Marvel and Netflix just released a brand-new trailer for their collaborative Daredevil TV show (you can watch the clip on Youtube) and it’s now official: our vague curiosity for what this series would look like has grown into full-on excitement. Here are a few particularly awesome aspects of the trailer to wrap your head around.

First of all, the trailer is so dark at times you almost can’t see. And that’s probably the point, from a purely visual standpoint. From the look of things, the creative team behind Daredevil have decided to offer up an experience that, to the little extent possible, puts us in the hero’s shoes. He can’t see, so why should we? But of course, it’s not literally that dark. It’s more of a prevailing mood, which speaks to much more than the visual. As mentioned in an article at Screenrant, Marvel’s chief creative officer described this show as introducing the “street level noir side” of the Marvel universe, and that’s more or less what the tone of the trailer is getting at. This is dark, twisted stuff, closer to Sin City or The Dark Knight than Iron Man or The Avengers. And that’s a nice change of pace from Marvel.

Second, the focus on Kingpin (a traditional Daredevil villain played by Law & Order veteran Vincent D’Onofrio) is satisfying. Like other great comic series, Daredevil relies largely on an engaging surrounding cast. And yet due to the failure of the previous cinematic adaptation to help the series into the 21st century, many of those characters are forgotten. Comic fans will know them, sure. And actually, the best ones are featured in a popular online game you can view/play here. In the game, characters like Bullseye, Elektra, and Kingpin take the place of ordinary tabs on a slot machine, keeping alive some of the crucial personae of the comics. And yet, many now think of Daredevil as a sort of standalone hero waiting to be pulled into the Marvel universe. It’s nice to see that Marvel and Netflix appear to be taking a broad approach, perhaps with as much focus on Kingpin as on the titular hero. Rumours differ as to whether or not Bullseye will also be part of the show, though Elektra apparently will not be.

Finally, there’s the fact that the trailer is absolutely littered with vigilante-speak, and nothing makes for better superhero plot lines than vigilante action. Naturally this walks hand-in-hand with the general darkness mentioned previously, as well as with the vibe of the old comics. Even the aforementioned game conveys a dark, sinister atmosphere that is meant to surround Daredevil. And the trailer displays, time and time again, that this overarching mood is not only going to decide the atmosphere, but also the plot and character relations.

“Sometimes the difference between the two is a sharp line. Sometimes it’s a blur. Sometimes we have to do things outside the law,” Matt Murdock said with regard to good and evil; “I have to be the man this city needs,” he declared later, echoing Batman-ish sentiments; “the lone man who thinks he can make a difference,” Kingpin muttered later on, presumably describing Daredevil. Even months ago, before the new trailer, the very first image we saw of the new Daredevil had “vigilante” written all over it – a dark figure with a blindfold, crouching on a rooftop. Now, we’re not saying this is particularly unique. Pretty much every superhero can be labeled a vigilante. But it’s nice to see them embrace the darker side of what that actually means.

All this considered, Daredevil actually looks like a pretty bold new step for a Marvel Empire that’s dipping increasingly into comedy with its blockbuster cinema heroes. It’ll be nice to see things get dark again, and this 13-episode series can’t hit Netflix fast enough!