Episodes
Criminals, including the Russian mafia, Yakuza, and Chinese, have taken advantage of Hell's Kitchen's circumstances ...read more Criminals, including the Russian mafia, Yakuza, and Chinese, have taken advantage of Hell's Kitchen's circumstances since "the incident". Blinded as a boy in an accident that gave him heightened senses, Matt Murdock begins fighting this rising criminal element by night as a costumed vigilante while opening a law firm with his friend, Foggy Nelson. Their first client is Karen Page, a secretary for construction company Union Allied, who has been framed for the murder of her co-worker, Daniel Fisher, after accidentally uncovering a pension embezzlement scheme. Murdock prevents Karen from being prosecuted and protects her from an assassin, before exposing the scandal through Ben Urich at The New York Bulletin. Grateful for their help, Page offers to work for Murdock and Nelson. James Wesley covers up the involvement of his employer in the scandal, and orders Anatoly and Vladamir Ranskahov, the Russians' leaders, to deal with Murdock ("the man in black"): they kidnap a young boy to lure him into a trap. show less
As a boy, Murdock lost his father when the latter won a boxing match he was supposed to throw, and was murdered soon after. Now, ...read more As a boy, Murdock lost his father when the latter won a boxing match he was supposed to throw, and was murdered soon after. Now, after failing to rescue the kidnapped boy, a severely injured Murdock is found in a dumpster by nurse Claire Temple. Nelson meanwhile attempts to comfort Page following her recent traumatic experiences. Temple takes Murdock to her apartment, tends to his wounds, and removes his mask, discovering his blindness. He refuses to reveal his name, but does reveal his heightened senses when they alert him to a Russian who is searching the apartment building, giving Temple time to hide Murdock and convince the man that she knows nothing. Murdock realizes that the man did not believe her, and overpowers him, taking him to the roof. Murdock and Temple torture him into revealing the boy's location, before Murdock pushes him off the roof and into the same dumpster. He barely survives. Murdock enters the building where they are keeping the boy, defeats the guards, and rescues him. show less
Wesley, having become aware of Nelson and Murdock because of their involvement with Page during the Union Allied scandal, hires ...read more Wesley, having become aware of Nelson and Murdock because of their involvement with Page during the Union Allied scandal, hires them to defend John Healy, an assassin. Though Nelson wishes not to get involved with an obvious criminal element, Murdock wishes to use the case to discover who Wesley's employer is, and so accepts Wesley's offer, which includes a substantial sum to ensure their silence. Page receives a similar offer from Union Allied, who do not want her to talk to anyone else about the scandal, and threaten to sue her for leaking company secrets to the press if she does not agree. Despite this, Page goes to Urich, whose editor Ellison is forcing him to write superfluous stories rather than the major crime breaks of his youth, and offers to tell him more about the Union Allied scandal. After successfully defending Healy, Murdock confronts him in costume and forces him to reveal Wesley's employer, Wilson Fisk. Healy then commits suicide rather than face the consequences of this. show less
Murdock is unable to find any record of Fisk, and so continues to interrogate criminals, searching for answers. Wesley informs ...read more Murdock is unable to find any record of Fisk, and so continues to interrogate criminals, searching for answers. Wesley informs the Ranskahovs of an offer Fisk has made to help with their operations, given their recent failures. Angered at this apparent slight, they attempt to stop the man in black once and for all by visiting in hospital the Russian whom Murdock threw from the roof. After the Russian tells them of Temple, they send men to kidnap her, but she manages to call Murdock in time to alert him of her kidnapping. The Russians attempt to torture Murdock's name out of Temple, but Murdock arrives and defeats the gangsters. Seeing the aftermath of this, the Ranskahovs decide to agree to Fisk's offer, with Anatoly going to tell Fisk personally, by barging into the restaurant where Fisk is having dinner with an art gallery curator named Vanessa Marianna. Fisk takes a confused Marianna home, and angered at this intrusion and embarrassment, Fisk beheads Anatoly and orders Wesley to send the body to Vladimir. show less
Fisk explains the situation to his allies, including Chinese leader Madame Gao, of whom he asks a special favor. Elena Cardenas, ...read more Fisk explains the situation to his allies, including Chinese leader Madame Gao, of whom he asks a special favor. Elena Cardenas, a renter of powerful businessman Armand Tulley, comes to Nelson and Murdock after Tulley, who wants to convert her apartment building, sends men to wreck her home. Nelson goes to Tulley's lawyers at Landman and Zack (where he and Murdock once interned), represented by Marci Stahl, Nelson's ex-girlfriend. She explains that Cardenas and her neighbors can either take a large settlement or be evicted. While looking for complaints against Tulley at the police station, Murdock realizes Detectives Carl Hoffman and Blake are corrupt when he hears them kill a Russian. Murdock later incapacitates Blake and uses his cell phone to find Vladimir. Fisk pays Turk Barrett to reveal to Vladimir that Fisk killed Anatoly, and as they prepare for a war against Fisk, their forces are destroyed in a suicide attack by Gao's workers. Vladimir survives, but Murdock finds him, as they are surrounded by police. show less
Murdock takes out the police when they try to kill Vladimir on Fisk's orders, and he takes Vladimir to an abandoned ...read more Murdock takes out the police when they try to kill Vladimir on Fisk's orders, and he takes Vladimir to an abandoned warehouse, hoping for answers about Fisk, while Nelson and Cardenas are injured in the bombings. With Temple's help, Murdock cauterizes Vladimir's wounds, alerting a non-corrupt police officer to their presence. The officer calls in Murdock and Vladimir's location, and the warehouse is soon surrounded. Blake and Hoffman take control of the situation, and await Fisk's orders. Fisk talks to Murdock via police radio, telling him of his admiration for what Murdock is trying to do, even though it clashes with Fisk's own plans to save the city. Fisk then frames the vigilante by having a police sniper fire on other officers from the roof of the warehouse, including Blake, as Urich and the media look on. Vladimir, in return for Murdock avenging Anatoly's death, gives him information on Leland Owlsley – the accountant for all of Fisk's operations – before giving his life so that Murdock can escape. show less
Murdock tracks down Owlsley, but is distracted by the arrival of an elderly man: Murdock's mentor, Stick, who taught him to ...read more Murdock tracks down Owlsley, but is distracted by the arrival of an elderly man: Murdock's mentor, Stick, who taught him to master his abilities as a child, but abandoned him when Murdock developed an attachment to him. Now, he enlists Murdock's help in destroying Black Sky, a weapon that the Japanese, led by Nobu, are bringing to New York. Stick agrees to refrain from killing, but breaks his promise when he kills Black Sky, who is actually a young boy. After fighting in Murdock's apartment, Murdock defeats Stick, who agrees to leave the city. Urich, having agreed to help Page expose the further scandal and corruption surrounding Hell's Kitchen and Union Allied, explains that they need proof before they can publish anything. While searching for a connection between Tulley's men and Union Allied, Page is confronted by them. Nelson helps her escape them, so she and Urich explain their investigation to him. Stick later converses with a heavily scarred man about Murdock's role in events to come. show less
Page and Nelson bring Murdock in on their plan, and he agrees as long as they stop putting themselves in harm's way, and use ...read more Page and Nelson bring Murdock in on their plan, and he agrees as long as they stop putting themselves in harm's way, and use the legal system rather than underhanded tactics. Owlsley and Nobu, angry at being confronted by the vigilante and losing Black Sky, respectively, express their displeasure with Fisk, while he is also dealing with Blake, who wakes up in hospital. Fisk convinces Hoffman to kill Blake before he can speak out against Fisk, but Hoffman is incapacitated by Murdock, who gets information on Fisk from Blake before he dies. Gao visits Fisk, warning him that he will have to get everything under control if he does not want her, Nobu, and Owlsley to side-step him. An angry Fisk is later consoled by Marianna, and he tells her of how, as a child, he murdered his father when he was beating Fisk's mother. She convinces him to stand up and go public with his intentions to save the city. This negates all of Murdock's information from Blake, which Urich was going to publish. show less
In the wake of Fisk's public revelation, Murdock, Page, Nelson, and Urich begin searching for something from Fisk's past ...read more In the wake of Fisk's public revelation, Murdock, Page, Nelson, and Urich begin searching for something from Fisk's past that they can use against him. Murdock visits Marianna at her art gallery, hoping to gain insight into Fisk by speaking with her, and encounters Fisk himself. Nobu demands a promised city block from Fisk, who agrees on the condition Nobu provide him with a "specialist" in return to deal with the vigilante. The block, which Fisk has bought from Tulley, is where Cardenas lives, and she is one of the few tenants who stands in the way of Fisk gifting it to Nobu. When Cardenas is killed by a junkie, Murdock realizes that Fisk is behind it, and tracks him to an abandoned warehouse, where he is confronted by the specialist: Nobu. Murdock eventually defeats Nobu, accidentally causing him to burn alive, but sustains serious injuries. Fisk then confronts Murdock, beating him nearly to death. Murdock barely escapes, only to collapse at his home in front of Nelson. show less
After Temple tends to Murdock's wounds, Nelson confronts him about his "blindness" and vigilante activities. Murdock ...read more After Temple tends to Murdock's wounds, Nelson confronts him about his "blindness" and vigilante activities. Murdock explains that after experiencing the twisted morals of Landman and Zack, Murdock took it upon himself to confront a paedophilic and incestuous rapist with no legal evidence against him, but who Murdock had discovered through his heightened senses. Since then, he had been doing everything he could to make the city a better place whenever the law could not. Nelson, unable to look past Murdock's lies, leaves their firm. Urich, after the extension on his sick wife's hospital stay is denied and he is offered a better paying job as an editor rather than a reporter, decides to give up the investigation. Page, in an attempt to change his mind, takes him to a rest home she just discovered, where they meet Marlene Vistain, Fisk's mother, who tells them that Fisk killed his father. Fisk, meanwhile, is throwing a charity gala to publicly raise money for victims of the bombings. There, many of the guests, including Marianna, are poisoned. show less
Still recovering from his injuries, Murdock says goodbye to Temple, who is leaving for a time. Before she goes, Temple suggests ...read more Still recovering from his injuries, Murdock says goodbye to Temple, who is leaving for a time. Before she goes, Temple suggests that he get better protection if he is going to continue his crusade. With the help of Barrett, Murdock finds Melvin Potter, a mentally unbalanced engineer who has been coerced into creating armored clothing for Fisk, and asks him to make a suit of body armor in exchange for stopping Fisk from hurting anyone else. Page wishes to reveal the story of how Vistain is alive, and says that Fisk killed his father, but Urich explains that it is unreliable, given her state of mind. While Fisk will not leave Marianna's side as she recovers in hospital, Wesley receives a phone call from Vistain and learns that Page and Urich visited her. He confronts Page and attempts to blackmail her into not exposing Fisk, threatening to hurt her friends. When Fisk calls Wesley to find out where he is, the ringing distracts him long enough for Page to take his gun, and kill him. show less
Using information from Urich, Murdock finds the base of Gao's heroin operation and dismantles it, with Gao, who can hold her ...read more Using information from Urich, Murdock finds the base of Gao's heroin operation and dismantles it, with Gao, who can hold her own against Murdock, escaping and deciding to return to her homeland to think about the future. Fisk's men find Wesley, and the grieving Fisk realizes that the last person he talked to was Vistain. Wanting to keep those he loves safe by sending them out of the country, Fisk is unable to convince Marianna to leave him, but does get Vistain away, with the sick Vistain unable to tell him what her call to Wesley was about. Nelson continues his work without Murdock, and takes what they know to Stahl. Page, struggling to get over killing Wesley, convinces Urich to write the story, but it is rejected by Ellison. When Urich accuses Ellison of being paid off by Fisk, he gets fired. Urich decides to start his own blog to get Fisk's story out there, but Fisk's actual informant in the Bulletin tells him that Urich visited Vistain, angering him to the point that he breaks into Urich's apartment and kills him. show less
Murdock and Page attend Urich's funeral, while Fisk learns that Owlsley and Gao conspired to poison Marianna, whom they ...read more Murdock and Page attend Urich's funeral, while Fisk learns that Owlsley and Gao conspired to poison Marianna, whom they deemed a distraction, and that Owlsley has been hiding Hoffman as an insurance policy. When Owlsley tries to blackmail him, an infuriated Fisk kills Owlsley by throwing him into an open elevator shaft. Murdock and Nelson reconcile their differences, and begin building their case against Fisk. As the vigilante, Murdock finds Hoffman with information from Stahl and convinces him to testify against Fisk. Acting on this testimony, federal agents arrest Fisk and his co-conspirators, but Fisk manages to escape custody. Before he can flee the city, Murdock intercepts him, wearing the new armor made for him by Potter. After a brutal fight, Murdock defeats Fisk and leaves him to the police. With Fisk arrested, Marianna leaves the city. Murdock, Page, and Nelson celebrate their success and resume their work. The vigilante is named "Daredevil" by the media. show less