Daredevil season 2 took fans by storm this past weekend. While it was nice to reunite with our favorite avocados at law, the introductions of the Punisher and Elektra helped take the series to another level (Daredevil being in his full costume for more than three minutes didn’t hurt either).

However, before Marvel and Netflix took the reins of the Man Without Fear, he was still a property of 20th Century Fox. After the 2003 Ben Affleck film received neither the critical nor box office success they were hoping for (I STILL maintain the director’s cut is still a watchable movie), Joe Carnahan stepped in to attempt a different take on the character. The above video shows his vision. Even though this sizzle reel was released roughly three years ago, it recently resurfaced online and it deserves a second look to see what our current “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” might have looked like.

Mixing in footage from the Affleck movie, Frank Miller comic book pages, and what looks like ’70s film footage, Carnahan created a sizzle reel that gave our hero a dark and gritty feel, just the like movies of that time period. Had his version been greenlit, it would have been a trilogy of films taking place in the ’70s and early 80s, with each film serving as a commentary on the time period. The movies would also have gone for a hard R-rating, so the grittiness of the film wouldn’t seem disingenuous. However, the movie was not approved in time and Marvel won the rights to the character back, bringing us the TV show we have today.

So what do you think? Is Joe Carnahan’s vision the Daredevil you would like to have seen, or did Netflix get it right? Let me know on Twitter or sound off in the comments below.

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HT: ComicBook.Com

IMAGE: 20th Century Fox/Marvel