Daredevil season 3 featured a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance from Dr. Oyama, and in so doing it lays the foundations for bringing Wolverine into the MCU. Although the character is relatively little-known, he's a key part of Wolverine's backstory.
At this point, the Disney/Fox acquisition looks like a certainty. Employees have been told the deal will be "ready to close" on January 1, 2019. Given that's the case, Marvel fans are eager to see how the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will join the wider MCU. Marvel Television seems to have a lot more leeway to tease the impending arrival of these two franchises than the movies. As a result, Iron Fist season 2 already had a reference to the Baxter Building, a brilliant Easter egg that hints at the Fantastic Four.
Related: Why Marvel TV Can Tease X-Men & Fantastic 4, But Movies Can't
There's another Easter egg in Daredevil season 3, a brief scene at the end of the season featuring one Dr. Oyama. He's an important figure in the comics - and he's closely tied to the origin of Wolverine.
- This Page: Introducing Doctor Oyama to the MCU
- Next Page: How Doctor Oyama Could Lead to Wolverine and the Weapon X Project
Daredevil Season 3 Introduces Doctor Oyama
One of the core storylines of Daredevil season 3 revolved around Ben "Dex" Poindexter, the man who's destined to become Bullseye. Poindexter suited up as Daredevil, and cut a bloody swathe across Hell's Kitchen. In the end, Dex and Fisk wound up going head-to-head, and Fisk broke Dex's spine. The last moment of the series revealed that the sociopath had agreed to be subjected to an experimental process to repair his back, involving something called a "cogmium steel reinforcing framework." This idea is lifted straight from the comics, although there Bullseye's bones were reinforced with Adamantium after his back was broken.
The medic in charge of the experimental surgery at the end of Daredevil season 3 is Dr. Oyama. In the comics, Kenji Oyama - a.k.a. Lord Dark Wind - is a wealthy surgeon whose military career earned him fame and fortune. He used his money to become a powerful political figure, secretly funding extremists and terrorists. Lord Dark Wind became dedicated to the idea of creating the ultimate soldier, and his experiments with Bullseye were among them. He sought to turn Bullseye into the perfect, unstoppable assassin, a tool he would use to gain political power and eliminate his enemies.
Doctor Oyama Is Key To Creating Wolverine In The Comics
But, in the comics, Bullseye isn't the only living weapon Doctor Oyama created. He's also an important figure in X-Men mythology; Lord Dark Wind was the one who worked out a process to bind the human skeleton with Adamantium. The procedure included complex surgery on the bones and the use of herbs to prevent the body from rejecting the implants. Oyama's notes were stolen by the Weapon X Project, and he was never able to perfectly reproduce the process. His experiments with Bullseye were part of this.
Related: A Brief History of the Weapon X Program
Lord Dark Wind is, therefore, associated with both the X-Men and Daredevil franchises. This probably means that his rights are shared between Marvel and Fox, explaining why Marvel Television had no problems name-dropping him. It's notable that Daredevil season 3 refers to Oyama experimenting with cogmium steel on Bullseye rather than Adamantium. The rights to Adamantium will most likely sit squarely with Fox for now, so Marvel has switched things up with another fictional metal. It's impossible to know how cogmium steel compares to Adamantium; neither metal actually exists. But the comparison doesn't really matter; it's not as though Wolverine himself will debut in Daredevil season 4, after all, so it's not as though Bullseye will ever be crossing paths with the clawed mutant.
Page 2 of 2: How Doctor Oyama Could Lead to Wolverine and the Weapon X Project
Oyama's Future in Daredevil Season 4
In the comics, Daredevil learned that Doctor Oyama was conducting experiments upon Bullseye. Teaming up with Wolverine, he did his level best to prevent Bullseye's recovery, but was unsuccessful. The assassin warned Lord Dark Wind that Daredevil would come for him, and Lord Dark Wind, a deeply spiritual person, believed the bond of hatred between the two adversaries would give them a psychic connection with one another. He prepared a trap for the Man Without Fear, but ultimately died when he was betrayed by his daughter, Yuriko.
Assuming Netflix renews Daredevil for a fourth season, it's entirely possible Doctor Oyama will be a major figure - a Japanese crime lord who's attempted to create the ultimate assassin in order to extend his empire and push his own interests. Just as in the comics, Lord Dark Wind would be asking Bullseye to serve him as a way of paying him back. Suffice to say that didn't go well in the comics, as Bullseye wasn't exactly keen on the idea of killing anyone for free, so he quickly went rogue. It's possible the Marvel Netflix iteration will betray Lord Dark Wind for a very different reason, driven by his obsession with Daredevil.
Related: What To Expect In Daredevil Season 4
The interesting question is whether or not Doctor Oyama's daughter, Yuriko, could appear in Daredevil season 4. In the comics, she devoted her life to regaining her father's honor after his death. Yuriko learned that Wolverine had been the ultimate recipient of the Adamantium bonding process, and resolved to avenge herself upon him. She ultimately became a major X-Men villain in her own right, Lady Deathstrike. It's possible she's too important a figure in the X-Men mythology for Marvel Studios to pass her on for a small-screen adaptation.
Can Oyama Connect To The X-Men In The MCU?
There's a sense in which this brief cameo already prepares the way for Wolverine to enter the MCU. If one precious metal can be bonded to a person's bones, then another can too. Cogmium steel basically functions as a prototype for Adamantium, and the Weapon X Project is now theoretically possible within the MCU. That's a particularly exciting twist given the X-Men will surely enter the MCU over the course of the next few years.
It's important to remember that Marvel Television wouldn't be using Doctor Oyama if Marvel Studios felt there was any chance the character would appear in a future X-Men film. And that makes sense; Lord Dark Wind is a relatively niche character, with his daughter far more famous. When Wolverine does enter the MCU, he's sure to have that famous Adamantium skeleton and claws - but he won't be directly linked to Doctor Oyama. That doesn't matter, though; after all, Lord Dark Wind was the creator of the Adamantium bonding process, but he wasn't actually involved with the Weapon X Project.
Should Netflix sign off on a fourth season of Daredevil, it will stream long after the Disney/Fox acquisition. That means the show could conceivably name-drop Adamantium. Lord Dark Wind may have used cogmium steel for Bullseye instead of Adamantium, but he could easily mention previous experiments with a far tougher metal - and even suggest that his notes had been stolen. That would explicitly tease the activity of the Weapon X Project, setting up the introduction of the MCU version of Wolverine.
Doctor Oyama may only have a brief cameo in Daredevil season 3, but he could prove to be an essential part of season 4. He's far more important than that, though; he's a direct link with the X-Men franchise. If Doctor Oyama is part of the MCU, then the Weapon X Project itself could easily be written into the history of the shared cinematic universe.