Daredevil

On the darker, edgier side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a boy named Matt Murdock saved an old man from a truck and ended up with radioactive waste dumped into his eyes. He was blinded for the rest of his life, but found that the rest of his senses enhanced. Years later, all grown up, he's a defense attorney by day and a crimefighter by night. His law partner Foggy Nelson and their secretary Karen Page are working tirelessly to bring down crime boss Wilson Fisk, who has some big plans for Hell's Kitchen.
His backstory is told in similar fashion to Arrow, but the flashbacks aren't present in every episode. His father was a boxer who could take punches and dish them out, but he'd throw the fights when he was paid to in order to provide for his son. All that changed when he got a fight with the champ, Crusher Creel (who I think is the Absorbing Man we saw on Agents Of SHIELD). He was supposed to go down in the fifth round, but changes his mind for Matt, both for himself and for his son. Knowing full well this is going to get him killed, he places a huge bet on himself and makes sure the winnings go into an account for Matt. Sure enough, he wins and is murdered shortly after.

After that, he's taken under wing by a blind man called Stick, who teaches him how to used his enhanced senses and how to fight. But when Matt starts to feel a paternal bond with him, Stick abruptly leaves him.

 Releasing the series on Netflix makes the show a lot easier to watch than it might have been on network TV. You don't have to wait weeks on end to find out what happens next. Also, despite being a superhero action show with some real kick-ass fight scenes, there's a lot of quiet drama as well. It takes a lot of time to develop its characters, even the Kingpin (Fisk). Murdock doesn't even put on the red suit until the season finale. He spends most of the series wearing a tight black outfit with a matching mask/blindfold. When you finally do see the suit, it looks great.

There's a few continuity nods to the rest of the MCU. The first episode makes a mention to how New York's been rebuilding after the events of Avengers (or possibly SHIELD's fall in The Winter Soldier), and reporter Ben Urich has a framed article about the Battle for New York. I wish there was a clear timeframe as to when the episodes take place. Agents Of SHIELD ties in with whatever movies are being released around the same time as their episode airdates, but there's no clear way to determine that with Daredevil.

There's  a lot of stuff I was not expecting from this series. For starters, there's the Kingpin. He's a fully fleshed-out bad guy. Despite being a horrible person, he's still capable of compassion. His first ever victim was his abusive father when he was just a boy protecting his mother. He begins seeing a woman named Vanessa, and against all odds, is completely honest with her.about who he is. No part of their relationship is forced or abusive, and he is willing to do everything he can to keep her safe, even if it meant he couldn't be with her. He also places a great value on his friendship with his right-hand henchman, Wesley. The actor also brings a towering presence to the role befitting such a large muscular man.

Matt Murdock has his own unique charisma as well, both as himself and as Daredevil. He manages to get serious in his alter ego without using a gravelly Batman voice, and it's hard to be certain if he can really see or not.

Foggy Nelson seems like he'd be the comic relief of the show, but despite some snark, he's a pretty ordinary guy. He's got a backbone I didn't expect him to have and when things get tough he stands his ground, even if he's not a hero.

Karen Page was a character I hadn't heard of. She was Matt and Foggy's first client when one of Kingpin's corporations framed her for a murder, and the whole series is set in motion. She also surprised me in how tough she is despite needing a rescue every now and then. I guess it comes with growing up in New York.

Then we have Ben Urich, an investigative reporter seemingly past his prime. He did a lot of hard-hitting stories in the past, which unfortunately don't sell papers the way they used to. He wants to bring Fisk's deeds out into the open. The actor does a great job, and it's great how he never seems to lose his cool, even with the Kingpin sitting a few feet away.

Anyone who has Netflix and loves the Marvel movies should check this one out. However, the violence in this series is more akin to Blade than Avengers (no vampires, but there are several nasty kills), so viewer discretion is advised.