History NightmareFuel / Daredevil2015

* The fact that it's not Fisk who orders Nadeem's death but ''Vanessa herself''. Confirmation that she is just as evil and amoral as him.

-->'''Felix Manning:''' Karen Page. Daughter of Paxton and Penelope. 239 Kings Road, Fagan Corners, Vermont. You had the back room. My guess, Dad wanted his little girl to be safe. Sadly, he should've been more worried about his little boy. Drug addicts really do destroy families, don't they? ''[beat]'' Off the record, you are incorrect. About what I do for a living. I don't [[TheFixer fix problems]]. [[DeadlyEuphemism I make them disappear.]]

* Ben Urich's death. Ben returns home with his CardboardBoxOfUnemployment, and as he begins typing at his computer, the camera slowly pivots around his head...[[TrespassingToTalk to reveal Fisk sitting in an armchair behind Ben]]. The resulting conversation is very tense, with it unclear if or when hell is about to break loose. The breaking point is when Fisk asks Ben if he killed Wesley, something Ben knows nothing about.
-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' Yes, I didn't think so. [[VillainRespect You're a man of principle, of conviction. I understand that, I even admire it.]] [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas But you went after my mother.]] [[ThisIsUnforgivable That's not something that I can forgive.]]\\

'''Wilson Fisk:''' ''[growing more agitated and angrier]'' But that's '''my mother''' that you brought into this, Mr. Urich. My '''mother'''! So I am not here to ''threaten'' you, I am here '''to kill you!'''\\

'''Wilson Fisk:''' [[VerbalBackspace I, uh...]] [[EurekaMoment No.]] [[PreMortemOneLiner I DON'T THINK WE ARE!]]\\

** Healy in general. Right from the opening scene, where he beats Prohashka to death with a bowling ball, it's clear just how remorseless and guilt-free he is. Until he spills Wilson Fisk's name. [[TheMobBossIsScarier Suddenly he becomes a terrified wreck]], prompting him to kill himself before Fisk can think of a reason to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes kill the people he cares about]].

** Healy in general. Right from the opening scene, where he beats Prohashka to death with a bowling ball, it's clear just how remorseless and guilt-free he is. Until he spills Wilson Fisk's identity, and he suddenly becomes a terrified wreck, prompting him to kill himself before Fisk can think of a reason to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes kill the people he cares about]].

** With that, Fisk resumes wailing on Anatoly, viciously beating him into the pavement. Desperately, Anatoly tries to crawl back to the car, begging Wesley, "Help me! Please!" before Fisk grabs him and knocks him out. He then grabs Anatoly's body, plants his head in the door well, and begins bashing it in with the door. And he doesn't stop until ''Anatoly's head is reduced to nothing.'' You can actually see Anatoly's brains hitting the pavement before the head snaps clean off. This is just a reminder of what Fisk is capable of doing when he is really, '''really''' pissed off.

* Matt goes to see Fisk and threatens to have Vanessa barred from ever entering the United States if he doesn't confess his coercing Frank Castle to make a guilty plea. Fisk then snaps his handcuffs, grabs Matt, slams him into the table like a ragdoll and holds him up to his face with contemptuous ease:
-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' '''SPEAK HER NAME AGAIN! GO AHEAD!''' ''[Matt punches him, and Fisk slams him into the table again''] Yes, the son of a boxer!\\

'''Wilson Fisk:''' Yes, ask my lawyer. He'll deny it! Ask the guards, they'll deny it! Ask the inmates here! They'll cut their TONGUES out before they talk! But I have something to say to you: When I finally get out of this cage, I will dismantle the lives of the two amateurs '''''THAT PUT ME IN HERE!!!''''' You, Mr. Murdock, and Franklin Percy Nelson!\\

* How much long-term planning does Fisk have? [[CrazyPrepared He's come up with an elaborate scheme just on the off-chance that one of the lawyers who put him away visits the prison]]. His loyal guards and inmates maneuver Matt into an exam room, where the nurse then proceeds to inject Matt with a sedative. While Matt is catching his breath after disarming the nurse, the phone in the exam room rings. Matt goes over to the phone and nervously picks it up.

* Now blackmailed, Nadeem walks into a conference room and finds it of terrified-looking FBI agents. [[OhCrap He blanches]] as he realizes that with the exception of Dex, ''every'' one of these agents is being blackmailed by Fisk in some way. And all of them are enforcing Fisk's agenda, not the FBI's.

* Remember what Fisk did to [[ShootTheMessenger Anatoly]]? Well, we get a repeat of that. He's in the back of the car with Agent Weller after the visit to Mrs. Falb's brownstone, and Weller gets a phone call that Brett Mahoney has taken Karen into custody, as per Nadeem's call. [[TranquilFury Fisk calmly asks Weller for his jacket]]. Weller obliges as he and the audience wonder what exactly Fisk is doing...then Fisk abruptly throws the jacket over Weller's head and beats him to death, punching him in the face repeatedly until blood is leaking through the jacket.

** It says a lot that Matt gets Felix Manning (a man who has been shown to be one of the few people who are loyal to Fisk out of some degree of respect rather than just fear) to flip on Fisk in the first place. As one might recall with John Healy in season 1, Fisk is the kind of person many people would rather commit suicide then give him up, but Matt's brutal interrogation of Felix ends with Felix deciding he's going to take his chances with Fisk rather than endure Matt's torture. ''That's'' Matt when he's in a bad mood.

** As if on cue, [[JumpScare Anatoly's door opens]]. Fisk reaches in, rips Anatoly from the car, and begins ferociously beating on him. Eventually, Anatoly gets an opening, pulls a switchblade, and slashes at Fisk's chest, [[NoSell to no avail...]] as Fisk's suits have an inner mesh lining to protect him from just such a thing. Fisk grabs Anatoly, slams him against the side of the car, and disarms him of his knife, in the process breaking his right arm.
--->'''Wilson Fisk:''' You embarrassed me! Embarrassed me in front of her...
** With that, Fisk resumes wailing on Anatoly, viciously beating him into the pavement, Wesley quietly listening to the commotion. Desperately, Anatoly tries to crawl back to the car, but can only utter defiantly to Wesley before Fisk grabs him and knocks him out. He then grabs Anatoly's body, plants his head in the door well, and begins bashing it in with the door. And he doesn't stop until ''Anatoly's head is reduced to nothing.'' You can actually see Anatoly's brains hitting the pavement before the head snaps clean off. This is just a reminder of what Fisk is capable of doing when he is really, '''really''' pissed off.

** Just to add emphasis to the whole scene is [[DissonantSerenity the blank expression]] Wesley has as Anatoly tries to crawl back to the car, begging for mercy. He doesn't even flinch as flecks of blood get on his suit, and casually steps out of the car on the opposite side while Fisk is still smashing in Anatoly's head.
** Just as chilling is how Fisk composes himself as Wesley hands him a handkerchief to wipe Anatoly's blood off his face. He's already making plans to get rid of Vladimir.

-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' Yes, I didn't think so. [[VillainRespect You're a man of principle, of conviction. I understand that, I even admire it.]] But you went after my mother. [[ThisIsUnforgivable That's not something that I can forgive.]]\\

'''Wilson Fisk:''' ''[growing more agitated and angrier]'' But that's '''my mother''' that you brought into this, Mr. Urich. My '''mother'''! So I am not here to ''threaten'' you, I am here '''to kill you'''!\\

* Fisk's murder of Owlsley by throwing him down an elevator shaft. Fisk already knows that Owlsley is stealing from him, and the conversation convinces him that Owlsley had conspired with Madame Gao over the benefit poisonings. It seems that Owlsley has managed to outmaneuver Fisk into letting him go using Hoffman as leverage. Fisk even seems to be considering it, but [[RageBreakingPoint that temper we've come to expect]] erupts when Fisk realizes what really makes him angry about the whole affair.

-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' '''YOU HURT HER!!'''\\

* The sequence that introduces Dex involves Fisk's FBI convoy being ambushed, like in the season 1 finale. But this time, it's not one of his own making, but rather is the Albanians that want revenge on Fisk for ratting them out. The entire scene plays out from Fisk's POV. He is left trapped in his car, hanging upside down by his shackles, and can only watch as the Albanians gun down his FBI escorts outside. Fisk frantically tries to break the bolt linking his restraints to the floor, succeeding after a struggle. By the time Dex leaps into action and begins picking off the assailants, the attackers are already preparing to saw the doors off of Fisk's car.
** It's also a rare occasion to see Fisk not in control of the situation. His shanking at the hands of Jasper Evans ''was'' planned, this is the one variable in his carefully orchestrated release plan that he didn't plan for. [[SpannerInTheWorks And if not for Dex's intervention]], Fisk could've died.
** We get a brief moment establishing Dex's ruthlessness when he uses a disassembled gun's parts as daggers to kill a pair of assailants who are actively surrendering.

** Another detail worth mentioning: because Matt had stolen Foggy's Bar ID for the purpose of his visit, Fisk is under the impression that Foggy is at the prison asking questions about him. He doesn't know that the lawyer his men are going to attack is actually going to be Matt until he sees Matt on the surveillance camera in the exam room. It's chilling to think that Fisk was planning this whole riot to take out Foggy, someone with none of Matt's fighting prowess.

** When Fisk gets angry, it’s usually like a spark. In earlier cases like Anatoly's death, it goes off, does its thing for brief moment, and then disappears. Here… we see Fisk just fuming with rage as Karen gloats to him about her killing of Wesley, and when he gets up you almost really believe that he is going to give Karen a far more gruesome fate than he gave Ben. But fortunately the FBI comes in and escorts her out thanks to Foggy's arrival.

'''Tammy Hattley:''' [[WhamLine I'm not your boss anymore. Wilson Fisk is.]]

'''Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter:''' That's one of the rules, Ray. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall We only refer to him by his codename.]]\\

** Season 3 Fisk in general. He essentially achieves [[Series/JessicaJones2015 Kilgrave]] levels of control over people without any supernatural abilities whatsoever. He has [[SinisterSurveillance nigh-unlimited surveillance over his targets]], is able to read into people's psyche and their weaknesses, [[CrazyPrepared creates traps for them]] ''[[CrazyPrepared years]]'' [[CrazyPrepared in advance]] just in case they may become useful to him later, [[TheCorrupter makes already unstable people go over the edge]] and forces good upstanding citizens to do his dirty work by blackmailing them with threats against their families (stuff we've already seen him do in season 1, but dialed up to eleven). As Matt repeatedly states, Fisk is five steps ahead over any of their plans that could harm him, having over a dozen of FBI agents under his direct control and able to threaten anyone who could testify against him and ''make good on that threat''. He orders a complete bystander in Julie Barnes killed merely because [[MoralityChain she's too much of a positive influence on Dex]], and controls [[MoleInCharge SAC Hattley]] by murdering one of her kids and then threatening the other. His level of influence is completely '''terrifying''' in part because unlike Kilgrave, he was able to achieve this by purely mundane means.

* Officer Sullivan's death. The ESU team sweeping the building comes upon the room where he's been left by Matt, tied up to a column and gagged with duct tape. As they surround Sullivan, [[HopeSpot Sullivan looks relieved that help has arrived]]. Then one of the officers kneels down next to him and says into his radio:

** Sullivan's face turns to shock as the officer promptly produces a small knife and plunges it into his throat and carves it open. Sullivan bleeds to death, the blank and emotionless look of the faceless ESU officer (who has his goggles lowered and a balaclava covering the lower half of his face) being the last thing he ever sees.

* Finn Cooley, an Irish mobster who was the father of one of the criminals Frank killed in the mob massacre, stabs a fellow associate in [[EyeScream the eye with a ice pick]] during the funeral ceremony after saying that death was just a natural part of their business.

** Another detail worth mentioning: because Matt had stolen Foggy's Bar ID for the purpose of his visit, Fisk is under the impression that Foggy is at the prison asking questions about him. Fisk doesn't know that the lawyer his men are going to attack is actually going to be Matt until he sees Matt on the surveillance camera in the exam room. It's chilling to think that Fisk was planning this whole riot to take out Foggy, someone with none of Matt's fighting prowess.

** Matt shows up, narrowly stopping Dex from killing Foggy with a baton and takes a moment to size up his foe. He is disturbed by the realization that Dex is dressed as him.

* Again, like with the prison fight, Fisk has made sure to cover his bases with his gambit to frame Matt. He knows that Matt will go to Melvin Potter as soon as he realizes who made the suit. So to that end, he forces Melvin make a second suit for Matt to be caught with. And has an FBI SWAT team stationed right outside for when Matt shows up.

* The nightmare Karen had of Fisk in her apartment coming to kill her after she killed Wesley was terrifying enough. But it was just foreshadowing the inevitable: her decision to confront Fisk directly and provoke him into trying to kill her to violate his parole. Creator/DeborahAnnWoll [[http://collider.com/deborah-ann-woll-interview-daredevil-season-3/#the-punisher best describes the atmosphere]]:

** Kudos for Deborah Ann Woll for how menacing and scary she can sound as she brings up Wesley's death. Even it pales to Fisk's rage.
--->'''Karen Page:''' He died quickly...if you were wondering. Didn’t suffer much. You see, Wilson, Matt Murdock isn’t the person you should be worried about. ''I'' killed Wesley. ''I shot him seven times... '''Because the clip ran OUT! HE DESERVED MORE!'''''\\
'''''(Fisk unleashes a scream of primal fury, ready to TEAR HER APART)'''''
** When Fisk gets angry it’s usually like a spark. As seen in cases like Anatoly's death, it goes off, does its thing for brief moment, and then disappears. Here… we see Fisk just fuming with rage as Karen gloats to him about her killing of Wesley, and when he gets up you almost really believe that he is going to kill Karen just like he did Ben. But fortunately the FBI comes in and escorts her out thanks to Foggy's arrival.

*** It's worse than that. We later learn that the FBI guards are already in Fisk's pocket, so it's likely that if not for Foggy's intervention, Fisk would have beaten Karen to death then had them get rid of the body, and maybe do with her body what he does Julie.

** This scene rams home just how [[ParanoiaFuel terrifying]] Fisk's influence has become, how ubiquitous and just how little he values human life. Julie is a "problem" to him, so he has her popped like he's swatting a fly. And how did he know? Because he has Mrs. Shelby hack the security camera feed from a coffee shop Dex and Julie met in.

** To make things worse, in the finale episode, we see Fisk has literally put Julie's body in a freezer...[[AssassinsAreAlwaysBetrayed and the bodies of the two hitmen hired to kill her]]. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness No loose ends.]]

* Now blackmailed, Nadeem walks into a conference room and finds it of terrified-looking FBI agents. He blanches, and the music takes on a very ominous note, as he, and the audience, realize that with the exception of Dex, ''every'' agent in this room is being blackmailed by Fisk in some way. And all of them, Dex included, are following Fisk's agenda, not the FBI's.

** How did Hattley get mixed up in all this? ''Fisk had one of her kids murdered''. And based on the fact that Ray, who's worked for Hattley for the last ten years, doesn't remember that she used to ''have'' two kids, gives the impression that this is something that Fisk did long before the events of season 1.

'''Tammy Hattley:''' Why do you think your sister-in-law lost health coverage? [[BatmanGambit He made you desperate for this job, you did everything you could to get him this penthouse, get him everything he asked for.]] Like I said, there's no way out. We're out of our league here. ''[they exit the elevator on the floor where Fisk's secret "war room" is]''\\

* And as it turns out, Fisk has managed to manipulate Foggy for a good amount of time, ''using the exact same playbook he's used to manipulate Nadeem''. He directed their suppliers to stop doing business with the shop, causing them to lose money and end up in financial ruin, where Theo would be unable to get a loan from any of the banks because he didn't have enough collateral. Then Fisk had [[LoanShark Red Lion]] swoop in to the rescue and give Theo some crooked financial advice, and trick him into being creative with his books to secure a loan. It’s bad enough to put Theo in prison, and even worse, is that Fisk managed to get Foggy's parents to also sign the loan. Thanks to Fisk taking advantage of Foggy's family's desperation, Foggy either has to bow out of the DA race or see his family go to jail. You can hear Foggy cursing under his breath at the realization of just how far Fisk is willing to go to hurt those who pose a threat to him.

* Fisk arranges a meeting with all of the rival crime lords. One particular mouthy one, Everett Starr, protests the [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse 20% protection tax Fisk wants to impose on all of them]]. [[ThrownFromTheZeppelin Dex promptly walks in, wearing his Daredevil suit, and beans him in the forehead with a baton.]] It’s a subtle, but intimidating show of power that Fisk has even got "Daredevil" working for him. Starr's body falls face forward on the table, and as blood pools across the table from the fresh wound, Fisk calmly looks at the blood and down at his own hands.
-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' [[ShameIfSomethingHappened ...The tax is now 25%.]]

-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' ''[to his nervous driver]'' Pull over. Get rid of the body.

-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' Yes, I didn't think so. You're a man of principle, of conviction. I understand that, I even admire it. But you went after my mother. That's not something that I can forgive.\\

'''Wilson Fisk:''' ''[growing more agitated and angrier]'' But that's '''my mother''' that you brought into this, Mr. Urich. My '''mother'''! So I am not here to ''threaten'' you, I am here '''to kill you'''.\\
''[Fisk lunges at Ben from the chair he's been sitting at, throws him to the ground and chokes the life out of him]''

* Fisk's murder of Owlsley by throwing him down an elevator shaft. Fisk already knows that Owlsley is stealing from him, and the conversation convinces him that Owlsley had conspired with Madame Gao over the benefit poisonings. It had seemed that Owlsley had managed to outmaneuver Fisk into letting him go using Hoffman as leverage. Fisk even seems to be considering it, but [[RageBreakingPoint that temper we've come to expect]] erupts when Fisk realizes what really makes him angry about the whole affair.
-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' '''YOU HURT HER!! ''YOU HURT VANESSA!!!''''' ''[shoves Leland down an elevator shaft]''

-->'''Frank:''' [[BerserkButton ...what'd you say?]]\\
'''Matt:''' [[OhCrap You... You're unhinged, Frank.]]

* Elektra is poisoned in the opening by a Hand ninja, and the healing process administered by Stick to save her is unpleasant as it sounds like: cracking open a hole in Elektra's abdomen and ''directly dumping the boiling cure into it''.
--> '''Stick:''' I'm gonna make her worse before I can make her better.

* Dutton slowly dying on the operating table as his lungs fill up with blood, and Fisk sits there calmly gloating about his triumph.

* The sequence that introduces Dex involves Fisk's FBI convoy being ambushed, like in the season 1 finale. But this time, it's not one of his own making, but rather is the Albanians that want revenge on Fisk for ratting them out. The entire scene plays out from Fisk's POV. He is left trapped in his car, hanging upside down by his shackles, and can only watch as the Albanians gun down his FBI escorts outside. Fisk frantically tries to break the bolt linking his restraints to the floor, succeeding after a struggle. By the time Dex emerges out of nowhere to kill the assailants, the attackers are already preparing to saw the doors off of Fisk's car.

** Another detail worth mentioning: because Matt had stolen Foggy's Bar ID for the purpose of his visit, Fisk is under the impression that Foggy is at the prison asking questions about him. Fisk only finds out that the lawyer his men are going to attack is Matt when Matt appears on the surveillance camera in the exam room. It's chilling to think that Fisk was planning this whole riot to take out Foggy, someone with none of Matt's fighting prowess.

'''James Wesley:''' I'd like to show you something. If you have a moment?\\
''[Wesley sets down a tablet on the table; on it, [[IHaveYourWife a live feed plays of Farnum's daughter in a park]]]''\\

--->'''John Healy:''' You think this is still about you? I gave up his name. You don't do that, not to him. He'll find me and make an example, and then he'll find everyone I've ever cared about and do the same to them, so that no one ever does what I just did. You should have just killed me, you coward.

* That stuff about people becoming savages in prison from season 2? Let's see it again, this time with Jasper Evans shanking Fisk for snitching.
** It's later revealed that Jasper Evans [[FalseFlagOperation has actually been paid by Fisk to shank him as part of his plan to manipulate the FBI.]] But that makes some other things about the scene terrifying in retrospect. After Jasper shanks Fisk, Fisk overpowers him, pins him to the ground with a barbell, and while, in hindsight, he looks like he's about to bludgeon him to death with a giant weight (ostensibly so that [[HeKnowsTooMuch Jasper can't testify to being paid off]]). Ultimately, Fisk settles for dropping the weight on the floor a few feet away from Jasper's head. Of course, Fisk is putting on a show to create a false paper trail in case anyone questions how he got out of prison, but we don't know how much information Jasper was told beyond "shank Wilson Fisk non-fatally and make it look like he's being targeted for snitching, and you will be spirited out of the prison". If that's all he was told, then the terrified look on his face is likely because he thinks Fisk is reneging on the payment he was promised.

* The Albanians that Fisk snitched on apparently have all the markings of a very ruthless bunch, which makes it no wonder why Fisk picked them of all people to sell to Nadeem (among other reasons):
-->'''Ray Nadeem:''' You're right. Wilson Fisk is a piece of shit. After every time I'm in the room with the guy, I want a shower. But let's talk about the Albanians for a minute, what they have done. Four dead NYPD officers, 12 more riding desks with disabilities. One hundred and seven civilian murders. And even after five task forces over seven years, to the tune of $11 million, we got zero. Those are some shitty numbers. But here's another one: with Fisk's intel, we beheaded the Albanian syndicate in one day. One single day. No loss of life, no injuries, no mayhem.

* Matt's way of going after Fisk is to go after Big Ben Donovan. On the one hand, [[AssholeVictim it's nice to wipe the smugness off his face]], but on the other hand it's also kinda creepy as Matt basically [[DangerTakesABackseat hides in the backset of Big Ben's car]] and chokes him from behind when he gets in to pressure him into revealing why Fisk flipped on the Albanians.

-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' You're not Franklin Nelson.\\

** Next thing Matt knows, a half-dozen inmates working for Fisk ambush him in the hallway. While he manages to fight them all off, it is quite a brutal struggle for him. Then he has to take down two dirty guards, negotiate with Vic Jusufi to get Jasper Evans' name, and have one of Vic's men [[MuggedForDisguise steal a uniform off one of the guards]] to escort Matt out through a chaotic riot set off by Fisk's men. The sedatives take effect and Matt passes out just as he gets back in the cab.
** But Fisk's planning didn't stop there. When Matt comes around, he finds that [[NotMyDriver the driver who brought him there has been replaced by another of Fisk's henchmen]]. Seconds later, the driver bails out and the driverless cab drives into the water, taking Matt with it.

** And on rewatch, you realize there are several glaring red flags that tell you something bad's going to happen: the room is all covered in plastic, like it's a kill room, just like with Julie.

-->'''Ray Nadeem:''' [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe I don't believe it.]] Fisk got something on all of you? ''[sits down next to Arinori]'' Arinori?!\\

** How did Hattley get mixed up in all this? ''Fisk killed one of her kids''. In fact, this seems to have been something that happened long before the events of season 1, because not even Ray, who's worked for her for the last ten years, remembers that she used to ''have'' two kids.

'''Tammy Hattley:''' That's not an option with Fisk. I used to have two children, Ray. They made it look like a hit-and-run. [[CruelToBeKind I got a divorce. Maybe that keeps him a little safer. But there's still Allie, so think about Seema and Sami. And do what Fisk tells you.]]

* And as it turns out, Fisk has managed to manipulate Foggy for a good amount of time, ''using the exact same moves he's used to manipulate Nadeem''. He directed their suppliers to stop doing business with the shop, causing them to lose money and end up in financial ruin, where Theo would be unable to get a loan from any of the banks because he didn't have enough collateral. Then Fisk had [[LoanShark Red Lion]] swoop in to the rescue and give Theo some crooked financial advice, and trick him into being creative with his books to secure a loan. It’s bad enough to put Theo in prison, and even worse, is that Fisk managed to get Foggy's parents to also sign the loan. Thanks to Fisk taking advantage of Foggy's family's desperation, Foggy either has to bow out of the DA race or see his family go to jail. You can hear Foggy cursing under his breath at the mere mention of Red Lion.

** Next thing Matt knows, a half-dozen inmates working for Fisk ambush him in the hallway. While he manages to fight them all off, it is quite a brutal struggle for him. Then he has to take down two dirty guards, negotiate with Vic Jusufi to get Jasper Evans' name, and have one of Vic's men [[MuggedADisguise disguise himself as a guard]] to escort Matt out through a chaotic riot set off by Fisk's men. The sedatives take effect and Matt passes out just as he gets back in the cab.

* Like in the season 1 finale, some civilians have the misfortune of being nearby when Fisk's men ambush the police van that is carrying Matt and Nadeem to the courthouse. Imagine being stuck in a traffic jam when people with automatic guns begin opening fire around you and you have no way to escape.
* Turns out Fisk anticipated Nadeem going to a grand jury, and manages to do some speed-chess to coerce all the jurors. It renders Nadeem so paranoid that he decides to knock Foggy out in the bathroom and flee to his home, record a video confessing everything, and just resign himself to his fate when Dex comes by to kill him.

** Season 3 Fisk in general. He essentially achieves Kilgrave levels of control over people without any supernatural abilities whatsoever. He has nigh-unlimited surveillance over his targets, is able to read into people's psyche and their weaknesses, creates traps for them ''years'' in advance just in case they may become useful to him later, makes already unstable people go over the edge and forces good upstanding citizens to do his dirty work by blackmailing them with threats against their families (stuff we've already seem him do in season 1). As Matt repeatedly states, Fisk is five steps ahead over any of their plans that could harm him, having over a dozen of FBI agents under his direct control and able to threaten anyone who could testify against him and ''make good on that threat''. He orders a complete bystander Julie killed merely because she's too much of a positive influence on Dex, and controls SAC Hattley by killing one of her kids and then threatening the other. His level of influence is completely '''terrifying''' in part because unlike Kilgrave, he was able to achieve this by purely mundane means.
** While, under current U.S. laws, becoming someone like Fisk is practically impossible [[note]]In U.S., he would face thousands of charges of corruption, extortion, rackeetering, money laundering and terrorism under laws like RICO and others enacted in the 21st century[[/note]], he's not different from many criminals and/or dictators who amassed such power and influence that apprehending them proved challenging during their reigns of corruption, terror, and criminal activities. [[RealismInducedHorror Real-life examples abound]]: Al Capone, Pablo Escobar, El Chapo Guzmán, Manuel Noriega, to name a few.

** Given how much more grounded this MCU series is compared to the rest of the shows and movies, Daredevil's fights are [[DarkerAndEdgier much more visceral and bloody.]] He can be very relentless and brutal with his fighting style, and you can sometimes spot Matt wearing a grin during his fights.

'''James Wesley:''' What is it about college girls in Monet T-shirts? Open composition and spontaneity reflecting this... transformative time in their lives, perhaps? Or maybe they just like the color blue. '''''Call her'''''.\\
''[Hands shaking, Farnum frantically digs in his pockets for his phone and calls up his daughter]''\\
'''Tracy:''' Hey, dad. What's up?\\

'''Tracy:''' Uh, yeah. I actually have a ton of laundry. I was gonna swing by this weekend and use the machines, and then maybe we could catch a movie after your shift?\\

'''Tracy:''' I love you too. Bye, Dad.\\

'''James Wesley:''' Now you see this man here? If we're being honest with each other, Mr. Farnum, I find his methods... ''unpleasant''. [[Film/TheAvengers2012 But such are the times we live in]]. ''[to the tablet]'' Give us a wave, Mr. Rance!\\
''[[[ImpliedDeathThreat Rance looks up at the camera and waves with his hand]]]''\\

'''Farnum:''' [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse What do you want me to do?]]

** Episode 12 reveals it ''is''. Gao claims they did it to themselves after she showed them something. Considering that Madame Gao is also one of the [[{{cult}} Five Fingers of the Hand]], it's even worse... perhaps something fanatic themselves.

* Now that we've gotten to meet Fisk in person, he comes across as friendly, socially awkward and a bit of a romantic with Vanessa...until Anatoly makes the mistake of crashing his date to personally inform him that they want to agree to Fisk's offer of support and resources. He has Wesley take Anatoly to an empty lot in Queens. As they're sitting in the car, Wesley has some ominous words that make your skin crawl.

** As if on cue, [[JumpScare Anatoly's door opens]]. Fisk reaches in, rips Anatoly from the car, and begins ferociously beating on him. Eventually, Anatoly gets an opening, pulls a switchblade, and slashes at Fisk's chest, [[NoSell to no avail...]] as Fisk's suits have an inner mesh lining (and one can see Fisk give a small SlasherSmile, knowing the knife will do nothing). Fisk grabs Anatoly, slams him against the side of the car, and disarms him of his knife, in the process breaking Anatoly's arm.

** Even though Anatoly is clearly dead after the second or third door slam, Fisk ''does not stop'' until his head is smashed off. If Fisk gets pissed off, you're not just dead; you're ''[[DeaderThanDead obliterated]]''.

-->'''Frank:''' Those people? The ones I put down, the people I killed? I want you to know that I'd do it all again. ... This is a circus, all right? It's a charade, it's an act. It's bullshit about how crazy I am. ... I ain't crazy! I'm not crazy. Okay? I know what I did. I know who I am. And I do not need your help. I'm smack-dab in the middle of my right goddamn mind, and any scumbag, any... any lowlife, any maggot piece of shit that I put down, I did it... because '''I LIKED IT!''' Hell, I loved it! I'm sittin' here, I'm... I'm just itching. I'm itching to do it again. And you think... What, you think you're gonna send me to a nuthouse? Some doctor, they're gonna get me to stop from doing what I want to do? Well, that ain't happening! Not on my watch! You people, you call me the Punisher, ain't that right? The big bad Punisher. Well, here I am! You want it, you got it! I am the Punisher! I'm right here! You want it, I'll give it to you. And anybody who came here today to hear me whine, to hear me beg? Well, you can kiss my ass! Do you hear me? I'm guilty. Come on, please, Judge! I'm guilty, you hear me? I'm guilty! I'm guilty! I'll kill every one of 'em! I'll kill every single one!

'''Wilson Fisk:''' Yes, ask my lawyer. He'll deny it! Ask the guards, they'll deny it! Ask the inmates here! They'll cut their TONGUES out before they talk! But I have something to say to you: When I finally get out of this cage, I will dismantle the lives of the two amateurs THAT PUT ME IN HERE!! You, Mr. Murdock, and Franklin Percy Nelson!\\

* Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter. A born psychopath with ImprobableAimingSkills, as a twelve year old, he kills his baseball coach - who was not only constantly kind to him but encouraged his talents - all because Coach Bradley wouldn’t let him finish pitching a game (which in itself was only so other kids could get a chance to play). He is then assigned a therapist, Dr. Eileen Mercer, who quickly diagnoses him with borderline personality disorder, psychopathic tendencies, and significant lack of empathy as he admits to not feeling any remorse for killing his coach and believed he deserved it for benching him. As an adult, Dex becomes an FBI agent who has a constant record of using lethal force. When saving Fisk from being killed, he knowingly murders two hit men who already were surrendering, then uses ejected gun clips like daggers to kill another group. Fisk, seeing his potential, begins to subtly manipulate Dex into becoming his personal TheDragon with his first assignment being massacring a good chunk of the staff at the ''Bulletin'' while wearing Matt’s Daredevil suit, before killing off Jasper Evans. A tormented, sociopathic monster who enjoys killing, Dex is easily one of the most terrifying villains of the MCU.
** Something particularly scary about him is that no reason is given for him to present such a threat, sure his accuracy is explained and while Matt might have the edge in hand-to-hand combat, the gap isn't nearly as wide as it should be. Matt was trained by the Chaste and was shown to match the Iron Fist, the Black Sky and any of the Five Fingers; he should be able to make short work of someone who (supposedly) only has the standard training of a soldier or an FBI agent, but Dex ''always'' beats him, the implication being that he's such an InexplicablyAwesome perfect killing machine just because he's meant to be and his violence, focus and insanity allowed him to be so.[[note]]Though some of that also has to do with Matt not being in 100% fighting shape. He spends season 3 recovering from his Midland Circle injuries, and one can argue that he'd stand a much fairer chance against Dex in any fight if he were at the top of his game[[/note]]
** Even worse? Dex ''tries'' to be good, clings to anything and everything he can to keep himself from becoming the complete, unrepentant, unstoppable monster he knows he can be. And Fisk methodically takes away every pillar that props up Dex's failing morality. Eventually, Dex just gives up and embraces his utter amorality, to a degree that even ''Fisk'' is left worried.

** Jasper Evans [[FalseFlagOperation has been paid by Fisk to shank him as part of his plan to manipulate the FBI.]] But that makes some other things about the scene terrifying in retrospect. After Jasper shanks Fisk, Fisk overpowers him, pins him to the ground with a barbell, and while, in hindsight, he looks like he's about to bludgeon him to death with a giant weight (ostensibly so that Jasper can't testify to being paid off). Ultimately, Fisk settles for dropping the weight on the floor a few feet away from Jasper's head. Of course, Fisk is putting on a show to create a false paper trail in case anyone questions how he got out of prison, but we don't know how much information Jasper was told beyond "shank Wilson Fisk nonfatally and make it look like he's being targeted for snitching, and you will be spirited out of the prison". If that's all he was told, then the terrified look on his face is likely because he thinks Fisk is reneging on the payment he was promised.

** It's also rare to see Fisk looking terrified, because while Jasper Evans' shanking ''was'' planned, this is the one variable in his carefully orchestrated release plan that he didn't plan for. [[SpannerInTheWorks And if not for Dex's intervention]], Fisk could've died.

* How much long-term planning does Fisk have? He's come up with an elaborate scheme just on the off-chance that one of the lawyers who put him away visits the prison. His loyal guards and inmates lure Matt into an exam room, where the nurse then proceeds to inject Matt with a sedative. While Matt is catching his breath after disarming the nurse, the phone in the exam room rings. Matt goes over to the phone and nervously picks it up.

'''Matt Murdock:''' ''[swallows]'' ...Fisk.\\

'''Wilson Fisk:''' Do you remember the last time that we spoke? ''[Matt faces the camera and nods slowly, knowing Fisk is referring to their exchange from after Castle's escape]'' You said that for the cost of postage, you could prevent my reunion with the only person who gives my life meaning. The only person that I love. And I would've let bygones be bygones. But you didn't just threaten me. ''You threatened Vanessa!'' And that is something that I cannot forgive.\\
'''Matt Murdock:''' Listen to me very carefully-''[there's a click as Fisk abruptly hangs up]''
** Next thing Matt knows, he's being ambushed by about a half-dozen inmates working for Fisk. While he manages to fight them all off, it is quite a brutal struggle for him. Then he has to take down two dirty guards, negotiate with Vic Jusufi, and have one of Vic's men disguise himself as a guard to escort Matt out through a chaotic riot set off by Fisk's men. The sedatives take effect and Matt passes out just as he gets back in the cab.
** It doesn't end there. When Matt comes around, he finds that [[NotMyDriver the driver who brought him there has been replaced by another of Fisk's henchmen]]. Seconds later, the driver bails out and the driverless cab drives into the water, taking Matt with it.
** The tone in Fisk's voice when Matt answers the phone implies that he was expecting Foggy to be there, not Matt. It’s chilling to think of the idea that Fisk had something planned for Foggy, someone with none of Matt's fighting prowess.

* Felix Manning is able to spook Karen, a woman not easily intimidated, by revealing intimate details about the house she grew up in and how he knows all about her DarkAndTroubledPast. He then adds that he doesn't [[TheFixer fix problems]], he [[DeadlyEuphemism makes them disappear.]]

* Fisk's newest plan to strike back at the people who put him away: he sends Dex in a Daredevil costume to attack Karen at the ''Bulletin''. Dex enters and immediately kills several reporters and maims a few others.

* Just how well thought out has Fisk planned his gambit to frame Matt? He's predicted that Matt would go to Melvin as soon as he realized who made the suit, and had Melvin make a second suit for Matt to be caught with. And had an FBI SWAT team stationed right outside for when Matt shows up.

* The nightmare Karen had of Fisk in her apartment coming to kill her after she killed Wesley was terrifying enough. But it was just foreshadowing the inevitable: her decision to confront Fisk directly and provoke him into trying to kill her to violate his parole. [[http://collider.com/deborah-ann-woll-interview-daredevil-season-3/#the-punisher The atmosphere of the scene is best described by Deborah Ann Woll]]:
-->'''Creator/DeborahAnnWoll:''' I killed his best friend. He doesn’t know it yet, that’s a good thing. It was funny, they kept saying, “Play the paranoia. We definitely want to work up the paranoia.” It’s not paranoia if it’s real! If he’s really going to kill you if he finds out, that’s not paranoia. That’s real fear. We definitely play with that. I finally got to do a scene with Vincent and it was fantastic. We were both so excited because he killed my Ben Urich and I killed his James Wesley so we have a mutual hate, I guess. Very Shakespearean mutual disgust for each other. But as actors, I think we both have tremendous respect for each other and the opportunity to get to play with him in this brilliantly flamboyant performance he gives, which is very much a contrast to Karen. So it was great to get both of those energies in a room and see how they play off each other. It was a great day. There was like a snowstorm out when we shot it. We felt very much like we were all stuck in this little sound stage, the winds were roaring outside, emotions were roaring inside. It was cool.

* Fisk's murder of [[NiceGirl Julie Barnes]]. It comes into this because of its detached, inhuman depiction. We see it all unfold as Fisk watches it on a video camera he had installed in her apartment. She arrives home, finds two [[HiredGuns "handymen"]] in her hallway, and gets half a question out before she's shot in the head. No build up, no drama. Just alive to dead in two seconds. Then the guys proceed to wrap her in plastic for removal like it's nothing, like they're cleaning up a normal painting job and nothing else, as Felix Manning picks up Julie's phone and flashes it to the camera. Equally chilling is Fisk's [[LackOfEmpathy non-reaction]] to watching it all. There's nothing but cold satisfaction in his eyes the whole time.

** Which is the sole reason he orders her killed. She had a ''single meeting'' with Dex, promised him nothing other than she would talk to him, and so Fisk decides she has to die. ''That's'' how easy it is to get on [[TheSociopath Fisk's]] bad side. And you'll never know you are, until it's too late.
** To make things worse, in the finale episode, we see Fisk has literally put Julie's body in a freezer...and the bodies of the two hitmen hired to kill her. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness No loose ends.]]

'''Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter:''' That's one of the rules, Ray. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall We only refer to him by his codename]].\\

** How did Hattley get mixed up in all this? ''Fisk killed one of her kids''. In fact, she's been in his pocket for so long that not even close colleagues like Ray, who's worked for her for the last ten years, remember that she used to ''have'' two kids.

* And as it turns out, Fisk has managed to manipulate Foggy for a good amount of time, ''using the same moves he's used to manipulate Nadeem''. He directed the suppliers to stop doing business with the shop, causing them to lose money and end up in financial ruin, where Theo would be unable to get a loan from any of the banks because he didn't have enough collateral. Then Fisk had Red Lion swoop in to the rescue and give Theo some crooked financial advice, and trick him into being creative with his books to secure a loan. It’s bad enough to put Theo in prison, and even worse, is that Fisk managed to get Foggy's parents to also sign the loan. Thanks to Fisk taking advantage of Foggy's family's desperation, Foggy either has to bow out of the DA race or see his family go to jail. You can hear Foggy cursing under his breath at the mere mention of Red Lion.

* Remember what Fisk did to [[ShootTheMessenger Anatoly]]? Well, we get a repeat of that. He's in the back of the car with Agent Weller after the visit to Mrs. Falb's brownstone, and Weller gets a phone call that Brett Mahoney has taken Karen into custody, as per Nadeem's call. [[TranquilFury Fisk then calmly asks Weller for his jacket]]. Weller obliges as he and the audience wonder what exactly Fisk is doing...then Fisk abruptly throws the jacket over Weller's head and beats him to death, punching him in the face repeatedly until blood is leaking through the jacket.
-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' ''[to his nervous driver]'' Pull over. Get rid of the body.

* Matt is arguably at his breaking point in this episode. First, he interrogates Felix Manning by dangling him over a rooftop, which breaks his leg from the sudden stop. He then sends Dex on a bloody warpath after Fisk by revealing Fisk murdered his MoralityPet Julie. And in regards to the man himself, [[ItsPersonal he is dead set on killing Fisk]], so he's setting Dex toward an objective that he intends to deny him anyway. One gets the feeling that the ArcWords of the Murdock boys being cursed isn't just for dramatic effect.
** It says a lot that Matt gets Felix Manning (a man who has been shown to be one of the few people loyal to Fisk out of some degree of respect rather than just fear) to flip on Fisk in the first place. As you may remember from Healy, Fisk is the kind of person many people would rather commit suicide then give him up, but Matt’s brutal interrogation of Felix has Felix rather take his chance with Fisk rather then endure Matt’s torture. ''That's'' Matt when he's in a bad mood.

-->'''Dex:''' [[MummiesAtTheDinnerTable (to Julie)]] That's Lim. [[TermsOfEndangerment He's one of the good ones...]]

'''James Wesley:''' What is it about college girls in Monet T-shirts? Open composition and spontaneity reflecting this... transformative time in their lives, perhaps? Or maybe they just like the color blue. ''Call her''.\\
''[hands shaking, Farnum frantically digs in his pockets for his phone and calls up his daughter]''\\

* With the Union Allied scandal exposed, Fisk orders Wesley to have everyone involved killed so they can't talk: Karen's boss [=McClintock=] is force-fed an overdose of pills. Farnum is shot through his mouth in his basement and his death staged to look like a suicide. And Rance, captured after Matt thwarted his attempt to attack Karen in her apartment, is hanged in his jail cell with his bedsheets, [[KarmicDeath the very fate that Farnum had originally tried to give to Karen]].

[[folder:Episode 3 - Rabbit in a Snow Storm]]

-->'''James Wesley:''' I'm curious about your...clientele. [[ShameIfSomethingHappened Do they all end up working for you after you get them off for murder]] [[SexySecretary or just the pretty ones?]]

* Now that we've gotten to meet Fisk in person, he comes across as friendly, socially awkward and a bit of a romantic with Vanessa...until Anatoly makes the mistake of crashing his date to inform him that they want to agree to Fisk's offer of support and resources. He has Wesley take Anatoly to an empty lot in Queens. As they're sitting in the car, Wesley has some ominous words that make your skin crawl.

** A split second later, [[JumpScare Anatoly's door opens]]. Fisk reaches in, rips Anatoly from the car, and begins ferociously beating on him. Eventually, Anatoly gets an opening, pulls a switchblade, and slashes at Fisk's chest, to no avail...as Fisk's suits have an inner mesh lining (and one can see Fisk give a small SlasherSmile, knowing the knife will do nothing). Fisk grabs Anatoly, slams him against the side of the car, and disarms him of his knife, in the process breaking Anatoly's arm.

** With that, Fisk continues his beatdown of Anatoly, viciously beating him into the pavement, Wesley quietly listening to the commotion. Desperately, Anatoly tries to crawl back to the car, but can only utter defiantly to Wesley before Fisk grabs him and knocks him out. He then grabs Anatoly's body, plants his head in the door well, and begins bashing it in with the door. And he doesn't stop until ''Anatoly's head is reduced to nothing.'' You can actually see Anatoly's brains hitting the pavement before the head snaps clean off. This is just a reminder of what Fisk is capable of doing when he is really, '''really''' pissed off.

* On Fisk's orders, an ESU sniper opens fire on Blake and the cops assembled outside the building where Matt and Vladimir are holed up. Ben is left with the duty of attending to Blake's wound, using his hands to stop the bleeding.

** "[[MeaningfulEcho KEEP KICKING HIM!]] ''(smash)'' [[MadnessMantra KEEP KICKING HIM!]] ''(smash)'' KEEP KICKING! ''(smash)'' HIM! ''(smash)'' '''KEEP KICKING HIM!'''"

* Two words: [[ComicBook/TheKingpin Wilson Fisk]], a.k.a. the Kingpin. The Man is a brutal mob boss who has bought the media and half of the police for his benefit and protection. Basically, he has both the mob and the law in his possession in a completely ridiculous level. In season 1, the mere mention of his name causes so much fear in his associates that they are willing to commit suicide or murder in his name. He makes it almost impossible to link criminal activity to him by having others do his dirty work for him, but don't let that fool you because if you piss him off, [[GeniusBruiser he's more than a capable fighter]]. He's like a shadow consuming everything in its path.

* Two words: [[ComicBook/TheKingpin Wilson Fisk]], a.k.a. The Kingpin. The Man is a brutal mob boss who has bought the media and half of the police for his benefit and protection. Basically, he has both the mob and the law in his possession in a completely ridiculous level. In season 1, the mere mention of his name causes so much fear in his associates that they are willing to commit suicide or murder in his name. He makes it almost impossible to link criminal activity to him by having others do his dirty work for him, but don't let that fool you because if you piss him off, [[GeniusBruiser he's more than a capable fighter]]. He's like a shadow consuming everything in its path.

** Even more disturbing is [[RealismInducedHorror how realistic the character really is]]. Fisk is not very different from many real criminals who have gained so much power and influence that imprisoning them was difficult while their corruption reigns lasted, such as UsefulNotes/AlCapone or UsefulNotes/PabloEscobar.

* Two words: [[ComicBook/TheKingpin Wilson Fisk]]. A brutal mob boss who has bought the media and half of the police for his benefit and protection. Basically, he has both the mob and the law in his possession. In season 1, the mere mention of his name causes so much fear in his associates that they are willing to commit suicide or murder in his name. He makes it almost impossible to link criminal activity to him by having others do his dirty work for him, but don't let that fool you because if you piss him off, [[GeniusBruiser he's more than a capable fighter]]. He's like a shadow consuming everything in its path.

** Episode 12 reveals it ''is''. Gao claims they did it to themselves after she showed them something. Considering that Madame Gao is also one of the [[TheCult Five Fingers of the Hand]], it's even worse... perhaps something fanatic themselves.

** One of the most disturbing aspects of the character is how realistic the character really is. Fisk is not very different from many real criminals who have gained so much power and influence that imprisoning them was difficult while their corruption reigns lasted, such as UsefulNotes/AlCapone or UsefulNotes/PabloEscobar.

'''James Wesley:''' Now you see this man here? If we're being honest with each other, Mr. Farnum, I find his [[KnifeNut methods]]... ''unpleasant''. [[Film/TheAvengers2012 But such are the times we live in]]. ''[to the tablet]'' Give us a wave, Mr. Rance!\\

* The series opens with Jack Murdock coming onto the scene of the accident and finding Matt on the ground, his face covered in unknown chemicals. Matt then starts screaming how he can't see while Jack just holds him, helpless. AdultFear in its purest form possible.

'''Tammy Hattley:''' That's not an option with Fisk. I used to have two children, Ray. They made it look like a hit-and-run. [[CruelToBeKind I got a divorce. Maybe that keeps him a little safer.]] [[AdultFear But there's still Allie, so think about Seema and Sami. And do what Fisk tells you.]]

'''James Wesley:''' [[DeadlyEuphemism Mr. Rigoletto has retired]]. His books have been acquired by my employer.\\

'''James Wesley:''' [[EvenEvilHasStandards Such a small sum is of little interest to my employer]]. [[DirtyCop Your position, however,]] [[PragmaticVillainy that's something we can work with.]]\\

-->'''James Wesley:''' I'm curious about your...clientele. [[ShameIfSomethingHappened Do they all end up working for you after you get them off for murder]] or just the pretty ones?

-->'''James Wesley:''' ''[answers phone]'' Sir? ''[beat]'' Yes, passenger's side. ''[hangs up]''\\

-->'''Wilson Fisk:''' You embarrassed me! Embarrassed me in front of her...

'''Officer Sullivan:''' [[OhCrap NO, I'M FINE!]] [[BigNo NO!]]