So, with Daredevil and Gotham, we have two comic stories about the gritty, crime-ridden streets of NYC…that no longer exist. Just checking for giggles now, you can buy a 3 BR condo in Hell’s Kitchen for about $2.9 million.
How long will the image of NY from the 1970s persist when the area has changed so radically? Maybe DD needs to be set in Detroit?
Is that an Achewood reference on the last panel? I think it is! 
Daredevil tortures a man in episode 2. Not the illegal intimidation and threats of bodily harm that you see condoned with a wink and a nod in every modern American cop show, but straight-up, “which nerve cluster shall I stick this knife into for maximum pain” torture.
That was when I bailed on the series. I wouldn’t watch 24, and I won’t watch this either. Torturers are not heroes, and I’m sick of Hollywood trying to tell me otherwise.
Big deal. The entire city of Metropolis doesn’t even exist.
Anyway, it’s a comic book about a man whose blindness and extraordinary abilities were caused by a splash of toxic waste to the face, whose fighting skills out-ninja ninjas, and who puts on red tights and fights crime. And your objection is that his neighborhood doesn’t match reality anymore?
I’m watching it anyway, but that right there is it’s biggest flaw. “Torture works” is a cheap and noxious plot device whether it’s in a TV show, a movie, or national ploicy.
I’m not saying it’s the biggest flaw, but with his Dad, it’s kind of one of the defining elements of his character.
It’s as if Batman grew up only to find his parents killers long dead, and every situation he went into was smiles and rainbows. Would it be as compelling of a story if he had to channel his rage as a dick boss who took it out on his employees?
And my point was merely that NY of the past was central to so many of these mythos, down to the neighborhood names, and there’s an entire generation now wondering what crime this guy is cleaning up when the area is nothing like it was.
At least Metropolis is an invention, so it’s got nothing to live up to. Take Escape from New York: if it was made today, most people would think the concept was laughable, but then…having the gangs take over Manhattan by 1997 was believable.
To be fair, the NYC of Gotham never existed. It’s widely accepted to be based on NYC, but the basic layout and mood of Gotham has always matched Chicago (or other cities) much better.
I agree we need a comic book universe centered around Detroit, or a city based on Detroit. Problem is convincing any superheroes to move there 
You can’t recommend it highly enough and I can’t recommend it too highly.
: D
So he can fight an empty blighted landscape of decaying houses?
That would be AWESOME.
Mindless destruction without remorse or consequences or critics calculating insurance payments costs.
What, and go head-to-head with RoboCop?
DIRECTIVE 5: PROTECT THE FRANCHISE
I agree with the sentiment but was curious where they were going with a superhero that crossed lines a typical superhero wouldn’t cross. I think it is safe to say a major theme of season one is when is it justified (or not) to cross the line and what are the repercussions? Both DD and Kingpin repeatedly say their motivation is to save the city and yet they each see the other as a threat to the city. Both use violence to bring “peace” to the city. We see DD come up to and cross this line multiple times. And every time, the feeling I get is a dark “this isn’t going anywhere good” and sure enough there are usually bad repercussions to either himself, those close to him or the city.
Kind of sounds like the US since 9/11. War, invasions, torture - all meant to make the world a safe place supposedly. So a superhero that is struggling with where to draw the line seems rather appropriate for our times.
The nice thing about the Netflix series at least is that it’s using universe as established in the Marvel movies. So they justify the current slum status of Hell’s Kitchen as being a result of the destruction from the alien invasion that takes place in the Avenger’s movie. There’s even further mention in the show about how a lot of criminal activity is being driven just with the goal of driving out current residents to build those million dollar condos.
I was really tickled that they used the destruction of the city in the Avengers movie as their basic premise. Taking an over-the-top, fanciful event, and then playing out the mundane socioeconomic consequences (corruption among the companies contracted to rebuild the area) struck me as very witty.
I did really enjoy the series, right up until he finally put the red costume on because for some reason I just thought it looked goofy and couldn’t engage with it any more.
Still, overall it was really good, completely different in tone to Agents of SHIELD (which I still like, but for different reasons).
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