Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 8 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Episode 8 of She-Hulk featured the triumphant return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil to the MCU and assured fans that the character we grew to love in the Netflix series remains the same. Quippier, more acrobatic, and sporting a sleek gold and red suit (or ketchup and mustard, according to She-Hulk), Daredevil is back and better than ever. And what better way to welcome him back than a hallway fight?
If there is one thing the Netflix series made crystal clear about the Man Without Fear, it’s that he can do some severe damage in enclosed spaces. While he is lethal enough already, put him in a hallway and Daredevil is a force to be reckoned with. From the second episode of Daredevil and on, the series has found Matt facing off against goons of all evils in colorfully lit corridors. Matt’s latest hall brawl is a great homage to the Netflix series as it finds him facing down Leap-Frog’s (Brandon Stanley) goons while bathed in blue light. But first, let’s take a look back at his earlier hallway fights and why it makes She-Hulk’s inclusion of the trope so special.
'Daredevil' Season 1, Episode 2: “Cut Man”
Only two episodes into the series, it becomes evident why Daredevil is revered as one of the best comic book shows. On the hunt for a human trafficking ring, Matt has traced them to their warehouse. Clad in his early black suit and lacking sufficient protection, Daredevil hunts down the Russian trafficking ring to their warehouse. He’s attempting to save a kidnapped boy, but in order to get to him, he has to fight a hallway of Russian goons first.
Showered in hazy green light and filmed entirely in one shot, the fight sequence is a sight to behold. Clocking in around at about five minutes long, the scene is masterfully choreographed and intense from start to finish. The hallway isn’t terribly long, it is just the sheer amount of men that Daredevil has to fight in order to clear the way for his escape with the child — and it isn’t an easy fight by any means. We see Matt struggle, he goes down several times, his body struggling to keep going. Already sustaining multiple injuries, Matt is exhausted, and it is visible in his form, but his resilience and persistence are only a testament to the pure nature of his character. Once he has cleared the hall of any threats and steps through the door at the end of the hall, we see Matt peel up his mask to reveal his face, showing the boy that he is one of the good guys. Despite his exhaustion and all odds stacked against him, Daredevil steps back into the hall with the boy in his arms, victorious.
'Daredevil' Season 2, Episode 3: “New York’s Finest”
After a scuffle with The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Daredevil escapes capture to face an angry biker gang. Stuck with a gun duct-taped to his right hand and a chain attached to the other, Daredevil chuckles as he cocks the gun, revealing it to be empty. Fisticuffs have always been more his style. What follows is an epic action sequence rivaling Season 1’s that begins in a hallway and ends in a stairwell.
Whipping the chain around and sporting his signature red devil suit, Matt is more menacing than ever. It is another spectacle of astounding choreography as Daredevil fends off attackers from above and below, leading into a room with flickering red lighting. Continuing the color aesthetic, Daredevil, consumed in red and shadows, cracks his neck and looks down at the last horde of bikers. Leaping into action once more, it’s another uphill battle for Daredevil that again showcases his incomparable willpower as he subdues his last opponent with a final backflip kick.
'The Defenders' Season 1, Episode 3: “Worst Behavior”
Matt teams up with the Defenders in yet another hallway, this time at The Hand’s shell company, Midland Circle Financial. Coming together for the first time, Matt, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Danny Rand (Finn Jones) face down against Hand henchmen on one end and a newly revived Elektra (Elodie Yung) on the other.
The fight quickly shifts focus to Matt vs. Elektra as the two equally skilled fighters trade blows. It isn’t until the end that Matt realizes who he has been fighting and is taken aback in shock, having believed Elektra to be dead. Danny swoops in to knock Elektra back with his Iron Fist and grabs Matt as the Defenders regroup in an elevator.
'Daredevil' Season 3, Episode 4: “Blindsided”
Season 3 of Daredevil continues the hallway fight tradition with another glorious one-take scene. This time, Matt is fighting his way out instead of breaking in. Dressed in his usual lawyer suit and tie attire, Matt has no protection other than his fists and wits to fight off the prisoners' that Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has sicced on him. Matt’s stamina wavers, but he always gets back up.
After defeating the prisoners, he progresses down the hallway and is assaulted by two prison guards who are on Fisk’s payroll. They get several nasty blows in, but Matt manages to best them after he gets ahold of their batons. They made the wrong choice in weaponry because Daredevil and billy clubs go together like peanut butter and jelly – coming at him with his own weapon was a bad idea.
'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' Season 1, Episode 8: “Ribbit and Rip It”
Returning after a four-year hiatus, Daredevil is back again as if he never left. Infiltrating Leap-Frog’s not-so-secret secret lair, The Lily Pad provides the perfect opportunity to reintroduce a Daredevil classic. You guessed it: a hallway fight. Stepping out of the shadows, Daredevil’s red and gold suit is washed in blue light as he skillfully takes out Leap-Frog’s goons with his billy club.
With the next batch of cronies on their way, Daredevil squares up in the hallway ready to take them all. The tension builds as the goons begin to charge, but before Daredevil can get to them, She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) crashes through the ceiling, Hulk smashing them from above. It would have been great to see Daredevil take on all of Leap-Frog’s men, but the little we got is surely enough to hold fans over until his next hallway fight.
Everywhere Daredevil has appeared, so has a neon-lit hallway — and Matt’s hall brawls, while becoming an iconic part of the character, serve as more than just epic fights, but a look at Daredevil’s character. Matt has overcome unbelievable odds to get where he has. Without his sight, Matt has learned to rely on his other senses and trusted them and his faith to guide him through his many harrowing crusades. If there is anything to be taken away from his numerous hallway fights, it’s that Matt always gets back up after falling down. His resilience, tenacity, and endurance are defining characteristics of the hero and a big reason why Daredevil means so much to so many.