Daredevil: “We took a lot of inspiration from Army of Shadows for season 2”

Showrunner Dario Scardapane claims the influence of Jean-Pierre Melville’s film for this second season which will talk about resistance in the face of a nauseating and all-powerful political power. Interview.

PREMIERE: If the first season was sometimes struggling to find its feet, we have the feeling that this season 2 has found its identity…
Dario Scardapane: That’s absolutely true. Particularly because the first season was based on a first draft. We had existing images from a first version that we had to reuse. We had to imagine a second version by remixing old and new ideas. For this season 2, we were able to compose on a blank page. We were able to do exactly everything we wanted (within reason). This gives a more homogeneous, more complete plot, I feel.

The theme is a bit like almighty Wilson Fisk, right?
Dario Scardapane: Absolutely (laughs). It’s a funny way of looking at things. Let’s say we showed the villain’s rise in season 1 and in season 2 he’s sitting on the roof of the city! It is a mayor who makes the law. And besides, we saw the plot as a story of David against Goliath. And that has a lot to do with the incarnation of Vincent D’Onofrio. There are few characters who could take this part of the plot on their shoulders in this way. He exudes a form of seriousness, a devouring appetite which adds to a totally badass criminal attitude. He exudes such strength. Yes, Almighty Fisk, I really like it!
Sana Amanat (producer): And then it’s pretty great to be able to feature a villain who is part of the system and a hero who has to fight underground. It enriches the issues of season 2.

Did you also have in mind the desire to write a more political series? Who explores the dangers and excesses of populist power?
Dario Scardapane: It’s great that you, from France, asked me this question! Because the biggest influence behind this season of Daredevil was Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows (1969), which showed virtuous resistance in the face of an unjust regime. We thus explored these examples of resistance throughout History: the French Resistance, but also the resistance in Spain to the Franco regime, that of Chile against Pinochet… These are unfortunately models that we find here and there in the past. And from these models, we constructed our own story of American resistance, facing the rise of an autocrat.

Wilson Fisk asserts his power with an arbitrary task force that seems to act above the law. To the point that this season echoes certain current American realities with ICE. Was this intentional?
Dario Scardapane: I would have had to be a soothsayer for that to be intentional! Because we imagined this anti-vigilante task force years ago! We already found it in comics about ten years ago. And we shot all this over a year ago. So before all these events that we are currently seeing on the news. I admit that I don’t really know what to think about it, honestly. Seeing something you thought was entertainment actually happening like this is very unsettling.

So there is no message to read between the lines of this season 2?
Dario Scardapane: Everyone will see things in their own way, but there is not really an intentional message behind this season 2.
Sana Amanat: I would say that we deliberately emphasize an everyday hero, who has particular talents and who uses them for the common good, and who surrounds himself with people who see things the way he does.

How did you manage the integration of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) into the season?
Dario Scardapane: In a society that now hunts down its superheroes, how will Jessica react? We had a lot of fun answering this question, I must say. Having him in this gallery of characters is a treat. When she finally shows up, in the second half of the season, it really is the peak of season 2! In any case, that was the case for me when writing, and I hope that it will also be the case for the spectators.

Daredevil, season 2, to watch on Disney + from March 25, 2026