Image via Marvel
With season three of Marvel’s Daredevil set to premiere on October 19, the Netflix series has truly pulled out all of the stops. After dropping a whole building on Matt Murdock’s head at the end of Defenders, it looks like the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen has come to a realization during this third season: the only way to fight evil is by being evil. It doesn’t help when series big bad Wilson Fisk ups the ante by introducing a new villain, Benjamin Poindexter, aka Agent Dex, aka Bullseye, to the series.
For fans of the Daredevil comic book series, Bullseye being introduced is a welcome surprise. He’s been one of Daredevil’s adversaries, and one of the few foes who can stand toe-to-toe with the lawyer-turnt-hero. His backstory is shrouded in mystery, but that’s where we come in. For those of you who might not know who the hell Bullseye is, or just need a refresher on why he’s such a threat, we’ve got a quick look at everything you need to know about Bullseye before you start binging season 3 of Marvel’s Daredevil.
He got his nickname from his days as a ballplayer
There isn't much known about the assassin known as Bullseye. He's gone by the names Benjamin Poindexter, Lester, and Leonard, and some origin stories have contained fabrications, many planted by Bullseye himself. True or not, one of the greatest tales is how he got his codename. Word is young Bullseye was a gifted pitcher, who entered minor league baseball instead of pursuing a scholarship to play in college. After getting bored in the midst of pitching a no-hitter, Bullseye was mocked by a player on the opposing team, which lead him to kill said player by throwing a baseball into his head. All he had to say was "bullseye." Cool story, right?
He has no superpowers
That's right, Bullseye just a regular dude. Well, "regular." He might not be superpowered, but Bullseye is dangerous as hell with...damn near anything. He's used everything from knives to playing cards to take out his enemies and targets; any object in his hands can become a lethal weapon. Aside from that, he's also an expert at martial arts.
He's always been a thorn in Daredevil's side
While his first appearance in a comic ever was as "Bulls-Eye" in a 1969 issue of Nick Fury Agent Of SHIELD, Bullseye has been battling Daredevil since Daredevil #131 (March 1976). Their feud started small enough, with Bullseye battling Daredevil in the midst of his budding career as an extortionist. During the last four decades, Bullseye has been hired to kill Daredevil, had his back broken by Daredevil after a many-story fall, stabbed Elektra with a sai, and been killed by Daredevil. Batman and Joker they are not, but this feels like one feud that will continue for years to come.
He's a master impersonator
In the comics, Bullseye has not only suited up as Hawkeye (as a part of Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers squad), but he's even donned the Daredevil costume before. With the real Daredevil suffering from amnesia, Bullseye decided to rock his costume and commit crime (which is similar to what we've seen in the Daredevil season 3 teasers). Bullseye got so deep into his Daredevil portrayal that he actually thought he was Daredevil.
He’s been on-screen before
While Wilson Bethel will be portraying Bullseye on Marvel's Daredevil, he was played by Colin Farrell in the Ben Affleck-starring Daredevil film from 2003. He was without his iconic comic book costume in that film but did have a bullseye brand in his forehead. Similar to what we see in the trailer, film Bullseye used Daredevil's baton for nefarious deeds (read: murder), and developed a vendetta against Daredevil. The film is a notorious mess, sure, but Colin went for it. We’ll see how Bethel stacks up.
