Daredevil
The master assassin has been reinvented for the better.
Updated:
Oct 26, 2018 11:12 pm
Posted:
Oct 25, 2018 1:00 pm
Bullseye’s backstory has never been given much attention because Marvel seemingly enjoys the mystique of the character having an ever-changing, unknowable origin, not unlike the Joker over at DC Comics. The one time comic fans thought they were finally getting Bullseye’s full origin -- 2004’s Bullseye: Greatest Hits -- it turned out Bullseye himself was purposely telling lies about his beginnings. And given his penchant for using different aliases like Lester, Leonard, and Benjamin Poindexter, it’s impossible to even be sure of his real name. This aspect has worked well for the character over the years, but much like The Killing Joke brought a whole new level of substance to the Joker, the latest season of Daredevil has shown that maybe having an origin story isn’t so bad.
Season 3 finds the man who would become Bullseye as Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter, a military sniper turned FBI agent with sociopathic tendencies. We’re shown in intimate detail how he had a tragic childhood due to his rage and that he developed his fair share of unhealthy behaviors as an adult, yet it’s clear he was trying his best to embrace the lessons imparted on him by his dearly departed therapist to suppress his violent urges. But then Wilson Fisk happened. Thanks to the Kingpin’s meddling, Dex’s already shaky mental well-being being was completely shattered, turning him from a creepy-yet-productive member of society into a killing machine.By showing the steps (and missteps) Dex took to become Bullseye, the character has been given a layered, complicated new spin that adds a sense of empathy that was never present in the comics. That one key element has “leveled up” Bullseye to a more nuanced kind of villain, one interesting for reasons beyond the (really cool) gimmick he uses to kill people.
When Daredevil fights Bullseye in the comics, the reader is rarely, if ever, given reason to care about him. Yet in the show, even after committing numerous murders in service of Kingpin, we’re asked to care about Dex, the man, as we’re shown the trauma plaguing his mind in the form of an intense, building musical cue that drowns out all other sound save for a cacophony of voices that cut to the core of his insecurities. He deserves no sympathy for the killings he carried out with a smile on his face, but it’s hard not to feel something for this creature in pain. Perhaps it’s only pity, but at least it’s something. The story never lets you forget how Dex almost found his new “north star” in Julie, and he was this close from getting back on the right path, but thanks to the intimate details found in Dex’s file from childhood, Kingpin knew just how to manipulate Dex and fashion himself as his new, corrupt moral compass. One could even look at Dex as a victim who was pushed to succumb to the violent behaviors he spent his life trying to control. The audience sees how this troubled soul was led astray, making Bullseye more of a tragic Darth Vader-type character turned to the Dark Side than just a madman who kills for money.Marvel Comics have a tendency to embrace what’s popular in its movie and TV show adaptations -- it was no surprise when comics-Daredevil started wearing a black costume with hand-wraps after the success of Season 1 -- so it wouldn’t be a surprise if this fresh take on Bullseye eventually finds its way to the printed page. After all, Season 3 of Daredevil is a game-changer for the character, so why not embrace it?
Be sure to check out our full review of Daredevil: Season 3.Joshua is Senior Editor of IGN Comics. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.In This Article
Marvel's Daredevil
Netflix
