After 23 Years, Marvel Keeps on Making One Big Mistake With an Iconic Villain

Many iconic Marvel characters have been adapted to the Marvel Cinematic Universe now, with some having been treated to better iterations on their traditional costumes than others. Matt Murdock’s black homemade costume in the Netflix Daredevil show is a phenomenal adaptation of Frank Miller’s redesign from Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (1993), for example, while no such fortune has fallen on one of Daredevil’s best villains, Bullseye.

Bullseye has had two live-action adaptations: one portrayed by Colin Farrell in Fox’s Daredevil movie, and one portrayed by Wilson Bethel in Netflix’s Daredevil series and the ongoing Disney+ Daredevil: Born Again revival series. Both are entertaining interpretations of the antagonist, yet neither of them has had a superb costume, and this is hopefully a tradition that the MCU will break sooner rather than later.

“I Want a Bloody Costume.”

Colin Farrell’s Bullseye said it best when he lamented the fact that he, unlike Daredevil or Elektra, lacked an actual costume. Unfortunately, there is not much that could feasibly be done to make a Bullseye costume more interesting and have it look unique.

To be fair, Bullseye has arguably never had a compelling costume design. The classic suit from comic book source material is a black-and-white bodysuit with a ‘bullseye’ icon insignia on the forehead of the mask, for reference, and hasn’t been iterated on much at all since the super-villain first appeared in Daredevil #131 (1976).

Daredevil has horns, double-Ds, and bold color choices, if nothing else. Even Elektra has a cool ninja aesthetic, and Punisher can wear a variety of tactical gear with a white skull spray-painted onto it. Bullseye, on the other hand, would be difficult to adapt authentically and still have him be an imposing villain.

Luckily, Bullseye’s biker aesthetic in Daredevil was adequately engrossing on its own and was suitable for the grungy early-2000s era in which the movie was released. As for the MCU’s Bullseye, it did not have the same generational excuse, and it has sadly gone in a polar opposite direction artistically.

Will MCU’s Bullseye Graduate from Balaclavas?

Live-action Bullseye costumes peaked with Bullseye’s debut in Netflix’s original Daredevil series, where Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter wore Matt Murdock’s Daredevil costume and impersonated the vigilante to vilify him as a murderous figure. If Dex had kept it, removed the horns, and painted it black, it could have become a terrific Bullseye suit in the series.

Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again has had barely any substantial marketing. In what little has been shown, though, it seems as if Bullseye will continue to be a menacing threat whose skills with improvisational projectiles are as creative as they are lethal. Sadly, no matter how thrilling and wicked Bullseye’s kills are, he may forever be doomed to wear a costume that is not nearly as exceptional or impressive as he is.

As it stands, Daredevil: Born Again’s Bullseye costume is an unappealing and unremarkable blue bodysuit, with the only other color being a splash of brown/orange via weapon holster accents. It would not be out of the realm of possibility at all for Bullseye to ‘earn’ a brand-new costume by the end of Daredevil: Born Again’s upcoming second season, which would be a huge relief.

There is presently no confirmation that Bullseye’s costume curse will be broken. Colin Farrell’s Bullseye never got his costume, but it is not too late for Wilson Bethel’s to get his.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is scheduled to be released on Disney+ on March 24.

Release Date March 4, 2025

Network Disney+

Showrunner Dario Scardapane

Directors Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson, David Boyd, Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Writers Jesse Wigutow, Jill Blankenship, Thomas Wong, David Feige, Grainne Godfree