incorporate Netflix's Daredevil canon into the MCU, with cameos from characters in the other MCU films.
There are a ton of different storylines that a film could adapt to give the final curtain call on the Daredevil/Bullseye relationship. One of the most obvious would be Kevin Smith's "Guardian Devil," which pushed Daredevil to his absolute limits as he faced off against a lethal combination of Bullseye and Mysterio. Certain story elements and the extent of Mysterio's involvement would have to be changed, but the basic premise of Matt struggling to keep his sanity while trying to protect someone from Bullseye could work very well. There's also Brian Michael Bendis' "Out," a storyline from the early 2000's in which Matt Murdock's secret identity is accidentally leaked to the press, causing Bullseye and a host of other villains to come after him. The series has already set the precedent that Wilson Fisk knows who Daredevil is, so it wouldn't be a stretch to use that as part of a story that sees Matt fighting to save his reputation while Bullseye takes aim at him for revenge. Whatever the medium, general audiences and comic book fans deserve a chance to see how Daredevil planned on wrapping up its last important storyline.