The first season of Daredevil took a conflicted hero to church as he tried to balance his calling to protect his neighborhood with the violence he needed to inflict to provide that protection. In fact, Father Lantom (Peter McRobbie) was one of the first characters introduced to viewers, and was the first to interact with Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, in his un-masked adult persona. His spiritual guidance helped Murdock evolve into Daredevil, providing no-nonsense spiritual advice as you would expect in a gritty version of New York City.

But in the second season of Daredevil, Murdock strayed from the church. We only see Lantom providing advice after the funeral for a character that Daredevil had desperately tried to save. Rather than continuing the conversation regarding morality, Murdock went on a path that questioned his loyalties on earth, both in platonic and romantic relationships. But where Daredevil rose to the top at the end of season one, his decisions in season two left him alone, with the death of Elektra and loss of his friendship with Foggy. The end of the second season shows that he is trying to rebuild some of the bridges that were burnt as he focused on The Punisher and The Hand rather than the life of Matt Murdock, however we haven’t yet seen where his conversation with Karen Page (which ended the season) will lead.

Charlie Cox has revealed that when we see Murdock again, in The Defenders, his character will be trying to trying to focus on his non-vigilante life, having seen the ill-effects of Daredevilling. Now that IMDb is populated for most appearances on the series, it appears that his focus may also include seeking penance, because Peter McRobbie is listed to appear in the role of Father Lantom in the first episode of the series.

It has been confirmed that the cast list for Punisher is accurate, so it is safe to assume that the list for The Defenders is accurate, as well. That doesn’t mean that some characters couldn’t be intentionally omitted, for shock value, as Erik LeRay Harvey was in Luke Cage and Vincent D’Onofrio in the second season of Daredevil. McRobbie’s name listed in the premiere episode for The Defenders means that we will see him, though the circumstances are still unknown.

There are many scenarios that may take Murdock back to church, from the death of Elektra to him seeking penance for working with Frank Castle, who frequently crosses a line that Matt has struggled not to cross. Lantom is one character to whom the fallen vigilante is sure to listen, perhaps even the person that encourages him to continue to help the people of New York.

No matter the circumstances, we are excited to see that Father Lantom will be returning in The Defenders when it premieres in it’s entirety on August 18. Until then, what do you think will bring Matt to the church, and what advice do you hope the priest provides to our hero? Let us know, in the comments!

Source: IMDb