Before I begin to analyze this image you are looking at thoroughly, I wanted to provide some background context to it - specifically, this image has been edited from its original version. The first version was a promotional poster for the second season of Netflix and Marvel’s Daredevil, created for a 2016 Emmy award nomination campaign featuring the tagline “Dare to Consider.” What you are looking at now has been edited by a friend of mine as part of the #SaveDaredevil fan campaign, which hopes to bring the show back from being unceremoniously cancelled in 2018 by Netflix.
With this in mind, seeing this image brings a combined sensation of joy and pain for me. Daredevil is my favorite superhero, my favorite show, and my favorite screen property in the entire MCU. I’ve been a loyal fan of the show’s characters, actors, stories, and filmmaking since seeing it begin in 2015 (almost 5 years ago). Throughout that time, it inspired me to be a better content creator (filmmaker/writer) as well as a better performer (actor/voice actor), and it helped me overcome difficult days in my life as an entertaining escape - so learning the news of it ending only after 3 seasons genuinely broke my heart. All of this info resurfaces to my mind when I look at this poster, along with a feeling of hope that the campaign it promotes will succeed in its mission.
An inventory of this image would be rather simple. The photo underneath is an extreme close up of Charlie Cox in full Daredevil attire - a red and black plastic mask with horns, and a suit of plastic texture - looking directly at the camera (which is unusual considering Daredevil’s character is actually blind.) Behind him is a burgundy backdrop matching the color of his costume. Aside from that, the white text saying, “Dare to Consider,” and the #savedaredevil campaign logo were added over top of the photographed image. However, an analysis of the historical and cultural connections both versions of this image have, and its technical transformation from the original to this new edition add more significance to it.
Both editions of this image were created for the purpose of PR for event campaigns: the original image highlighted the official creative team’s Emmy campaign, while this iteration focuses on the fan-ran initiative for reviving the show from the chopping block. Because this image was repurposed, this photo of Charlie Cox is now synonymous with celebrating the success of the show and raising awareness for how underappreciated it is by the corporate world.
Additionally, editing this poster would, like the image itself, be rather simple. After finding the original photo of Daredevil actor Charlie Cox in full costume used for this poster without the show branding and “Dare to Consider” text, all that would have to be done is find the “Dare to Consider” font to keep this new image consistent with its original source, write the “Dare to Save” message in place of the old one, and plop the Save Daredevil logo at the bottom. Unfortunately, the original photo was never released to the public. In order to create the new image, the “Dare to Consider” text not only had to be photoshopped out, but the mask underneath it had to be digitally reconstructed using colors and textures from reference images. This kind of editing work takes a lot of time and precision in order to perfect, and I commend my friend for doing such a clean job with it.
Factoring those other elements back into my own personal attachment to this image only enhances my appreciation for it more. It may be simplistic in terms of its composition, but the profound impact it has on its target audience - including me - makes it stand out from some of the more complex promotional content created throughout the show’s extensive marketing work. For viewers of the image beyond that intended demographic, the message still remains clear: “Dare to Consider” whether or not they can help #SaveDaredevil.
(The original image from 2016 for context is below.)
***UPDATE: This image was officially shared/endorsed by the #SaveDaredevil campaign***
(See image below)
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