It was announced in July at San Diego Comic-Con this past year that Marvel’s “Daredevil” would be renewed for a third season. This confirmed fans’ suspicions that Matt Murdock would return to defend Hell’s Kitchen after the end credits scene of Marvel’s “Defenders.” Several teasers and set photos later, it’s obvious that the hype for season three is building. But why do so many people look forward to the return of one of Marvel’s lesser-known characters?

Season one of Daredevil is widely considered to be one of the best superhero stories ever. It all begins with Matt Murdock (played here by Charlie Cox), who is part of Nelson and Murdock law offices with his partner and friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Joining them is Karen Page (Deber Wole) as their law assistant. The main villain of the series is Wilson Fisk (the ever intimidating Vincent D’Onofrio), also known as the KingPin. The first part of the series spends most of its time setting up the character of Matt Murdock as he attempts to keep his law office afloat and establishes the human scale that the characters operate within. Human scale means there are characters with strengths, but not fantasy powers, and worlds that operate like the one we live in: more realistic and relatable. At night he’s dismantling the complex crime ring that Kingpin controls. But the first season leaves Matt Murdock’s day time court cases in the background. Later seasons fix this problem by weaving courtroom drama into the main story line.  

While Murdock’s origin story is interesting and compelling, the best part of season one is D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. He is utterly terrifying as he enacts his master plan for the Mafia in Hell’s Kitchen. He does it with tact and class that sets him apart from the other villains in the Marvel universe. He has a backstory that makes one view the character in a completely different way about halfway through the season. He stands apart from other comic book villains which we see on a regular basis, and it’s refreshing. In a genre saturated with villains whose main goal is world domination, it’s interesting to see a villain whose goal is to control one neighborhood’s mob circle. He makes an excellent foil to Matt Murdock, whose main goal is to protect Hell’s kitchen and eliminate it’s crime infestation. It makes Kingpin a real threat and enemy to Murdock, and I’m excited to see where his story goes in season three.

Season two is just as excellently crafted as the first, and builds on what worked. It does this by weaving in courtroom plotlines into the Daredevil story arc. Season two starts with an engaging scene, featuring a meeting between the members of Hell’s Kitchen’s central Irish mob family. Suddenly the mostly peaceful meeting is interrupted by a gunman who fires upon the family killing all of them. It’s later revealed that the gunman was Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), also known as The Punisher. It’s an exhilarating start that manages to introduce all the major villains of season one. The series sees Matt’s alter ego conflicting with his real life as he is defending The Punisher in court and battling him as his Daredevil alter ego.

Season two may have viewers question their definitions of a hero as we view the Punisher’s tragic backstory and we come to understand the reason behind all the chaos and violence he creates. Nelson and Murdock come to a grinding halt when they lose the Punisher case and decide to break up the law office. We see Karen Page become a journalist, and Foggy goes to work for Benowitz and Chao law offices. Seeing our protagonists at their lowest points is amazing because it shows that Matt must now question everything he’s worked towards. We are also introduced to Elektra, Matt’s college girlfriend, who was secretly working for his old master, Stick, the whole time. Elektra is an iconic character, and they’ve worked to develop her story arc. Unfortunately this is not as delicately handled as it could have been, and manages to feel like it was just tacked on at the end.

I believe what makes this series great is the intricate, human scale plots and characters. Matt Murdock questions his moral code in a world not unlike our own. Foggy Nelson constantly questions his devotion to his friends and the law. And even characters like the Kingpin wonders why he wants to control the mafia, and if he can get past his abusive fathers lasting impact. These stories are all self contained, and it’s not the world or universe at risk (as in most other Marvel and DC products), but rather one neighborhood. These are normal citizens trying to do good in the world. None of them have profound super powers, just moral compases that they use to do good and actions do not always equal the outcomes intended. This human scale and complex character, plot and moral development make for not just good superhero stories, but storytelling at its best.