In 2015 ‘Daredevil’ premiered on Netflix, a street-level superhero series in Hell’s Kitchen following the blind full-time lawyer and part-time vigilante, Matt Murdock, an individual with heightened senses. The series was critically acclaimed and lauded by fans, but to the dismay of many, abruptly ended after a stellar third season when Netflix’s rights to the Marvel character ran out. Enriched with a tale of forgiveness, redemption and retribution, ‘Daredevil’ (2018) is often cited as a revolutionary superhero series. Audiences have yearned for the return of Charlie Cox (‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’) as The Man Without Fear since, and their patience has finally found reward. Officially integrated into the world of the MCU, Daredevil returns with a high-stakes, vengeance-fuelled fight against foes of both old and new. But after an exasperating battle against reshoots, rewrites and creative overhauls, how does it hold up to the original?
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ has faced numerous series-killing challenges in the build-up to release. In July 2022 at San Diego Comic-Con, the announcement of a revival series shook a screaming crowd, however in 2023, the SAG-AFTRA writers strikes halted production. Eventually, the original proposed 18-episode length was reworked into 2 Seasons, the first spanning 9 episodes, and the second 8 episodes. In normal circumstances, this production battle should result in an incoherent plot and frustratingly bogged-down mess, one that would leave a permanent stain on the original series, hurting the interpretation of the character forever. But against all odds, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ prevails.
Some may call this divine intervention, others impressive production management. Either way, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ serves as an exceptional successor to Netflix’s original series that treads exciting new ground into the MCU. Matt Murdock’s return as the blind vigilante is simply delightful, oozing with underlying mystery, violence and tense courtroom drama that audiences have dearly craved. The world of ‘Born Again’ feels alive with chaos, rife with corruption, but full of heroes. As if at any given moment, Spider-Man may swing in to save the day, but don’t get your hopes up. Despite not being the first to don the red-horned cowl, with Ben Affleck (‘The Accountant 2’) featuring as the titular character in 2003, Charlie Cox cements himself into the Superhero Hall of Fame in this new series. With sin and vengeance heavy themes throughout, an internal battle with morals and Catholicism proves to be Matt Murdock’s latest battle with his alter ego.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is a relentlessly explosive journey that picks up years later from the Netflix series. Matt Murdock now bares his horns only when necessary, choosing to place his faith in the broken justice system, laying down his billy club and using his prowess as a lawyer to combat crime instead, albeit with varying success. Drawing harrowingly realistic parallels to the modern world, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ features a gripping politically driven storyline laced with crime, as the notorious Kingpin, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), runs for New York City’s mayor and reeks of an eerie familiarity. Grief is no stranger to the superhero lifestyle, but Matt Murdock suffers an agonizing loss that violently shapes his persona for the new series, and as Daredevil falls, the Kingpin rises.
The brilliance of Marvel’s new Disney+ release is found within the ability to serve half as an origin story and half as a sequel series, delivering a recognizable narrative of a criminal uprising orchestrated by a cunning mastermind, yet without becoming a repetitive rehash of the original Netflix series. Unsurprisingly, credit for such intensely rich performances will largely be directed towards Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, who return to their viscerally tense chemistry first established in 2015 with a flawless ease. In fact, similar flowers can be given to all returning characters, continuing their stories with an effortless talent, hurtling viewers back into the unpredictable ferocity of ‘Daredevil’ (2018) within the opening 15 minutes. From Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye to Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson, any screentime for returning cast is easily the highlight of the new release.
Whilst returning characters are pivotal to modern success, the inclusion of new actors infuses a refreshing substance that blissfully separates the series from the original, without sacrificing quality nor tonal consistency. Michael Gandolfini (‘Warfare’) serves as the most notable of this bunch, delivering a conniving and subtly snarky performance as campaign enthusiast Daniel Blade, who rapidly evolves from Wilson Fisk’s admirer to potential protege. Equally, the addition of on-the-street reporter BB Urich (Genneya Walton) adds a realistically raw perspective through interview style segments, capturing the loveable heart of New York as she aims to uncover the Kingpin’s mayoral motivations, as well as connections to her uncle’s, Benjamin Urich’s (Vondie Curtis-Hall), death.
Occupying an unforgiving TV-MA rating, action throughout the Disney+ revival is outrageous and unforgivably violent, boasting a hands-behind-your-face brutality that even the Netflix series was at times absent of. Such sequences come agonizingly close to the adored fight scenes found in ‘Daredevil’, even featuring a similar one-shot style battle within the opening episode, gracefully transferring perspective between hero and villain as they trade blows. This rating also allows narrative twists to hold an incredible weight, with the unhinged breadth of TV-MA used to unexpectedly end episodes on jaw-dropping cliffhangers, guaranteed to leave viewers craving next week’s episode. Following questionable VFX in the opening 2 episodes, latter episodes possess moments of beautiful cinematography and visual tricks that stand as champion compared to other Marvel projects. Furthermore, intemperate mannerisms from Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, or Daredevil and Kingpin, showcase with creative ease how the two are terrifyingly more alike than ever.
Whilst ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is undoubtedly a worthy successor, it isn’t perfect. Writing for certain characters can be lacking at times, such as Matt Murdock’s love interest Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) who lacks a meaningful purpose until later episodes, absent of the narrative depth found within Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Elektra (Elodie Yung). Additionally, the introduction of serial killer, and unsurprisingly villain, Muse is enticing and bold but disappointingly undercooked. Concluding as quickly as it begins, with ‘Born Again’ seemingly much keener on returning to Wilson Fisk. Admittedly this allocates the over-arching story more necessary screentime but culminates right at the height of potential.
The reported creative overhaul will no doubt be a keen topic for discussion, as some reshot episodes feature as a visual whiplash when compared to others. ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ benefits from these decisions far more than it suffers, but certain storylines clearly anticipated a richer depth that was lost when revisited. Pivotal moments from the opening episode, of which footage was reshot for, don’t linger for as long as they should, and whilst emotional moments still succeed, their intensity is handicapped. Up until the latter half of the season, an ‘Andor’ (2022) Esque episodic structure flourishes, before quickly returning to the more typically structured season format to round off Season 1, an apparent consequence of rewrites. However, these faults may only be more noticeable to those with knowledge of the original 18-episode format.
Overall, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is a brilliant continuation of the original series. Packed with its long-admired innovative action and utilizing captivating courtroom drama, it exceeds all expectations and defies the odds, regardless of the production challenges it faced. Season 1 lays fantastic foundations for the future of Daredevil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, largely due to standout episodes 7-9. Given that Season 2 is poised to have consistency through showrunner Dario Scarapane (‘The Punisher’), fans should be eagerly anticipating the possibilities that await in future seasons. Blowing other Marvel television out of the water, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is the MCU’s best series yet.
Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 1 & 2 release on Disney+ March 4 with weekly releases
