Where to watch Marvel's Daredevil today
The series began life on Netflix, but in the US it has since moved to Disney Plus, where all 3 seasons and 39 episodes sit together. That is good news for anyone planning a full run, because Daredevil: Born Again streams on the same service and picks up the story years later.
Outside the US, availability varies by country. Many regions list the show on Disney Plus as well, but catalogs change, so check the watch box on this page for the services where you live.
How many seasons of Daredevil are there?
Marvel's Daredevil has 3 seasons, all with 13 episodes each, for 39 in total. Each season has its own shape. The first is an origin story and a slow war with Wilson Fisk. The second splits its time between two new arrivals, Frank Castle and Elektra. The third goes back to Fisk and is often named by fans as the strongest of the three.
Born Again adds 2 more seasons on top, so the full Matt Murdock saga on Disney Plus is 5 seasons long if you count both shows.
Where Marvel's Daredevil fits in the watch order
The series premiered in April 2015 and opened the street-level side of Marvel TV, a set of shows that later met in The Defenders. The only movie it leans on is The Avengers, and only in the background: Hell's Kitchen is still rebuilding after the Battle of New York, and a lot of shady money is flowing into that recovery.
On our timeline it comes after Ant-Man, with which it shares no plot, and just before Marvel's Jessica Jones. The whole Netflix block sits between Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War. A practical plan for that block looks like this:
- Daredevil seasons 1 and 2
- Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist (first seasons)
- The Defenders, the team-up miniseries
- The Punisher season 1
- Daredevil season 3, then the remaining second and third seasons
Our Marvel Netflix shows in order guide has the exact season-by-season sequence if you want every detail.
Should you watch Punisher or Daredevil first?
Daredevil first, without question. Frank Castle makes his debut in Daredevil season 2, and that is where you learn who he is and why he fights the way he does. The Punisher then takes him into his own two seasons. Starting with the spin-off would mean meeting Frank after his most important introduction has already happened.
What the series is about (no spoilers)
Matt Murdock lost his sight as a child in an accident that sharpened every other sense far beyond normal. By day he and his best friend, Foggy Nelson, run a tiny law firm that takes clients nobody else will. By night Matt puts on a black mask and goes after the people the law cannot touch.
His biggest problem is a man most of the city has never heard of. Wilson Fisk is quietly buying up Hell's Kitchen, and he sees himself as its savior rather than its criminal. The show is brutal, slow-burning and grounded, famous for its hallway fight scenes and for a villain who gets as much depth as the hero.
Is it essential?
On our list it is recommended rather than essential, since none of the Avengers movies depend on it. It matters more than ever, though. Matt and Fisk carried their stories into Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye, Echo and Born Again, and the revival continues this exact version of their rivalry. Kingpin in particular is hard to appreciate without his first season here.
Cast and characters
Drew Goddard created the series. Charlie Cox plays Matt Murdock, and he makes the character's Catholic guilt and stubborn decency feel lived in. Deborah Ann Woll is Karen Page, a legal secretary who gets dragged into dangerous territory, and Elden Henson is Foggy, the show's warm, funny conscience. Vincent D'Onofrio plays Wilson Fisk. Royce Johnson is Sgt. Brett Mahoney, a cop Matt can sort of trust, and Geoffrey Cantor plays newspaper editor Mitchell Ellison.
Runtime and a realistic viewing plan
Episodes run about 55 minutes, so the full series takes around 36 hours. At two episodes a night that is roughly three weeks, or one season per week if you binge on weekends. To place it among every other Marvel series, including the Disney Plus shows, see our Marvel TV shows in order list.
