On April 10, 2015 Netflix released the 13 episode long first season of its’ first exclusive series with Marvel, Daredevil. Most people’s only knowledge of the Marvel superhero Daredevil is the lackluster 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck. Few people other than comic book connoisseurs have read the comic book series dating back to 1964. Netflix and Marvel hope to change that image with the launch of the new Netflix exclusive series. By the end of season one, it is clear they will be successful.

Matt Murdock was blinded as a child, but gains heightened senses and excellent fighting skill. Murdock becomes the superhero Daredevil after vowing revenge when his father dies. The Netflix series continues this origin story without over indulging in the details of how he became Daredevil, instead focusing on the rise of Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin) played impressively by Vincent D’Onofrio.

D’Onofrio creates a captivating and conflicted character as an adversary throughout the first season of the show. He is driven to change the area of New York where he grew up in and the show takes place, known as Hell’s Kitchen.

The show starts off after the events of the first Avengers movie where the alien invasion destroyed much of the area. This allows for references to the popular superheroes of the Marvel Universe and creates a connection to make the show more approachable until Daredevil garners more mainstream attention.

The show certainly deserves that attention; excellent fight scenes are engaging and well-choreographed, particularly one near the end of episode two. The scenes are easy to follow and violent, delivering some truly gruesome moments. Scenes like these give this show an M rating on Netflix; it’s not as family friendly as most Marvel productions have been.

Daredevil is also effective at creating a dark, real atmosphere for its heroes. Murdock is frequently seen as injured and weak, something refreshing to see from the typical impervious superhero. The show features similar themes as the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, yet on a much more realistic stage. Daredevil’s villains don’t want world domination, they just want money and control over a destroyed slum in New York City.

Daredevil also spends most of the show following the story of Murdock’s fledgling attorney company, with his partner Foggy Nelson. Early on, the law firm and its’ associates help Murdock get involved in Fisk’s plan to take over the city and continues to aid Daredevil in getting information throughout the series. While these supporting actors don’t perform as well as D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox as Murdock, they create their own interesting story arcs.

The Netflix exclusive series Daredevil has already been renewed for a second season is 2015, and it will be interesting to see what the focus of that season is. The first season surpassed expectations and Wilson Fisk will be a difficult villain to top. Delivering emotional moments and intense fight scenes, Daredevil does an excellent job at bringing a lesser known superhero into the eyes of many with an excellent first season.