Daredevil is a complete series on its own that tells a full and surprisingly rich story. But there are a few hooks for both upcoming series and the now seemingly-inevitable second season of Daredevil worth explaining, especially if you haven’t read the comics.
Iron Fist
A little surprisingly, there’s almost nothing about AKA Jessica Jones, which will premiere later in 2015, or Luke Cage, which is currently in pre-production, but there is plenty about Iron Fist, the master of martial arts getting his own Netflix series in 2016.
Let’s start with Madam Gau, the little old lady who’s also a major heroin smuggler Wilson Fisk works with. Gau at first seems to be just your standard Triad gangster, but sharp-eyed Marvel fans will notice early on that her heroin is labeled with the symbol of Steel Serpent. Steel Serpent is the major antagonist of Iron Fist, and it rapidly becomes clear Madam Gau has some ulterior motives.
That’s confirmed later on in the series, where she outright states the heroin was a means to an end, which remains deliberately vague. Then, in Episode 10, she sends Daredevil flying with one hit. That’s very similar to what Iron Fist does; he focuses his chi and uses it for attacks. She even closes out the episode by referring, obliquely, to K’un L’un, which is a major location in Iron Fist’s story.
Just as interesting, though, is how this may tie to the second season of Daredevil.
Daredevil Season 2
About halfway through the season, we meet Stick, who let me reassure you is just as big a dick in the comics as he is in the show. Stick’s interesting in the context of the Iron Fist hints, because, as you may have noticed, he’s got substantial, and supernatural, ass-kicking abilities.
Stick’s episode is basically an extended trailer for the second season of Daredevil. We not only meet Stick, we also meet the ninja clan called the Hand, who turn out to be the “Yakuza” Wilson Fisk is working with and who want a specific block of Manhattan for reasons the show doesn’t address. Oddly, they seem to be in league with a minor Iron Man villain, at least if the name on the side of the shipping container is to be believed.
This is relevant for a few reasons: One, the Hand and beloved Marvel assassin Elektra — who you might remember as Jennifer Garner from the 2003 movie and terrible spin-off — are closely linked. Two, the fight between The Hand and the Chaste, a set of ninjas led by Stick, is a major plotline in the comics. In fact, the ending of Stick’s episode features him speaking to Stone, another member of the Chaste.
Yes, Stick and Stone will break your bones. We never said the comics were subtle. Anyway, this would appear to be where Season 2 of Daredevil will be going. Of course, when we’ll see Season 2 is an open question, but at least we know they’ve got a plan.
