Defenders Showrunner Explains Daredevil’s Big Choice

The finale of Marvel’s The Defenders forced Daredevil (Charlie Cox) to make a dramatic decision, and now all of New York City may feel the consequences.

Major SPOILERS for Marvel’s The Defenders follow.

The final episode of The Defenders saw Daredevil chose to stay behind in the cavern beneath Midland Circle and continue to battle against and for Elektra (Elodie Yung) while the rest of his allies escaped. In the end, both Matt and Elektra were buried beneath the rubble of the building.

“To me, Matt and Elektra always felt like Edward Norton’s character and Tyler Durden in Fight Club except with a more overt sexual dynamic,” The Defenders and Daredevil Season 2 showrunner Marco Ramirez tells Entertainment Weekly. “And so, in the end, it felt more like the end of Fight Club… Emotionally, Matt knows and has to embrace the fact that she’s his burden to deal with, and though he’s fought for three episodes alongside Luke, Jessica, and Danny, Elektra is his problem, his cross to bear. That’s very Matt Murdock to say ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll do this. I’m going to die for this.’”

While Daredevil seemed willing to sacrifice his life, the final scene of The Defenders reveals that he survived the building’s collapse and is now recovering at a convent under the care of a group of nuns, including Sister Maggie, a very important figure from Daredevil’s comic-book history. Ramirez is remaining tight-lipped about how Daredevil survived.

“I can’t. I can’t say anything,” Ramirez says.

While the Defenders may not be a full-time operation, Daredevil didn’t leave his city unprotected. In his absence, Daredevil asked Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to protect New York City, the city that Danny Rand says now feels like home, and Iron Fist’s final scene in the Defenders shows him patrolling the city’s rooftops, something that will likely be explored in the second season of Marvel’s Iron Fist.

We thought Marvel’s The Defenders was worth the wait. Let us know what you thought Marvel and Netflix’s superhero crossover by giving The Defenders your own rating below.

Marvel’s The Defenders follows Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.

Marvel’s The Defenders is now streaming on Netflix.