This review pertains to the entire first season of Daredevil: Born Again.
This is exactly what Disney should have been doing with its streaming service from the beginning. The choice to flood Disney+ with series like Agatha All Along and Secret Invasion only worked to damage the MCU’s already struggling reputation. Charlie Cox’s iteration of The Man Without Fear was met with universal praise during its three season run on Netflix, and Disney’s choice to keep Cox in that role was a smart one. Born Again is undeniably different from its predecessor, but maintains enough of what made that series great to feel like a welcomed return.
The plot
Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) attempts to put his vigilante days behind him, choosing instead to focus on his law practice. However, Murdock finds that leaving the past in the past is difficult, especially when his old foe Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) announces that he’ll be running for Mayor.
Daredevil: Born Again review
This is a day that Marvel fans have been waiting for. Despite a lousy live-action attempt starring Ben Affleck in 2003, the character has maintained a level of popularity and recognition that’s impressive considering his absence from the Avengers films. Anticipation for Murdock’s return has been building since his memorable declaration of “I’m a really good lawyer” in Spider-Man: No Way Home. His brief, yet impressive acrobatic displays in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Echo promised that the new series would deliver hand-to-hand action on a level that we’d not yet seen from an MCU series. That’s a promise that was kept.
Concerns over whether Disney would tone down the series to fit under its more family friendly umbrella of content were valid, but can be put to rest at this time. As they proved with Deadpool & Wolverine, they’re willing to dip their toes into R-rated territory for the right characters. Daredevil: Born Again isn’t as savage or brutal as its predecessor, but it takes its violence to levels far exceeding what we’ve seen on the streamer thus far. Spattered blood, protruding bones and the occasional mutilation are all here, ensuring that viewers know the series is intended for mature audiences.
Like a blend of the old and the new, Born Again feels like its own fresh take on the character while still maintaining core elements of what came before. Many characters and actors return, but visually it’s distinctly different. Its depictions are brighter and more vibrant, leaning away from the strikingly darker imagery of the Netflix series. Tonally, the two iterations are similar.
Themes of redemption and purpose are at its core, but it allows its characters and their relationships to act as the driving force of its story. That focus on characters and the writing that fleshes them out is what allows Daredevil: Born Again to stand out. Well, that and the brutality of its action. Vincent D’Onofrio returns to the role he’s become most associated with, Wilson Fisk.
Fisk, also known as The Kingpin, is a terrifying force that D’Onofrio masterfully embodies. His anger boils beneath a seemingly calm surface, ready to erupt and kill at the slightest provocation. The perfect embodiment of a narcissistic powerhouse deserving of a superhuman adversary. The relationship between Fisk and Murdock is an interesting one. It’s murky and hard to read, delving deeper than a stereotypical good vs evil rivalry. Murdock’s own morals are called into question, creating a darkness within the hero that feels honest and true.
Charlie Cox once recounted sneaking into the back of a movie theater during an early showing of Spider-Man: No Way Home. He anticipated cheers and applause when his character appeared on screen, but was surprised and embarrassed to see the packed theater elicit no reaction at all. I’m not sure why that particular theater lacked a reaction, but I feel confident that fans will be cheering for Cox’s return while watching the best MCU show to date, Daredevil: Born Again.
Is Daredevil: Born Again worth watching?
There’s something special about seeing these actors reprising their roles in a series that was so beloved. Though it admittedly lacks the grit and grime that felt synonymous with the Netflix series, there’s something fresh about the stylistic choices made to bring Daredevil back to life. The villains are diabolically nasty and there’s a harshness to our hero that’s not common in the MCU, making for a multifaceted and realistic character study. While other MCU series have felt unnecessary, and even unwanted, Daredevil: Born Again feels like the exact type of story that the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be telling on television.
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