Daredevil: Born Again has been growing on me since its sort-of disappointing premiere episode (I may have had high expectations after the Netflix originals). It was great to see Matt back in the suit again, and the parallels between him and Wilson Fisk are tastefully done. What is not tastefully done is the show’s proxy for Foggy and Karen: Cherry.
Clark Johnson’s Cherry shows up in the opening scenes of the premiere, with his retirement party being the setting for the battle between Bullseye and Daredevil. He gets to know Matt’s identity as Daredevil and later becomes a PI for Murdock and McDuffie. He basically does what Foggy, Karen, and Brett Mahoney used to do on Daredevil, but he is so boring.
Daredevil: Born Again’s Cherry adds very little to the personality of the show
The following rant is by no means a criticism of Clark Johnson’s acting abilities. He has done a good job on Homicide and his directorial works are great. However, the rant is particularly about his role as Cherry in Daredevil: Born Again and how it is written. Cherry is the retired police officer-cum-PI who helps the Murdock and McDuffie law firm.
Now, Cherry is useful in the show. He is a good ally to Matt when it comes to protecting his witnesses and getting them to court. His stakeout game is great, and his time in the police gives him the contacts necessary to get first-hand information. He is a less-pissed off version of Brett Mahoney from Netflix’s Daredevil.
But my question is: why not just bring Mahoney back? He was the perfect man on the inside for Foggy and Murdock, and his personality of an annoyed do-gooder blended so well with the gang. Cherry, for lack of a better word, is boring. He barely has any chemistry with Matt, and his knowing Daredevil’s true identity is not a big deal at all.
I understand Matt cannot be truly alone and needs his helpers. With Foggy dead and Karen in San Francisco, he needs someone to understand both sides of him. Cherry’s character is a trope, but he needs personality. He doesn’t have to be cheery or wise-cracking, but he has the potential to be someone like Mike from Breaking Bad, but the writing is just so bland.
Clark Johnson was supposed to direct episodes of Daredevil: Born Again before the overhaul
Clark Johnson’s Cherry is an original character created for Daredevil: Born Again. He was not there in the original Netflix show (which is why it is weird that the show chose to start with his retirement party), and he is basically a proxy to Foggy and Karen, who are unlikely to show up in the upcoming episodes. However, Johnson is not new to Marvel.
Daredevil: Born Again is not Clark Johnson’s first Marvel show. In fact, he directed two episodes of Netflix’s Luke Cage. Before the creative overhaul of Daredevil: Born Again, Clark Johnson was reportedly set to direct two episodes of the series along with his acting duties (via Deadline).
Johnson has previously directed multiple episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NYPD Blue, and more. His experience with the procedural genre would have made him suitable for the pre-overhaul version of Born Again, which was reportedly a lot more focused on the legal proceedings than the superhero stuff.
Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on Disney+.
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