It wouldn't be Daredevil without heroes and villains alike withholding pertinent information, right? Everyone in Hell's Kitchen has a secret. Spoilers ahead for Season 2, Episodes 9 - 13. Who is the Blacksmith on Daredevil ? He's behind a lot of crime, but his identity is complicated.
We first hear about this mysterious villain when Frank Castle is in prison. Through Wilson Fisk and Dutton, another prisoner involved in several gangs, the Punisher learned that a figure called "the Blacksmith" was responsible for the massacre that resulted in the deaths of his wife and two children. Later, DA Samantha Reyes reveals that the shootout was part of a sting to capture the Blacksmith, but he never showed. In Episode 11, Frank thinks he's tracked down the drug lord, but it's a false alarm.
In Marvel comics, there is a character called the Blacksmith, but he's an alien — a Skrull. He's also a hero. There is also a character named "Rage" who used the alias "Blacksmith," but he's another good guy. This character seems new, which adds to the mystery. Is Nobu the Blacksmith? Could it be Melvin Potter, the man who created the Daredevil suit and cares most about a lady named Betsy? He is literally a blacksmith, and in the comics, Potter is a villain called the Gladiator.
While at first, these seem like top contenders, the Blacksmith is most likely Colonel Schoonover, with whom Frank served in the military. Though he doesn't say outright that he is the Blacksmith, he admits to setting up what happened the day Frank's family was killed, as revenge for something that happened while they were serving overseas. It's a surprising turn, because the Colonel was a character witness in Castle's trial, and he seemed like a good guy who genuinely liked and respected Frank.
But when Karen goes to investigate Frank's past, she finds a photo of a man who was killed on the ship carrying the Blacksmith's drugs, and then Schoonover admits to turning on Castle. The Colonel kidnaps the budding investigative journalist at gunpoint, and though Frank is able to save Karen, he unfortunately kills the Colonel before we get a full confession or any more answers, just as Karen feared.
Still, I don't think the Blacksmith's saga is over. Even if it was the Colonel, there's definitely more to the story. At the end of Season 2, Frank goes to his old house and retrieves a disc labeled "Micro" from behind a photo of himself and the Colonel in the army, suggesting that Frank knows something we aren't aware of yet. There's also the possibility that the Colonel was just working for or alongside the real Blacksmith, who could reappear in the future. Either way, I doubt Daredevil Season 2 was the last time we'll hear that villain's alias.
Image: Patrick Harbron/Netflix
