History Film / Daredevil

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daredevil_poster.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:When justice is blind, it knows no fear.]]

->''"Hell's Kitchen is my neighborhood. I prowl the rooftops and alleyways at night, watching from the darkness. Forever in darkness. A guardian devil."''
-->-- '''Matt Murdock/Daredevil'''

[[TheMovie Based on the comic series of the same name,]] ''Daredevil'' is a 2003 film about the story of Matt Murdock, lawyer and Catholic by day, vigilante hero by night. [[SuperHeroOrigin Young Matt]] is [[FreakLabAccident blinded by chemicals in a freak accident]] after seeing his father participating in a beatdown working for the mob. But soon, he and his father work together to better their lives, as Jack Murdock (Creator/DavidKeith) leaves his mob past and resurrects his boxing career while Matt learns how to live life blind, [[DisabilitySuperPower even as he copes with his other senses becoming incredibly heightened]]. However, his father is murdered as a result of a hit at the hands of mob hitman named Wilson Fisk, who will eventually rise to become a powerful crime lord...

As an adult in the corrupt, crime-ridden New York neighborhood known as Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdock (Creator/BenAffleck) works as a ''pro bono'' attorney to help those in need -- and when he cannot find it in court, [[VigilanteMan he finds other forms of justice as the costumed avenger known as Daredevil.]] He becomes mixed up with the beautiful [[ComicBook/{{Elektra}} Elektra Natchios]] (Creator/JenniferGarner), whose father is a wealthy businessman who runs afoul of the city's Kingpin of crime. Things get messy when the Kingpin brings in his hired assassin, Bullseye (Creator/ColinFarrell, [[{{Oireland}} accent in full gear]]) -- all accompanied with a lot of Evanescence and Seether on the soundtrack.

In part due to the character being more physically normal than other heroes, the movie aims to deconstruct the hyperactive fight scenes in films such as ''Film/SpiderMan1'' by showing how physically taxing a vigilante's life would be -- Matt is covered in scars and regularly takes pain killers, and his superpowers never turn off. This film has a director's cut that features alternate versions of familiar scenes, and a restored subplot about Matt tracking down a chain of evidence to the Kingpin, resulting in a more proactive hero than originally shown.

The movie received a bit of a spin-off in the ''Film/{{Elektra}}'' movie, carrying on from the film but not featuring Daredevil.

While Fox expressed plans for a sequel, the film rights for the property reverted back to Marvel in September 2012. A new {{Creator/Netflix}} series, which doubles as a ContinuityReboot, [[Series/{{Daredevil 2015}} was released in April 2015]] for the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. Ben Affleck would move on to play a different superhero - Franchise/{{Batman}} in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''.

'''Previews:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6p_3s0d9TI Trailer]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDIyDABiSIg Super Bowl Commercial]]
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!!This film contains examples of:

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Elektra isn't flattered by Bullseye in the slightest. When he gives her a WolfWhistle, she's visibly uncomfortable.
* AbsoluteCleavage: Downplayed, Elektra's black outfit exposes her cleavage but the zipper is just beneath it so it doesn't go to her naval, which is still exposed due to her top being short.
* AdaptationalHeroism:
** In the comics, Elektra was an assassin for hire with a past romance with Matt Murdock that landed them the DatingCatwoman status, as well as working for the Kingpin and Bullseye's top rival. This film's interpretation instead has her motivations for fighting Daredevil and [[spoiler:her death by Bullseye]] in a more sympathetic light, she only opposes Daredevil due to a misunderstanding. While she is an assassin in her spin-off film, she's still portrayed as this.
** Same with her father. In the comics, Hugo Natchios (see AdaptationNameChange) was an abusive husband and father, implied that he molested Elektra as a little girl. While not much is seen of him in this film, it's implied Nikolas Natchios does care for his daughter, if a bit overprotective, having made her study with a different sensei since childhood to avoid making her a victim.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Every version of Kingpin is usually AffablyEvil. This version is FauxAffablyEvil, willing to kill one of his own men for no good reason and expresses the belief that "nobody is innocent".
* AdaptationalNationality: Bullseye is from Ireland as opposed to The Bronx in the original comics.
* AdaptationDyeJob:
** Elektra had black hair and blue eyes in the comics. Jennifer Garner is a brunette and wears contacts to change her naturally brown eyes. However, instead of blue like the comics, they are green.
** In the comics, Bullseye is blonde with blue eyes. Colin Farrell, though naturally with black hair, shaved his head and has brown eyes.
* AdaptationNameChange:
** Unless he's a [[{{Expy}} different]] [[CanonForeigner character altogether]], Roscoe "Fixer" Sweeney is renamed Fallon.
** Jack Murdock's boxing nickname is changed from "Battlin' Jack" to "The Devil".
** Hugo Kostas Natchios is renamed Nicholas Natchios.
* AdaptationOriginConnection:
** The Kingpin of Crime is the man who killed Matt Murdock's father and set him on his vigilante career, rather than Slade, henchman of Roscoe "the Fixer" Sweeney, the TokenMotivationalNemesis from in the comics.
** Additionally, Elektra starts her own career after Bullseye kills her father, and he is her primary enemy in the film; in the comics, her father died in the crossfire of a botched hostage rescue attempt involving a SWAT team and some generic WesternTerrorists.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Foggy Nelson, while still a good guy, is prone to greed and pettiness. Partially justified as their law firm is struggling money since Matt refuses to represent wealthy (but guilty) clients.
* AdaptedOut:
** In the comics, Ben Urich, who is a supporting character in the ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' books as well as ''Daredevil'' is a reporter for the ''Daily Bugle'', is working for a different paper since the former film rights were owned by Sony.
** Stick played no part in Matt's childhood, instead relied on self-training. Stick became Elektra's teacher instead.
* AllForNothing:
** [[spoiler:After Elektra's father dies, Daredevil went to fight Bullseye in order to protect Elektra, only for Elektra to find him and, because he doesn't want to fight her, get stabbed in the shoulder by her. Because he was injured by the very person he tried to protect, he was unable to save her.]]
** [[spoiler:Elektra sees her father die and trains with her sai in order to avenge him and nearly killed her supposed murderer "Daredevil", who was actually her boyfriend and ends up immediately regretting it when she took off his mask. She is brutally murdered by Bullseye with the same weapon she aimed to kill him with.]]
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Downplayed since Matt isn't much of a bad boy, but it seems that Elektra warmed up to Matt because he was able to match her in a fight when he was aggressively trying to learn her name, something most men would go to jail for. Averted with Bullseye, he can match her and is pretty blatant about being attracted to her, but he's also a murderous psychopath [[spoiler:and killed her father]].
* AlliterativeName: Well, it is a Stan Lee adaptation.
* AlmostKiss: While grabbing a weakened Elektra by the neck, Bullseye comes closer to kiss her, but she pushes away to avoid lip contact. When it looks like he's about to, he stops, only to smile and [[spoiler:gut her with her own sai]]. Subverted in the Director's Cut, where he afterwards, he kisses her.
* AmazonChaser: Matt and Bullseye were both already attracted to Elektra physically, but her fighting prowess made her more exciting.
* AmoralAttorney: Matt's partner Foggy is a humourous version as he doesn't mind taking on guilty clients for money.
* AndThisIsFor: Matt says "This is for you, Dad" as [[spoiler:he drops a rose in the front of the Olympic Theatre where he died]].
* ArcWords: "Stay. Stay with me." And "I'm not the bad guy."
* ArmorPiercingResponse: In the theatrical cut, Matt rants to Father Everett about his identity as Daredevil and asks if justice is a sin, he's clearly unprepared for the answer of "''Vengeance is!''"
* AuthorAppeal: Mark Steven Johnson is a motorcycle enthusisast, so he included plenty of scenes featuring them and made Bullseye a BadassBiker.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Wilson Fisk turns out to be an elite warrior, giving Daredevil one of his most significant challenges in the movie.
* BadassBoast: "Time to give the Devil his due"
* BadassBookworm: Matt works as a lawyer by day. Also, when he drops his report card after seeing his dad beat some poor guy down in the name of the mob, it shows straight A's.
* BadassLongcoat: Bullseye sports a damn cool leather one.
* BadassNormal: Elektra lacks superhuman abilities like Matt or Bullseye and is just a very well trained martial artist. Kingpin also counts.
%% ** EmpoweredBadassNormal
* BaldOfAwesome: Ben Urich
* BaldOfEvil: Kingpin and Bullseye. Quesada, the rapist, is also bald.
* BareYourMidriff: Elektra's outfit she wears in her fights with Daredevil and Bullseye. [[spoiler:It ends up being an opening for Bullseye]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Kingpin at the end. [[spoiler:After initially [[CurbStompBattle Curb-Stomping]] a not-100% Daredevil, Kingpin laments not getting "to fight you in your prime." However, even a not-100% Daredevil is soon able to cripple Kingpin -- leaving the audience (and probably Kingpin himself) wondering what Daredevil could've done '''''without''''' his recent injuries.]]
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Even in her most brutal fight, with Bullseye, Elektra doesn't look at all bad. Her injuries, this includes the director's cut, include: [[spoiler:Having her own sai stab through her hand, punched in the face, back broken, knocked into the floor, head slammed into metal, her neck cut from a playing card and is gutted by her own stab]] and yet not even any sweat, Bullseye still find her pretty enough to kiss.
* BerserkButton:
** Elektra doesn't like being followed or touched by men. In general she doesn't seem to like men hitting on her, especially someone like Bullseye.
** Bullseye takes pride in his his inability to miss, so when Daredevil effortlessly dodges his attack, [[ItsPersonal it gets personal.]]
* BestHerToBedHer: Matt had to fight with Elektra before she was willing to give her name and go out with her.
-->'''Matt''': So does every guy have to go through all this? Just to find out your name?
-->'''Elektra''': You should try asking for my number!
* BigBad: Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, is controlling all of the crime in the city. Bullseye, despite being the more active, is just working for him.
* BigBraToFill: Jennifer Garner as Elektra.
* BigNo: Daredevil, when [[spoiler:Bullseye impales Elektra with her own sai]].
* BilingualBonus: Elektra, her father and their bodyguards speak in Greek among themselves at some points. Example: when they are leaving the party, she demands to know what is happening while the head bodyguard tells the others to be on the lookout for Fisk. [[Creator/JenniferGarner Elektra's]] "Greek" accent is passable; her father's, [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent not so much]].
* BlessedWithSuck: Matt Murdock's hearing is so potent, he can hear ''everything'' in at least a block radius, which forces him to sleep in a sensory deprivation tank simply to blot out the noise. It also makes extremely loud noises and areas with lots of noise sources a KryptoniteFactor, and it results in him getting overloaded enough to get hit when he shouldn't have on multiple occasions, as well as forcing him to sometimes hit targets hard enough to temporarily cripple them just so that they don't escape him in the chaos.
* BloodstainedGlassWindows: Daredevil and Bullseye face off in a church. And this would be a literal trope if Daredevil did not evade Bullseye's hurled shards of said glass windows.
* BodyguardingABadass: In a deleted scene later included on the Director's cut, Fisk kills one of his bodyguards by breaking his neck with one hand.
* BookEnds:
** The beginning and end of the film takes place in the church.
** Jack gets killed by Kingpin, who places a rose on him, at the Olympic Theatre. By the end of the film, [[spoiler:Matt goes to the Olympic again as an adult and drops the rose to honor his father after he overpowers Kingpin]].
* BondOneLiner: "Bullseye."
* BrickJoke: Granted, there is a tiny window of time, but young Matt has two encounters with his bullies, once while seeing, and the other while blind.
* BringIt: Young Matt stops his bullies once and for all, starting with the phrase, "Okay."
* BrooklynRage: Both Matt from Hell's Kitchen and Kingpin from The Bronx qualify.
* CarCushion: Towards the end of the film, [[spoiler:Daredevil throws Bullseye out the window, causing the latter to land on Ben's car]].
* CallingCard: The Kingpin's roses. This may be a ShoutOut to the Rose, one of his enforcers who was originally his son Richard.
* CatchAndReturn: Bullseye catches Elektra's sai with ease. [[spoiler:Elektra catching her sai back, not so much.]]
* CeilingSmash: During the final battle, Kingpin gorilla-presses Daredevil above his head and throws him into the ceiling.
* TheCameo:
** Creator/KevinSmith makes a quick appearance as the man at the morgue; he wrote a ''Daredevil'' story arc in the comics.
** A young and ''blind'' Matt Murdock prevents Creator/StanLee from getting hit by a car.
** Creator/FrankMiller, who redefined the Daredevil character and whose run the movie took its inspiration from, appears as a guy killed by Bullseye with a pencil in his head.
* CharacterDevelopment: At the beginning, Matt was shown to be more than willing to let someone get killed, but after he winds up traumatizing a kid and having to go through what it would be like if he ''did'' end up killing someone whose loved one would try to avenge, he chose to spare Fisk's life.
* ChekhovsSkill: Not so much a Chekhov's Skill, but rather a Chekhov's Loophole in Matt's AchillesHeel. Early on, Matt reveals that he can see perfectly when he's in the middle of a rainstorm because of the multiple echoes from falling raindrops. In the final battle, he uses this to get the upper hand on Fisk.
* ChestInsignia: This version retains the DD logo on Daredevil's suit.
* CombatSadomasochist: During his fight with Elektra, Bullseye takes an almost sexual pleasure from it, whether it's her hurting him or him hurting her (especially the latter).
* CompositeCharacter:
** Elektra's back story and motivations have much more in common with Echo (another of Daredevil's martial artist love interests) than her comic namesake.
** The Kingpin is combined with Slade[[note]][[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans No relation]][[/note]], the hitman who killed Jack Murdock in the comics.
** Being the boss of both Jack Murdock and the pre-Kingpin Fisk makes Fallon a composite of the Fixer and Don Rigoletto.
* {{Confessional}}: In the theatrical cut, Father Everett refuses to give him absolution for sins committed as Daredevil, as he isn't truly repentant.
* CripplingTheCompetition: Bullseye's hands are injured in the climactic battle with Daredevil, and he says, "You took away my hands! Show mercy!"
* CurbStompBattle: Bullseye beats Elektra in a fight very easily, only getting a small cut to his face and one punch to the face.
* DarkerAndEdgier: In the comics, Daredevil became this trope compared to a lot of other superheroes, especially under Frank Miller's tenure. In terms of movies, the Daredevil movie was certainly a DarkerAndEdgier take on superheroism compared to the previous year's Spider-Man. RealityEnsues ''a lot'' in terms of the injuries sustained by Matt and Elektra, and Daredevil's struggle against the entrenched power of the Kingpin is definitely very gritty and monumentally difficult.
** Taken even further, even in a meta sense with the R-rated Director's Cut compared to the PG-13 Theatrical Cut. Even though the Director's Cut doesn't include the Matt/Elektra sex scene. Figure ''that'' one out.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Daredevil, despite his name and dark red outfit, is the hero of the story. Elektra herself wore black in her training scene and wears black leather in her fights with Daredevil and Bullseye, but she isn't a villainess.
* DeadpanSnarker: Ben Urich and Matt's law partner Foggy.
* DeathAsComedy: Bullseye kills a old lady on a flight simply for talking his ear off. This would be such a dick move if the manner he did it (ricocheting a peanut off the back of the seat in front of him into the woman's throat, posing her as asleep, then politely asking the flight attendant for more peanuts) wasn't so darn funny. Then again, Bullseye seems to think ''every'' death he causes is this trope.
-->'''Kingpin''': (''seeing two of his guards dead'') Was that ''really'' necessary?
-->'''Bullseye''': Necessary? No... but it was ''fun''.
* DeathByCameo: Hey, there's Creator/FrankMiller...falling to the ground dead with a pencil in his head!
* DeathByOriginStory: A notable subversion with the film's depiction of Matt's father, Jack Murdock. Not only does Jack survive long past the accident that gives Matt his powers, the incident actually brings the two of them closer together, with Matt's struggle to cope with his blindness inspiring Jack to be a better father, reignite his failing boxing career and quit drinking. It's only ''after'' we've gotten a chance to know Jack that he's killed for refusing to throw a fight, with his murder inspiring Matt to use his powers to fight crime.
* DeathDealer: An ace of spades is one of the multitude of things Bullseye hurls in the film as a weapon.
* DeathGlare: Elektra gives one to Bullseye almost the entire time she's in the same scene with him, to the point where she doesn't even say a single word to him. Her most venomous is when he kisses her in the Director's Cut. Considering [[spoiler:he's doing it while he's gutting her and [[YouKilledMyFather what he did to her father]]]], it's justified.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Both Matt and [[spoiler:Elektra]].
* DemotedToExtra: Removing the murder case subplot in the theatrical cut means Coolio's role as Matt & Foggy's client was completely gone, [[Series/GreysAnatomy Ellen Pompeo's]] role as Karen Page is reduced to a one scene walk-on, and the majority of Jon Favreau's screen time as Foggy Nelson (Including every scene where his ''name'' is mentioned) is cut from the film.
* DestinationDefenestration: Daredevil throws [[spoiler:Bullseye]] through the church's stained glass window after [[spoiler:a SWAT team member shoots through the latter's hands]].
* DidNotGetTheGirl: Unlike their actors in real life (until 2015 anyway), Matt and Elektra do not stay together [[spoiler:due to Elektra getting gutted by Bullseye and then brought back to life in a sequel that never re-unites them.]]
* DidYouActuallyBelieve: Fallon says this to Matt's father, saying that Jack only won because his opponents threw their fights.
-->'''Fallon''': Did you really think you won all those fights on your own? You're forty-two years old! Miller, Mack, Bendis, they're all my fighters... just like you. And now it's your turn to take a fall. [[ImpliedDeathThreat Think about]] [[WouldHurtAChild your boy]], Jack. I'm sure you'll do the right thing.
* DisabilitySuperpower: Although blind, Murdock can utilize his other (super-heightened) senses to help him fight crime.
** Notable for examining this to its utter limit; Matt can smell on gun oil from across a room, hearing that can not only [[LivingLieDetector detect lies by heartbeats]] but act as ''sonar'', kinesthetic reflexes on par with [[Film/VForVendetta V's]], touch that can act as an alternate sense of ''balance'' and even ''read handwriting'' via '''impressions in the paper'''... but he still has to fold the money in his wallet in idiosyncratic ways to determine denominations because it's stamped too flat. Not to mention the fact that he sleeps in a ''sensory deprivation tank'', because as the Director's Cut shows, he "hears" ''everything'' as though it's happening right next to him.
* DiedinYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler: after being stabbed by Bullseye, Elektra crawls over to daredevil and dies from her wounds this scene happens during nighttime too.]]
* DisneyVillainDeath: Subverted with [[spoiler:Bullseye]] towards the end of the film. [[spoiler:He falls from a great distance only to hit Ben's car. At the end, he is hospitalized in a full body cast, very much alive]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: When Fisk feels someone has betrayed him, his policy is to kill that person and their whole family as well.
* DistractedByTheSexy: A rare dramatic example. After Matt and Elektra have their first kiss, Matt hears a carjacking in the background and tries to leave so he can intervene... then Elektra looks deep into his eyes and says "Stay with me". Cue sex scene. This only exists in the theatrical cut; Matt answers the call of duty in the director's cut.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Bullseye and Elektra's fight was cut down due to violence towards women. When the film was released, many a forums suggested Bullseye's actions towards Elektra, constant smiling, enjoying the physical harm he causes and attempting to kiss her while holding her too close for her comfort, all make it seem like he wants to rape her.
* TheDragon: Kingpin's hired gun, Bullseye. Kingpin was this to Fallon back in the day.
* TheDreaded: In the Director's Cut, it's implied Bullseye is this and is why so many are afraid to rat out Wilson Fisk.
* DubNameChange: Bullseye was renamed "Mercenário" ("Mercenary") in Brazil and "Mecheniy" ("The Marked One") in Russia. Also, while his name was kept in Spain, his bullseye pun while pointing to his forehead branding was changed to the phonetically similar "pulsa aquí" ("press here", as in pressing a button).
* DudeMagnet: Matt (when he uses his senses during the rain), Foggy, and Bullseye find Elektra very attractive. She's played by Jennifer Garner, after all, and her dialable sex appeal is on full display.
* EasterEgg: Try and count how many Daredevil writers and artists get name-dropped, either as character names or background signs. Hell, the dude who gets run over by the train is named after Marvel's EIC!
* EnemyToAllLivingThings: Not only are humans, from young to old to beautiful, are unsafe around him, but Bullseye also frightens a dog and a rat.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Downplayed. Fisk is more annoyed than anything when he find Bullseye killed one of his security guards unnecessarily. Bullseye himself also qualifies when he refuses to kill the priest Matt is friends with, instead settling for a "warning shot" to scare him away.
* EvilDetectingDog: In the Director's Cut where Bullseye is going through airport security, he gives a brief glance at a security dog, which whimpers in fear.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: Bullseye finds his entertainment in the suffering of others. He laughs when he quips about killing one of Fisk's security guards. When he throws Elektra's sai back at her and [[spoiler:it goes through her hand and she suffers for it]], he laughs as though he made a humorous mistake. When Elektra is still trying to avoid being kissed by him [[spoiler:while being gutted]], he gives an amused grin before kissing her.
* EvilIsPetty: In the Director's Cut, while kissing Elektra, Bullseye gives her a satisfied grin. When she doesn't return his kiss and gives him a DeathGlare, his smile drops and he ends the kiss looking upset. The part where [[spoiler:he yanks the sai he's gutted her with quickly, throws her away violently]] and wipe his mouth make it look like he's NotGoodWithRejection and annoyed she would ruin his fun.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Kingpin is played by Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan.
* EvilVirtues: Despite being the leader of a criminal organization and a former hitman for a mafia Don, Fisk still revels in the glory of personal combat and seeks to fight Daredevil in a fair duel after Daredevil defeats Bullseye. When he learns Daredevil is on the way to his headquarters, Fisk sends his guards home and takes him on singlehandedly. When it appears he is about to win the fight, Fisk says "It's a shame you came here wounded. I would have loved to fight you in your prime."
* FailureHero: [[spoiler:Poor Elektra. All she achieves are [[NiceJobBreakingItHero injuring Daredevil]], then a CurbStompBattle from Bullseye (without even a DyingMomentOfAwesome). But finally subverted in [[Film/{{Elektra}} her own spinoff]] (though she still never gets a chance to pay Bullseye back).]]
* FallenOnHardTimesJob: In this version, Jack Murdock descended from boxing into being a small-time enforcer to pay the bills. He eventually reignited his boxing career after Matt's blindness.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Both of the villains.
** Wilson Fisk acts like a respectful person when in public. When speaking with Elektra's father before Bullseye comes [[spoiler:to kill him]], he speaks to him in a rather friendly tone. Natchios, knowing Fisk full well, sees through this and tries to escape.
** Bullseye, as shown with both Elektra and the flight attendant, attempts to act suave and flirtatious around women. His tone with Elektra, and even Daredevil, tends to be playful and calm, but barely hides how AxCrazy he is.
* FightingIrish: Matt is a native of the Irish-American neighbourhood Hell's Kitchen. His father Jack Murdock was a professional boxer (and secretly a mob enforcer). And of course there's ''Bullseye'', who Castleknock-born Colin Farrell portrays with his native Irish accent, who is just completely AxCrazy.
* FlamingEmblem: Matt apparently drew his famous overlapping "DD" emblem in gasoline and let it set at a crime scene, knowing that someone would flick a cigarette on the ground and set it off.
** In his review of the movie, the Nostalgia Critic had a field day pointing out how this is not exactly the most obvious or safest calling card, even pointing out that when it's impossible to notice the gasoline on the floor, a subway rider waiting for a train while smoking would be in for a bad day if they dropped their joint.
* ForcefulKiss: Bullseye on Elektra. Averted in the theatrical cut but played straight in the Director's Cut, see TakeThatKiss.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Matt fails to help a woman prove a man raped her in court due to Kingpin giving him a good lawyer and able to get off scot free until Matt shows up as Daredevil and takes him down. [[spoiler:Later, he failed to save Elektra from Bullseye, only to avenge her later]].
** Wilson Fisk scoffs at Matt Murdock's insistence that he only protects the innocent, in that nobody is innocent. Their mutual dislike hints at what else he's done that Matt would hate and their eventual confrontation.
* ForTheEvulz: Bullseye thrives on this trope for most of the film which officially begins with him first killing an old lady on plane merely because she annoys him. He later kills a guard at Fisk Corp and admits to Fisk it is not at all necessary, just fun.
** In the Director's Cut, during Kingpin's first scene, he quickly invokes this trope by killing two of his bodyguards right out of the blue with no explanation given at all.
* FreakLabAccident: More like a freak chemical/forklift accident, but still...
* GlassWeapon: During a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye in a Catholic church, Bullseye picks up the shards of a shattered stained-glass window and hurls them at Daredevil like throwing stars.
* GoldDigger: Foggy advises Matt to marry Elektra as soon as Matt told him she's a billionaire's daughter.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: "Jose Quesada...the rest of Jose Quesada."
* HatesBeingTouched: Elektra informs Matt she doesn't like to be touched. When he reached for her hand, she tried to attack him. After their brief match, she's okay with him touching her. Other men? Not so much. One of her father's bodyguard put a hand on her shoulder and she immediately socked him in the face. During her fight with Bullseye, she looked feral when he punched her, but appeared uncomfortable when he grabbed her arm.
* HateSink: Not our villains, ironically enough. Fisk shows some sense of respect in combat and respects Wesley's loyalty to him. Bullseye is hammy despite how violent he is with even Elektra. Quesada, the rapist who used Kingpin's connections to avoid justice, lacks either of those options that could exempt him from this. He gloats about how the woman he raped "enjoyed" it in a tone that didn't escape implications with Matt in the courthouse. [[spoiler:His death was mourned by no one.]]
* HeadTurningBeauty: Foggy and Bullseye both can't help but stare at Elektra when they first see her, Bullseye even giving off a WolfWhistle. Matt has this same reaction when he's able to see her in the rain.
* HeldGaze: An antagonistic example. After attempt to kiss her and before [[spoiler:gutting her]], Bullseye holds Elektra's face close to his. They look into each other for a brief moment, Elektra looking terrified while Bullseye is just [[SlasherSmile enjoying his time with her]].
* HellBentForLeather:
** Dardevil's costume is crimson leather instead of the spandex seen in the comics, largely because Daredevil (Enhanced senses aside) is merely a BadassNormal & he would need the extra protection that spandex wouldn't provide.
** Bullseye's wardrobe is predominantly black leather.
** Elektra, when she sets out to [[spoiler:avenge her father]], wears a leather top & pants, as opposed to the bright red leotard seen in the comics.
* HeroicFatigue: We see the hero going through his before-bed routine, getting everything put away in just the right place, climbing into the sound-proof casket (necessary due to his [[SuperSenses super hearing]]), only for him to hear a woman somewhere nearby crying for help. He only lets out an exhausted sigh before slowly closing the casket to close out the sound.
** That brief sequence is only in the director's cut; see ExecutiveMeddling in [[Trivia/{{Daredevil}} the Trivia tab]].
* HollywoodHealing: Subverted. Matt is often shown in noticeable pain from injuries and is shown popping his knee back into place towards the start.
* HollywoodHypeMachine: The film is considered part of the series of films Affleck did that lost some of his momentum in his acting career.
* HollywoodLaw: The only scene of Matt actually acting as a lawyer that made it to the theatrical cut is of him seemingly seeking a conviction for a rape suspect. The catch? Matt Murdock is a defense attorney, a fact emphasized by the voluminous material that was restored in the director's cut. In real life, you ''may'' see a victim's advocate making submissions at sentencing in many jurisdictions, there's no way in hell that Matt would have been making arguments in court and getting annoyed that the defendant was acquitted. He could have been suing the guy in civil court for the rape, but even in that case he still wouldn't be on the defense side of things.
* {{Homage}}: Daredevil's burning initials was an homage to another comic book movie, ''Film/TheCrow'', which Mark Steven Johnson is a big fan of.
* HonorBeforeReason: One of Matt's defining traits. He's struggling financially because he refuses to represent wealthy clients who he knows to be guilty, but he often represents innocent people who are too poor to pay legal bills.
* HowWeGotHere: The film starts with Daredevil bleeding and injured atop a church, and the next hour and a half brings us back to that point.
* HyperAwareness: Daredevil can hear a gun preparing to fire...even a sniper rifle from across the street!
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Even though he was there to [[spoiler: gut her]], Bullseye seemed to act this way during his fight with Elektra, especially before doing so as he holds her and tries to [[FoeYay lovingly]] (and mockingly) kiss her. While holding her, attempting the kiss, he even speaks to her in a loving manner. During his fight with Daredevil after [[spoiler:killing her]], he even reminisces about her for a brief moment. And in the Director's Cut he does kiss her, looking annoyed that she doesn't seem to enjoy it.
* IllKillYou:
-->'''Jose Quesada:''' I'll kill you! I'll kill you!
* ImpaledPalm: Three times:
** When a SWAT team member shoots at Daredevil and Bullseye, [[spoiler:Daredevil dodges and Bullseye's palms has holes in them from the resulting shot]].
*** Followed by a [[CrucifiedHeroShot Crucified VILLAIN Shot]] when he spreads his arms.
** [[spoiler: Elektra, during her fight with Bullseye she throws one of her sai at him, but he catches it and throws it back. She tries to catch it too but fail miserably]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Nikolas Natchios.]] Special mention must be made of the fact that this was done with Daredevil's folded billy club, which wasn't designed to penetrate anything. [[spoiler:Elektra she gets impaled by Bullseye with her own sai like in the comics.]]
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Bullseye's schtick.
* ImprovisedWeapon: Bullseye's other schtick. He can turn anything into a deadly weapon. And when we say "anything", we mean [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy ''AN-NY-THIN-GUH'']].
* InexplicablyAwesome: We are given an explanation of Matt's abilities in the form of his chemical accident, but we never discover how Bullseye got his own superhuman skills or even what exact kind of power they are.
* InLoveWithTheMark: Dowplayed and then defied. Bullseye is physically attracted to Elektra but it doesn't stop him from doing his duty of [[spoiler:killing her]].
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Bullseye looks outright excited when Elektra cuts his cheek with her sai, finding her blind rage and desire to [[spoiler:avenge her father]] attractive.
* InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn: Quoth the Kingpin, "I was raised in the Bronx, Wesley. This is something you wouldn't understand."
* IrishPriest: Father Everett is a priest at Matt Murdock's local church, and has an Irish accent as a result of being portrayed by Dubliner Derrick O'Connor.
* IronicEcho:
** "I'm not the bad guy."
** "Bullseye."
* {{Irony}}:
** Elektra tells Daredevil she wanted to look into the eyes of [[spoiler:her father's killer]] as he dies. Instead, [[spoiler:she looked into the eyes of her father's real killer, Bullseye, when he kills her. Her last moments of life are looking into Daredevil's, but because of his mask and blindness, he can't look back.]]
** More meaningful in the Director's Cut. [[spoiler: Elektra's first seen kiss in this movie is on a rooftop with Matt, who touches her with his right hand first, and leaves soon after. Her last kiss, albeit unwanted, is from Bullseye, on a rooftop, after he touches her, or grabs her neck, with his right hand first, while killing her and also leaves afterwards.]]
* ItAlwaysRainsAtFunerals: It starts to rain at the funeral of [[spoiler:Elektra's father.]]
* ItsPersonal: Matt's vendetta against Kingpin, and Bullseye's pursuit of Daredevil after the latter made him miss.
* KarmaHoudini: Fallon is never shown to have answered for any of his crimes, including the murder of Matt's father. While Fisk, who was the one who killed Jack under Fallon's orders, there is no mention of what became of Fallon afterwards and Matt seems solely focused on Fisk as the murderer of his father not the man who ordered the hit.
* KickTheDog: Bullseye gives a WolfWhistle to Elektra before calling her "Orphan" and he kisses her [[spoiler: as he stabs her with her sai]] after she desperately tries to avoid him doing so earlier.
* KissDiss: When Bullseye grabs Elektra by the neck and holds her close, he tries to kiss her. Elektra pushes him away and moves away from his face each time his mouth comes close. Even as [[spoiler:she's gutted]], she tries to keep their faces apart, only for him to smile and kiss her. Justified, they aren't a couple, she doesn't share Bullseye's attraction to her and [[spoiler: Bullseye killed her father and is sent to kill her]].
* LargeHam: Colin Farrell certainly enjoyed playing the hell out of Bullseye, that's for sure. His Bullseye chews up the scenery as if that's what Kingpin hired him for. Epitomized by his line: "ME HANDS! OH, YOU TOOK AWAY ME HAANDS!"
* LargeAndInCharge: The Kingpin, of course!
* LivingLieDetector: Matt Murdock listens to the heartbeat of people to deduce if a person is lying or not in his cases. In the director's cut, he takes on a client despite every sign pointing to him as the correct suspect, but his heartbeat confirms he's telling the truth about his innocence. Likewise, the person setting him up almost foils Murdock's method because he too has a steady heartbeat while telling his side in court...until Matt realizes he's on a pacemaker.
** Which is a ContinuityNod to a Creator/FrankMiller story where Matt was duped into believing his client was innocent because he had a pacemaker.
* LoveAtFirstPunch:
** Elektra didn't have much of an interest in Matt until the two had a fight in a park, where she immediately takes a shine in the middle of it, especially when he encourages her not to hold back.
** Downplayed example, Bullseye seems to show more of an attraction to Elektra when she slices his cheek with her sai.
* LustObject: Elektra quickly became one towards Bullseye the moment he saw her. He found her entertaining, attractive and even reminisces [[spoiler:gutting her]] with a lustful sigh. Her hate for him didn't bother him one bit.
* MaleGaze: Elektra Natchios, whenever she's in combat, has focus on her shapely body, mostly her rear. Her black leather outfit is so form-fitting that an in-universe moment even occurs. When Bullseye makes himself known to Elektra via WolfWhistle, he's on the building behind her and staring down. It's likely he happened to be looking at her rear.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Bullseye's skills, whether he has some kind of ability that alters probability and proficiency in his favor or if he's just really skilled. Admittedly, this is the same movie where Jennifer Garner's character lacks any powers (at least until her spin-off) yet can jump to another rooftop without harm or leap several feet into the air. However, Bullseye himself is able to [[spoiler: impale her father]] with Daredevil's club (which isn't sharp or strong enough to do so), lift Elektra (a full grown woman) by her neck and is strong enough to lift her in the air [[spoiler:by gutting her]].
* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack:
** Played straight for Elektra and Bullseye. The film ditches their respective red and blue suits for black.
** Daredevil is in his red costume, but it's darker brick-red instead of fire-engine red. [[SpandexLatexOrLeather And it's leather.]]
* MsFanservice: It is Jennifer Garner in black leather!
* MyLifeFlashedBeforeMyEyes: In order to justify HowWeGotHere as Matt is injured in the church.
-->'''Matt:''' They say your whole life flashes before your eyes when you die. And it's true, even for a blind man.
* MythologyGag:
** The rapist Daredevil deals with at the start of the movie is named [[Creator/JoeQuesada Jose Quesada]].
** Most any time a name is being dropped in this movie that isn't a comic character, it's the name of a creator who worked on Daredevil. For example, the pathologist played by Kevin Smith is named [[Creator/JackKirby Kirby]].
** Stan Lee's cameo has him be saved from getting hit by a car by young (blind) Matt. In the comics, Matt's blindness was the result of saving a blind old man from being run over by the truck carrying the chemicals.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Elektra assaulting Daredevil under the mistaken belief he murdered her father made him unable to help her fight Bullseye. She ends up too enraged and unfocused and is killed with little damage to her opponent]].
* NightVisionGoggles: Matt Murdock's senses allow him to "see" his environment in a sonar-esque filter.
* NoSell: Matt unleashes a brutal attack of swift punches to Kingpin's face but it does nothing except give him a bloody mouth and make him even angrier.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: During their battle, Bullseye is continually trying to get close to Elektra. As he starts winning the fight, Bullseye grabs Elektra by the neck and lifts her up. He then decides to kiss her. Not reciprocating the idea, Elektra pushes him away and pulls her head away whenever he gets close. Regardless, Bullseye remains far too close for her comfort as he keeps their faces close to enough to almost kiss her.
* NothingPersonal: Kingpin's view. When asked why he killed Matt's father, his response is "Business. That's all it ever is, business.".
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Daredevil, Elektra, and Bullseye jump and fall great distances with no effects.
* OrgasmicCombat: Matt and Elektra's sparring match in the park. Both of them, more notably Elektra, look more and more excited as the fight goes on, complete with panting. Her fight Bullseye, despite clearly not being interested in him in that way, evokes this, with a lot of heavy breathing on both their parts and Bullseye himself clearly taking deep joy from it. Later in the film, when he mentions Elektra [[spoiler:after killing her]], Bullseye has a lustful sigh and shakes his head as though he's still fixated on her.
* PetTheDog: Despite killing people for less, Bullseye goes out of his way to let the priest off with a warning shot before crossing himself when he enters the church for his final showdown with Matt.
* PluckyComicRelief: Jon Favreau as Foggy Nelson.
* PrecisionFStrike: The original line, removed from the theatrical release and intact in the director's cut, is "I want a ''fucking'' costume!"
* PredecessorVillain: Fallon, Fisk's one-time employer, and, at the time, the largest crime boss in Hell's Kitchen. He's long out of the picture by the time the film starts, but his influence on Fisk (and Matt, who's father he had killed) remains.
* ProBonoBarter: Matt Murdock regularly accepts gifts, instead of money, for payment from impoverished clients, much to the dismay of Foggy Nelson.
* PsychoForHire: Bullseye is the sadistic madman Fisk hires when he needs someone dead.
* RaceLift: Completely justified as Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan is about [[PragmaticAdaptation as commanding an acting presence as can be while fitting the required size and stature of Kingpin.]] Interestingly, the Kingpin was originally envisioned as black when conceived for the comics, but at the time Marvel worried that it would be considered racist to make him black.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Although Daredevil has no qualms dispatching of criminals rather than sending them to the big house, the only criminal he actually leaves dead is, you guessed it, a rapist.
** Subverted. Quesada was just unfortunate enough to be the last bad guy Matt came across before deciding ThouShallNotKill; that he was a rapist was less important than he was an utter bastard. Matt actually tries to kill [[spoiler: Bullseye]] later as well, but its later revealed that [[spoiler: he survived]].
*** Also, it seemed an act of desperation: he was able to trash an entire bar-full of goons, but had to hit Quesada so hard he can't walk away because his senses were overwhelmed by the incoming subway train.
* RealityEnsues: Much of the beginning of the film delves into how a superhero would probably live in real life; Matt has scars all over his body, is on pain medication, his sense-enhancing powers make sleeping difficult, and he has a shambled ruin of a personal life. Special mention is made in the commentary and Matt is a man "who really doesn't have long to live" if his vigilante activities keep up they way they do.
** The trope also comes into play in horrifying detail with Elektra. [[spoiler: Her father dies]] and she goes into vengeance mode, training like a maniac for her big chance to get revenge. Then, on her first night out she tries to pick a fight with Bullseye and [[spoiler: gets stabbed in the hand, injured in the neck, stabbed to death gruesomely, and then tossed off the roof like nothing]]. ''Yikes.''
* RevengeBeforeReason: Rather than listen to Matt when he instructs her to run or help him seek medical help [[spoiler:from the stab wound she inflicted]], Elektra chooses to try and murder Bullseye [[spoiler:for killing her father]], but her blind rage kept her from winning a fight she could have won.
* RunTheGauntlet: In succession, Daredevil has to fight [[spoiler: Elektra]], Bullseye, and then Kingpin in a matter of hours in the third act, and takes an ass-whooping in all of them, leaving him visibly fatigued and injured as he moves to the next.
* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler:Matt does not kill the Kingpin in the end.]]
* ScaryBlackMan: Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin.
* SecretKeeper:
** [[spoiler:Ben Urich]] eventually becomes this in the end. In the theatrical release, he's also a SecretSecretKeeper; in the Director's Cut, he confronts Matt about it.
** Father Everett as well from almost the very beginning, and a reluctant one too.
* SensoryOverload: Bullseye clangs together giant organ pipes to overwhelm Matt Murdock's senses and render him helpless for moments.
* SexIsViolence: Elektra and Bullseye seem to have a thing for people who can match them in a fight. During her sparring match with Matt, when Elektra is told not to hold back, she smiles and starts to enjoy the fight. Bullseye, in a more violent match with Elektra, is clearly smiling the entire time as though aroused by her fighting prowess. Unlike with Matt, Elektra isn't enjoying the match at all.
* ShipperOnDeck: While he jokes that marrying Elektra would get him rich, Foggy supports Matt's relationship with her.
* ShoutOut: Several shots and dialogue are taken directly from the comics.
** Also, near the beginning of the film, Fallon mentions 3 fighters that Jack Murdock defeated named Miller, Mack, and Bendis, all three named after people who wrote on the Daredevil comic, and later, we see that the man Jack defeated that night was named John Romita, a name shared with an artist who briefly worked on Daredevil.
** A criminal that DD hunts down in the beginning of the film is name Jose Quesada. JOE Quesada also did work on the series.
** Kevin Smith's character is name Creator/JackKirby.
** And then there's [[Creator/StanLee "Mr. Lee"]], the client who pays his legal bills with fish.
** When asked about cuts, Matt says that he is in a ''{{Fight Club|bing}}'' to which Foggy says he has never seen [[Film/FightClub the film]].
** Matt is essentially [[Literature/ToKillAMockingbird Atticus Finch]] if he moonlighted as a superhero. The first scene of the movie has him futilely standing up for justice in a rape trial, and he often accepts random gifts from impoverished clients in lieu of cash.
** Early on Jack Murdock says he once beat a fighter by the name of Colan. Gene Colan drew Daredevil from September 1966 to June 1973 (making his run the first of the many long runs the character is known for) and Daredevil is often considered his signature character.
* ShowerOfAngst: Matt takes a brief Shower of Angst after a night of vigilantism. While showering, he pulls a broken tooth out of his mouth.
* ShutUpHannibal: When [[spoiler:Bullseye begs for mercy]], Daredevil ends up [[spoiler:throwing him out of a stained glass window]].
* SilentTreatment: Elektra never says a single word to Bullseye. All she does is glare with the intent to kill.
* SlasherSmile: Bullseye's default expression whenever he's on the kill.
* TheSociopath: Both our villains.
** Wilson Fisk firmly believes nobody is innocent, and is willing to kill even an old friend and his daughter for wanting out. When asked why he does such things, he simply responds that it's just business. Given how he can interact with people very easily, he appears to be a high-functioning sociopath.
** Bullseye can't go one scene without killing someone. He murders an old woman just for being annoying and afterwards casually flirts with the flight attendant while asking for more peanuts. Add to that, he takes pleasure from hurting people, and looking blissful while assaulting Elektra. Her blind rage and pain actually delights him and he's annoyed when she glares at him for kissing her. He comes off as a low-functioning sociopath.
* SoftGlass: Averted. After being thrown through an already cracked window, Bullseye lands on a windshield on Urich's car which doesn't break. Later on, the massively built Kingpin throws Matt full force at a window which only cracks but doesn't break.
* SpandexLatexOrLeather: Leather for everyone!
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Matt's ex-girlfriend Heather Glenn (the one on the phone) was spared from her suicide in the comics.
* TheStinger: [[spoiler:Bullseye incapacitated in the hospital, but still able to kill a fly]]. In the theatrical cut, anyway; the director's cut places it during Matt's closing monologue as he laments that evil will never die.
* SuperSenses: Daredevil uses his other senses to make up for his missing eyesight.
* TakeThatKiss: Averted and played straight depending on what cut you're watching. [[spoiler: Bullseye goes to kiss Elektra but simply kills her in the theatrical version, but does plant one on her while running her through with her sai in the director's cut.]]
* TermsOfEndangerment: Because he likes to mess with her and knows his obvious interest sickens her, Bullseye calls Elektra "Baby" [[spoiler:right before slitting her neck with a playing card, gutting her and, depending on what version you watch, kiss her.]]
* ThatsWhatIWouldDo: How Fisk knows that Daredevil will be coming for him next, now that Bullseye is down.
* TheyJustDontGetIt: Fisk has Wesley send away his guards after he learns about Bullseye's failure, intending to deal with Daredevil himself. When Wesley tries to interject, Fisk points out Wesley wouldn't understand, as he didn't grow up in the Bronx.
* ThouShaltNotKill: Matt battles this as part of his double life.
* ThrowingTheFight: Why a hit is put on Matt Murdock's father, who refused to take a dive.
* ThwartedCoupDeGrace: Towards the end of the film, Bullseye uses an [[spoiler:improvised spear in an attempt to kill Daredevil]].
* TheTragicRose: The Kingpin's calling card for his victims. He left a rose when he committed a murder for Fallon, he gives Nikolas Natchios a rose, but he seems aware of what he's planning and leaves [[spoiler:but is murdered by Bullseye]] and gives Bullseye a rose to give to Elektra, though not for romantic reasons. After he defeats Elektra, Bullseye tosses the rose to her.
* UnbuiltTrope: Though it's certainly not the first superhero film, ''Daredevil'' actually deconstructed many aspects of superhero stories back in 2003, when the 2000s superhero movie craze was still in its infancy. It also may be the first movie ever to try the "gritty and realistic" approach to superhero films that ''Film/BatmanBegins'' [[OlderThanTheyThink is often credited with starting]]. Aside from the costumes, it's essentially a gritty crime drama about an all too human vigilante whose constant injuries from fighting criminals have left him covered in scars and dependent on painkillers, it fully examines the implications of the hero's typical HonorBeforeReason mentality (showing us that Matt Murdock's idealism has left his legal practice struggling because he refuses to represent wealthy clients who he knows to be guilty), and it ends with [[spoiler:a PyrrhicVictory, as Matt puts [[BigBad the Kingpin]] behind bars (fully aware that he'll be freed soon) but fails to save his love interest]].
* UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler:Elektra, a skilled martial artist in her own right, is killed off in an otherwise embarrassing manner. Bullseye takes advantage of her anger, allowing him to knock her down and gut her with her own weapon while stealing a kiss before tossing her impaled body aside.]]
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Elektra never realizes her attempting to kill Daredevil was assisting the real men responsible for her father's death in killing her as well.]]
* VaporWear: It's clear that in her black leather outfit that Elektra isn't wearing a bra. It's probably no wonder Bullseye gives her a WolfWhistle.
* VigilanteExecution: In the opening minutes of the film, Daredevil kills an alleged rapist after failing to convict him in court.
* VigilanteMan: Daredevil, if it weren't obvious.
* VillainousCrush: Downplayed, it doesn't stop him from [[spoiler:killing her]], but Bullseye seems to have one for Elektra. He wolf whistle at her, calls her "baby", tries to kiss her and when he mentions [[spoiler:gutting her]] he gives a lustful sigh.
* VillainRespect: The closest to nice Bullseye ever gets is compliment Elektra upon defeating her, but he still rubs it in he's better than her.
* VillainsWantMercy: When [[spoiler:Bullseye's hands get shot]], he asks Daredevil for mercy. He ends up being [[spoiler:thrown out of the church's stained glass window and falls onto Ben's car]].
* WastebasketBall: Foggy fails at tossing one in, although he tries to get one over on Matt by [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud announcing "swoosh" after a miss.]] Of course, the blind Murdock makes it off to the side without turning in the direction of the basket.
* WeHaveReserves: Fisk isn't particularly bothered when Bullseye kills two of his guards for fun, indicating this is the case. The director's cut makes it more apparent, as Fisk's EstablishingCharacterMoment has him kill two of his guards himself.
* WeaksauceWeakness: The one main thing that seems to render Daredevil incapacitated, however briefly, is loud noise, even from everyday occurances such as loud trains and organ pipes.
* WhamEpisode: Similar to an event in the comics but unexpected in the movie, [[spoiler:Elektra is killed a bit more than halfway through the movie when she tries to fight Bullseye.]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Matt chooses [[spoiler:not to kill Kingpin. When asked why, he replies "I'm not the bad guy." The line itself is an IronicEcho to a line he says after he'd beaten up a crook in Hell's Kitchen only to find out that crook was a father, and he had been beating him up with his child present, while claiming he wasn't the bad guy.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After fighting Daredevil, Bullseye vehemently tells Kingpin: ''"I want a bloody costume!"'' Yet in the next scene... he has no costume. Nor does he ever get one. Nor is it ever brought up again.
* WolfWhistle: Bullseye does this to Elektra once they meet. Both to address an [[FoeYay attraction towards her]] and to disturb her that her father's murderer, [[spoiler: and about to be her murderer]] is hitting on her.
* WouldHitAGirl: Bullseye does not pull any punches with Elektra. If anything, he takes some sexual pleasure from it.
* YouCanBarelyStand: Daredevil goes to confront Kingpin after taking a beating in his fight with Bullseye. Everett actually tells him this before his fight with Bullseye after his injuries sustained [[spoiler: fighting Elektra]].
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: [[spoiler: While they're fighting, Daredevil tells Elektra that he's innocent, Kingpin had her father killed. Elektra doesn't believe him, until she pulls off his mask, and is soon confronted by the real killer.]]
* YouGotSpunk: Upon defeating Elektra, Bullseye compliments her fighting prowess and goes "You're good, Baby. I'll give you that." [[spoiler:Not enough to not kill her though]].
* YouKilledMyFather:
** [[spoiler:The pre-Kingpin Wilson Fisk killed Daredevil's father whilst he was still an enforcer for Fallow. Matt remains unaware of the Kingpin's involvement until Bullseye reveals the red rose calling card is Fisk's thing.]]
** [[spoiler:Bullesye kills Elektra's father using Daredevil's billy club, and she subsequently believes that it was Daredevil.]]
* ZorroMark: Matt leaves his insignia written on the ground in oil at the scene of one of his fights. It proves very convenient for a reporter being told that there's no proof his "so-called Daredevil" was involved - one thrown cigarette later...
----

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Kingpin at the end. [[spoiler:After initially CurbStompBattle-ing a not-100% Daredevil, Kingpin laments about not being able "to fight you in your prime." However, even a not-100% Daredevil is soon able to cripple Kingpin, leaving the viewer (and probably Kingpin himself) wondering what all the former could've done without his recent injuries.]]

* YouHaveGotToBelieveMe: [[spoiler: While they're fighting, Daredevil tells Elektra that he's innocent, Kingpin had her father killed. Elektra doesn't believe him, until she pulls off his mask, and soon confronted the real killer.]]

'''Previews:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6p_3s0d9TI Trailer]]

* HelloNurse: Foggy and Bullseye both can't help but stare at Elektra when they first see her, Bullseye even giving off a WolfWhistle. Matt has this same reaction when he's able to see her in the rain.

* HateSink: Not our villains, ironically enough. Fisk shows some sense of respect in combat and respects Wesley's loyalty to him. Bullseye is hammy despite how violent he is with even Elektra. Quesada, the rapist who used Kingpin's connections to avoid justice, lacks either of those options that could exempt him from this. He gloats about how the woman he raped "enjoyed" it in a tone that didn't escaped implications with Matt in the courthouse. [[spoiler:His death was mourned by no one.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Downplayed. Fisk is more annoyed than anything when he find Bullseye killed one of his security guards unnecessarily.

** Roscoe "Fixer" Sweeney is renamed Fallon.

* BlessedWithSuck: Matt Murdock's hearing is so potent, he can hear ''everything'' in at least a block radius, which forces him to sleep in a sensory deprivation tank simply to blot out the noise.