Wilson Bethel Explains Why Bullseye Doesn’t Need Martial Arts Training for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

Bullseye has always been one of the more unusual threats in Marvel’s street-level corner, relying less on traditional superhero abilities and more on an almost absurd mastery of precision, timing and improvisation. That makes Wilson Bethel’s approach to the character particularly interesting as ‘Daredevil: Born Again‘ continues expanding Benjamin Poindexter’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Bethel’s portrayal of Bullseye has increasingly emphasized what separates Poindexter from characters such as Daredevil, whose combat style is built around years of close-quarters fighting. Disney’s official character guide describes Poindexter as a former FBI agent who becomes the deadly assassin Bullseye, while the second season places him back in the middle of the conflict surrounding Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock.

That distinction came into focus during Bethel’s recent appearance at Soda City Comic Con, where the actor was asked whether playing Bullseye required him to train in martial arts. The convention’s official schedule confirms that Bethel participated in panels during the event, including a session specifically focused on his career and his work on Marvel’s street-level characters.

Bethel’s answer, was characteristically blunt: “I am not Shang Chi. I don’t need to know Kung Fu. What I need to know is how to throw things.” The remark neatly captures the fundamental difference between Bullseye and a conventional martial-arts-based Marvel fighter, while also highlighting the particular physical skill Bethel has had to develop for the role.

For Bullseye, virtually anything can become a weapon, and that changes the physical demands of the character considerably. Rather than requiring Bethel to portray an expert in a specific martial-arts discipline, the performance depends heavily on making Poindexter’s ability to turn ordinary objects into projectiles feel instantaneous, controlled and frighteningly accurate.

That philosophy has already translated into some of the character’s most memorable action sequences. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bethel discussed the elaborate diner fight in Season 2, explaining that the sequence involved roughly 80 different setups and was filmed in a single day. He also performed most of his own stunts for the sequence, with the production aiming to give Bullseye what Bethel described as a particularly murderous swagger.

The approach makes sense for a character whose combat identity is fundamentally different from that of Daredevil. While Matt Murdock’s fighting frequently revolves around hand-to-hand exchanges, Bullseye’s danger comes from his ability to identify an object, calculate its trajectory and use it lethally before an opponent has time to react.

That distinction has become even more important as Bethel’s role has expanded. Disney’s Season 2 material places Bullseye directly within the show’s central conflict, while the episode listings specifically highlight his involvement in episodes including ‘Gloves Off’ and ‘The Grand Design.’

Bethel’s comments also fit with how he has discussed returning to the character more broadly. In a separate interview with The Brandon Davis Show, the actor spoke extensively about his Season 2 experience, including the diner sequence, Bullseye’s relationship with Daredevil and the physical demands of playing the character.

The actor’s preparation therefore appears to be less about becoming a traditional martial artist and more about mastering the specific movement vocabulary that makes Bullseye recognizable. Throwing, timing, body control and stunt choreography become the essential tools, allowing the character to remain dangerous without simply turning him into another version of Daredevil.

That distinction is especially useful for ‘Daredevil: Born Again,’ which has continued to build its action around the individual identities of its street-level characters. The series’ second season returned Bullseye to the story alongside Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, with Disney positioning Poindexter as a character whose next direction remains deliberately uncertain.

Bethel’s comments are also a reminder that Bullseye does not need to win a conventional fistfight to dominate a scene. His greatest advantage is that the environment itself can become part of his arsenal, giving filmmakers considerably more freedom when designing action sequences around him.

That flexibility could prove increasingly valuable as Marvel continues developing the character. ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ has already given Bethel more opportunities to showcase Bullseye’s particular brand of controlled chaos, and his comments suggest that the performance is built around a very specific understanding of what makes Poindexter dangerous.

For fans, the distinction also explains why Bullseye’s action scenes can feel so different from the series’ other fights. He doesn’t need to move like a martial-arts master when almost anything within reach can become a weapon, and Bethel’s own description of the role makes that philosophy sound considerably more entertaining than simply learning another fighting style.

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