Daredevil premiered on Netflix late last week, and it’s already one of the most talked about TV shows of the year. It’s no surprise why, the show managed to combine a lot of what we love about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a new direction that felt bold, fresh, and incredibly engrossing.
Despite how much darker and more violent this series is than the rest of the Marvel movies and TV series, it still managed to connect itself to the larger world, as well as throw in more than a few references to the comics. Here are 27 things we spotted in the first season:
1. Ben Urich’s Newspaper Clippings
In the comics, Ben Urich is a reporter at the Daily Bugle, the same publication that Peter Parker works for. In the show, you can spot some of his previous work framed behind his desk. One headline reads “Battle of NY,” referring to the events of The Avengers, while another references the Hulk’s fight against the Abomination in Harlem.
2. The First Costume
The costume Matt Murdock wears for the majority of the series is directly inspired by the original Daredevil costume from the first issue of the comic.
3. Carl “Crusher” Creel
The boxer that “Battling” Jack Murdock refused to take a dive against was Carl Creel. If that names sounds familiar, it’s because he’s already shown up in the MCU. Creel appears in Agents of SHIELD as a former boxer turned HYDRA agent who can turn his body in any substance he touches.
4. St. Agnes Orphanage
Matt met his mentor Stick while living at the St. Agnes Orphanage following his father’s murder. This is the same orphanage that Skye from Agents of SHIELD was brought up in. I wonder if they ever met?
5. Asano Robotics
The writing on the shipping container transporting the Black Sky reads “Asano Robotics.” In the comics, Asano Robotics is the name of a company owned by Yoshida Asano, an obscure Iron Man villain who seeks vengeance against America after he was horribly disfigured in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
6. Claire Temple
The comic book version of Claire Temple was also a nurse, but she was actually a romantic interest of Luke Cage, not Daredevil. Rosario Dawson’s character also takes on some of the characteristics of yet another Marvel character, the Night Nurse, a woman who helped patch up New York superheroes without exposing their identities. She became a trusted ally of Daredevil after saving his life following a Yakuza attack.
7. Steel Serpent
In the show, Madame Gao’s heroin is known as “Still Serpent.” This sounds a hell of a lot like Steel Serpent, an Iron Fist villain. If that doesn’t convince you, the symbol that Gao’s workers stamp onto the heroin packets is the exact same as the one the Serpent wears on his chest.
With an Iron Fist Netflix series on the way, this has led some fans to speculate that Gao might be the MCU’s version of Crane Mother, the ruler of a legendary magical/alien city, and a major antagonist to Iron Fist himself. She even mentions that she’s from somewhere “a considerable distance farther” than China, possibly referencing the alien city she rules over in the comics.
8. Kingpin’s White Suit and Ascot
Vanessa cracks a joke to Wilson Fisk about a man who was hitting on her once. She says he was wearing a white suit and ascot, to which Fisk replies that this outfit seems like, “a bit much.” In the comics, Wilson Fisk’s outfit features a white suit jacket and a purple ascot.
9. Stan Lee’s Cameo
Stan Lee himself doesn’t appear in Daredevil, but his portrait does. You can spot a framed photo of the man in the police station in the last episode of the season.
10. Atlas Investments
The office across from Nelson and Murdock has a logo on the door reading “Atlas Investments.” Atlas Comics was the name of the company that eventually became Marvel Comics, and the logo for the two Atlas’s are almost identical.
11. Leland Owlsley
Leland Owlsey might have just been the crime syndicate’s money man in the show, but in the comics, he was a supervillain in his own right called The Owl. Using a special serum, he could fly for short distances and grow sharp, bird-like talons. It’s probably best the TV series didn’t take that route, although admittedly, watching Bob Gunton fly around would’ve been pretty entertaining.
12. Cornelius Van Lunt
Van Lunt is name-dropped twice in the series. “Van Lunt Real Estate” can be seen on the door of Nelson and Murdock, implying that this company was the former occupant; and Van Lunt himself is mentioned to be the host of the gala where Vanessa is poisoned. In the comics, Van Lunt is a millionaire businessman and criminal mastermind known as Taurus. He founded a criminal cartel called Zodiac, which battled against the Avengers at one point.
13. Melvin Potter
The TV version of Melvin Potter was a sympathetic craftsman forced to design armored suits for Wilson Fisk. In the comics though, he was a supervillain called Gladiator, a costume designer turned professional criminal, and one of Daredevil’s first adversaries. He eventually reformed, and became a prominent ally of Daredevil in his fight against the Hand. He was also in love with a woman named Betsy Beatty, who is mentioned but does not actually appear in the TV series.
You can spot elements of the Gladiator costume around Potter’s workshop, and his use of sawblades as weapons in his fight against Daredevil is a reference to the sawblade gauntlets he has in the comics. There’s even a Gladiator poster you can spot during the fight scene:
14. Stilt-Man
Those weird leg things in the corner of Melvin Potter’s workshop aren’t just a random prop, they’re a reference to a villain named Stilt-Man. This Dardevil villain wore a suit of nearly impenetrable armor, with telescopic legs that let him reach high places.
In the TV series, a criminal named Turk Barrett (played by Rob Morgan) appears a number of times. The comic book version of Barrett once stole the Stilt-Man armor, and used it to fight Daredevil.
15. 0464
The barrels containing the chemicals that blinded a young Matt Murdock are labeled with “0464,” a reference to the April 1964 publication date of the first Daredevil comic.
16. Bullseye
This one feels like a stretch, but that assassin who shoots at the police with a sniper rifle? He had a random playing card in his bag (an Ace no less). Bullseye is a major Dardevil villain who is not only a crack shot, he’s also very fond of throwing playing cards as weapons.
17. Stick, Chaste, and the Hand
Stick is a major figure in the Daredevil comic books, and just like the show, he trained a young Matt Murdock in how to control his heightened senses. More importantly though, Stick’s presence in the TV series opens a number of doors for the second season.
In the comics, Stick is the leader of an ancient order of warriors known as the Chaste. His group is embroiled in a war against a ninja clan known as the Hand. These ninja are known for their red uniforms, heavily implying that Nobu was their representative in New York. We saw a bit of this war already, but if the show decides to double down on this angle, we might also get a chance to see Daredevil’s most famous love interest: Elektra, who herself is a prominent member of the Hand.
18. WHiH World News
This is less of an easter egg, and more of a recurring appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The TV network WHiH World News has been featured in some capacity in everything from The Incredible Hulk to Iron Man 2, and more recently, Agents of SHIELD. It’s basically the go-to name for whenever a Marvel movie or TV show needs to show news footage.
19. Brett Mahoney
Police officer Brett Mahoney, one of the few clean cops on the New York force, was inspired by a character of the same name in the comics. He appeared in Marvel Comics Presents as a detective investigating a mysterious murder.
20. Father Lantom
Father Lantom, Matt Murdock’s Jiminy Cricket, was named after a minor comic book character created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona for Runaways.
21. Rigoletto
Rigoletto is mentioned as a loan shark (and likely a gangster) who fronts Wilson Fisk’s dad some money to run his election campaign. In the comics, Don Rigoletto is a mafia boss who gives Wilson Fisk his start, as his bodyguard no less. Fisk eventually murders Rigoletto to take over his criminal operation.
22. Fogwell’s Gym
Both Jack and Matt Murdock train at a place called Fogwell’s Gym, a location plucked straight from the comics.
23. Josie’s Bar
The bar that Foggy and Matt are so fond off, Josie’s, is also inspired by a comic book location of the same name. Daredevil has frequently used it to find sources and interrogate in his ongoing investigations.
24. Call Me Mike
Mike sounded like a random pseudonym Matt Murdock gave to Claire in order to protect his identity, but it’s actually a cheeky reference to an infamous comic book arc. In the comics, Daredevil once created an alter ego he named Mike Murdock, and pretended that “Mike” was his twin brother. For obvious reasons, this was confusing to readers, and it was dropped soon after.
25. Roscoe Sweeney
In the show, Roscoe is the man who arranges Jack Murdock’s fixed boxing matches. In the comics, he has a very similar role, and is known as The Fixer. Just like in the series, the Fixer arranges Jack Murdock’s last fight, and has Murdock murdered after he refuses to throw the bout. Daredevil would later confront the Fixer, inadvertently giving him a fatal heart attack.
26. Barton
A poster on the wall of Fogwell’s Gym features a fighter named “Barton.” It might be a stretch, but considering Clint Barton is a major Avengers character, it could be a reference to someone he’s related to.
27. Roxxon Oil Corporation
Roxxon is one of the major clients of the law firm that Matt and Foggy interned at, but that’s not the only time this company has shown up. You can spot its logos in all three Iron Man movies, its gas stations in Agents of SHIELD and one of the Marvel short films, and the company is featured prominently in Agent Carter.
As far as the #26 goes the last episode of Fatman on Batman (Podcast) Joe Quesada indicated that a lot of names on signage not being comic references were from the crew of the show. The Art Director of the saw is credited as Toni Barton. I would think this the most likely reason for the name.
Nice find!
I believe Atlas Investments is actually a double Easter Egg. It’s a callback to Atlas Comics, yes, but it’ll probably also be revealed as Jessica Jones’ office space. “Atlas Investments” turns to “Alias Investigations” pretty easy.
To be clear, the black costume wasn’t from Daredevil’s first issue… it was created quite recently and appeared in a flashback of sorts.
11. Leland Owlsley
The Owl may be Leland’s son instead of Leland himself. That would set up the actual Owl to make an appearance.