Matt Murdock should have lost that fight.
By the time Charlie Cox’s battered vigilante stumbles into the now-famous hallway sequence in Season 1, Episode 2 of “Daredevil,” he’s exhausted, injured, and barely standing. Every punch hurts. Every step feels heavier than the last. Yet somehow he keeps moving forward, dragging himself through a corridor of Russian mobsters in a desperate attempt to rescue a kidnapped boy. More than a decade later, the sequence remains one of the defining action scenes in modern television.
As “Daredevil: Born Again” enters its second season on Disney+, the franchise continues to build on the foundation established during the show’s original Netflix run. Charlie Cox returns as Matt Murdock alongside Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, while Season 2 expands the world with the return of Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones and further develops Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye, whose memorable turn from villain to reluctant antihero fuels some of the season’s standout action sequences.
The continued success of Daredevil owes a great deal to its action design. While many superhero projects chase scale, “Daredevil” built its reputation on something more personal. The fights hurt. The characters get tired. Violence has consequences. As action director and second unit director Philip J. Silvera explained, “It’s never just talking about punches and kicks. It’s more like what is the emotional rollercoaster ride that we want to show in the scene?”
That philosophy helped define the original Netflix series and ultimately reshape expectations for superhero action on television. The hallway fight from Season 1 was only the beginning. Over the course of three seasons, the series delivered a succession of ambitious long-take sequences, prison escapes, stairwell battles, and brutal hand-to-hand confrontations that emphasized character as much as choreography. At a time when television action often relied on quick cuts and limited scope, “Daredevil” demonstrated that small-screen superhero storytelling could rival feature films in both scale and execution.
A key architect of that evolution was Silvera, who helped shape many of the franchise’s most memorable sequences across its original run. His return to “Born Again” carried additional significance following the series’ highly publicized creative overhaul, when Marvel Studios paused production and retooled the show in an effort to reconnect it with the tone and serialized storytelling that made the Netflix era resonate with audiences. According to Silvera, the goal was never to simply recreate what came before. It was to continue evolving the action language of the franchise while remaining true to the DNA that made Daredevil unique.
That evolution is evident throughout Season 2. Whether it’s the subjective camera work used in the season’s ambitious long-take sequence, the horror-inspired brutality of Fisk’s most violent moments, Bullseye’s unsettling precision, or the challenge of integrating characters like Jessica Jones into a grounded street-level world, Silvera approaches every sequence through the lens of character first. The result is action that continues to push the franchise forward while remaining unmistakably Daredevil.
Awards Focus recently spoke with Silvera about returning to the franchise following the creative overhaul, collaborating with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, designing action as an extension of character, the legacy of the hallway fights, building feature-level sequences on a television schedule, and why stunt performance is finally beginning to receive the recognition it deserves.
Awards Focus: Before working on the series, did you already have a connection to Daredevil as a character?
Philip J. Silvera: There were two characters growing up in the comic books, both in the DC and Marvel world, and Daredevil and another character were probably my favorite. That street-level gritty character, that more realistic version of what people could be, I think was something I gravitated towards in the graphic novels.
AF: When “Daredevil” transitioned from Netflix to Disney+, one of the biggest concerns among fans was whether the grounded, brutal realism of the action would survive that move. Then the series underwent a major creative overhaul and you eventually returned. What were those conversations like?
Silvera: First of all, I think a lot of it started with Drew Goddard and Steven DeKnight back in Season 1. There was a very crime noir, “French Connection” tone and street-level tone, which was up my alley of things I had done up to that point in my career.
That realism, combined with the comic book flair of Daredevil, was something I was very excited to lean into in the early phases of the show.
AF: Was there a sense internally that audiences were specifically looking for a return to that Netflix-era tone?
Silvera: When I came back for the creative overhaul, I think the thing that Dario and Sana, Brad and Marvel currently wanted to do was lean back into that grit of the old Netflix era. There was never any question of whether we were going to keep going in that direction. I’m talking about post-creative overhaul. Whatever the show was before that, I’m not one hundred percent sure.
That being said, when I got the call to return, it was to continue in that direction and find the evolution of that world.
AF: You’ve worked with Charlie Cox on and off for nearly a decade now. How collaborative is the process between the writers, actors, stunt team, and directors when building an action sequence?
Silvera: This show has always been one of the most collaborative shows I’ve ever been part of, especially now in its current iteration.
Because it has so much rich history from both my involvement and my relationship with the actors, there is a base from which I design the sequences. The writers, especially Dario and Sana, have a great direction they always want to take the world in. Then I have a history with the actors where I understand how to bridge those early conversations from writing form to action form.
I have dialogue with the actors about the emotional rollercoaster we want to take them on physically. Then we go into a stunt-vis process, which becomes my storyboards and eventually my shoot process.
Charlie and I have in-depth conversations about physical performance, emotional performance, and camera language. It’s not just Charlie either. It’s Vincent, it’s Jon Bernthal, and now Wilson Bethel.
AF: You mentioned emotional performance. How often are those conversations less about choreography and more about what a character is experiencing in the moment?
Silvera: It’s never just talking about punches and kicks. It’s more like, what is the emotional rollercoaster ride that we want to show in the scene? What is the physicality of the nonverbal dialogue?
One of the things Charlie and I talk about all the time is how Matt is feeling in that moment. Is he tired? Is he angry? Is he focused? Is he scared? Is he trying to protect someone?
All of those things affect the way he moves. Action becomes another form of storytelling. It’s another form of dialogue.
AF: Each character has such a distinct fighting style and physical presence. What are some of the subtler things viewers may not notice that help distinguish those characters from one another?
Silvera: Those are many of the things we always keep in mind.
We want to lean into our actors’ strengths. There are certain things that, as they’ve played these characters longer, have developed naturally. When Daredevil was younger, he was a little more headlong into situations. Now he’s a little more grounded in his weight when he arrives.
With Vincent D’Onofrio’s character, there’s always been this calm, collected coolness. Then you pry underneath that and he goes into full rage. Do we lean deeper into it? Have the hits become heavier? It all depends on the moment.
What’s unique about each character is we understand the box. There are rules we use as a base. Then we figure out how to break that box and break those rules for each individual character.
AF: Season 2 expands the roster with returning characters like Jessica Jones while also giving Bullseye some of his most memorable material. How much coordination happens with visual effects when you’re dealing with enhanced abilities or weapon-based combat?
Silvera: A tremendous amount.
Part of the stunt-vis process is working with a VFX house I’ve collaborated with for years, Sandbox Action Design. We put in temporary visual effects that eventually translate into final VFX.
With Bullseye specifically, we have conversations very early on about how blades travel through a shot, what the camera language is, and how each weapon behaves. That way, by the time we get to the shoot day, everyone understands exactly how the sequence is meant to function.
It’s the same thing with Jessica Jones. I’ve worked with Action Factory’s rigging team for years. If we’re making someone jump through the air or use a super-powered punch, it’s all about collaboration between stunts, visual effects, and rigging. We’re constantly trying to find a grounded version of these extraordinary characters.
AF: The hallway fights have become synonymous with Daredevil. Do you ever feel like you’re competing with your own legacy when audiences immediately compare every new sequence to those earlier ones?
Silvera: I’ve been asked that question a lot. My response is always that I care about what physical story we’re telling in this moment. In Season 1, we had a pure one-shot that helped establish the tone of the show. We lived in the choreography and got this exhausted, realistic look from Daredevil. Season 2 was a stitched sequence between multiple locations and explored Matt’s morality against Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. Season 3 had another incredible one-shot done by Gary Stearns and Don Lee. This season was different. The thing I’ve always said is that it’s never about outdoing what we’ve done before. It’s about telling this specific story. Charlie Cox didn’t come into this sequence with a crutch. He came in with a very clear mission. He wasn’t exhausted. He wasn’t tired. So the camera language had to be different. It became much more subjective. You’re on his shoulder rather than observing him from a distance.
AF: That’s interesting because the original hallway fight is remembered as much for Matt’s exhaustion as the choreography itself.
Silvera: Exactly. The Season 1 hallway sequence worked because Matt was beaten up. He was running on fumes. You were watching someone push through impossible odds. This season, Matt is in a completely different emotional and physical place. The camera had to reflect that. The action had to reflect that. Every season, every sequence, every moment should be driven by where the character is emotionally. That’s always been the guiding principle.
AF: One of the most memorable sequences this season involves Fisk unleashing his rage in the Finale. What was your approach to building that scene?
Silvera: That scene took about three days to prep and I directed it in one night. Emotionally, what was unique was that audiences know Fisk is dangerous. We’ve watched him for years. But the people in that room don’t know what he’s capable of. For them, it becomes a horror movie.
AF: That’s a fascinating distinction because it almost stops being a superhero scene at that point.
Silvera: Exactly. The tone right from the beginning was to show these protesters realizing they’re trapped in a room with someone truly terrifying. It becomes a full horror film. A lot of that comes from camera language. We want to make him feel large and imposing. We look up at him. We make sure he’s dominating the frame. We cast stunt performers who aren’t as large as Vincent. But the truth is Vincent is a very big individual. His presence is powerful.
AF: Fisk has become almost mythological over the years. How much of your job is preserving that aura versus simply staging a fight sequence?
Silvera: Every strike he threw, we wanted it to feel like you were trapped in a room with Darth Vader. That’s really what we were trying to create. There’s a presence to Vincent that you can’t manufacture. A lot of our work becomes finding ways to support what he naturally brings to the role. We know audiences understand Fisk is dangerous. The challenge is finding new ways to make them feel that danger again.
AF: You wear several hats on the show as an action director, second unit director, and stunt coordinator. Does having that level of involvement help you execute the action the way you envision it?
Silvera: Absolutely. For me, it’s always about designing and building a world. If I’m involved from the very beginning, I can help establish the tone of the body language, the camera movement, and the visual effects support. It’s a lot to do, but it allows for a very clear vision. I think it’s been one of the most joyful creative experiences of my career.
AF: Looking ahead, are there any Daredevil characters you’d love the opportunity to bring into this world?
Silvera: I’d love to see Team Red happen. Deadpool and Daredevil together would be a lot of fun. I helped develop and bring Deadpool to life with Tim Miller years ago while I was doing “Daredevil” Season 1. The juxtaposition between those characters is something I would love to explore.
AF: Stunt work is finally receiving more recognition than it used to. What does great stunt storytelling look like to you?
Silvera: Stunts are first and foremost about safety. It’s about taking an impossible gag and making it safe on camera. But beyond that, stunts are action design. They’re a form of dialogue that doesn’t always use words to help enhance character and story. For me, the best action sequences are the ones where you understand exactly what a character is going through emotionally without anyone saying a word. If you can watch a scene and understand fear, desperation, confidence, rage, or triumph purely through movement and physical performance, then you’re doing something right.
AF: It sounds like you’re describing action as acting rather than simply choreography.
Silvera: Absolutely. That’s exactly what it is. It’s performance. The choreography is important, but it’s really the emotional intention behind it that matters. Anybody can throw a punch. The question is why are they throwing that punch? What are they feeling? What are they trying to accomplish? That’s where action becomes storytelling rather than just spectacle.
It’s bittersweet that stunt work is finally getting this level of recognition because so many people laid the groundwork for years before that acknowledgment arrived. Look at someone like Jackie Chan. The way he used physical storytelling for comedy, action, and emotion was incredible. He was a physical actor who happened to perform stunts. That’s a perfect example of how movement itself can become storytelling. There are so many stunt performers, coordinators, and second unit directors who helped elevate the craft long before people started talking about recognizing it at this level.
AF: I’ll close with this. For people who still point to that original hallway fight and say that’s where the series peaked, what do you hope they take away from what “Daredevil: Born Again” is doing today?
Silvera: I think it’s exactly what you said. It’s action storytelling. It’s understanding that action isn’t just about people risking their lives. It’s about driving emotion. It’s about finding those moments that make an audience feel fear, pain, joy, triumph, or heartbreak. What is the emotional hook that draws you into the scene? Sometimes it’s victory. Sometimes it’s loss. Sometimes it’s simply watching someone push through impossible odds. Those are the things I hope audiences continue to take away from the series.