Marvel Studios’ “Daredevil Born Again” is where the old feels new. Even if the show is now within the confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the soft reboot remains a darker and grittier antithesis of the more sunnier Marvel Studios shows and films and is more focused on telling a story that’s rooted in grief, trauma, and morality instead of building up to the next superhero event movie. Still, the thought that the man without fear could interact with She-Hulk and Spider-Man is entertaining. Even after the rights to the titular hero were reacquired, it was a character worth reintroducing as he explored the MCU through a modern lens and wasn’t so concerned about being a part of the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) in Marvel Television’s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2024 MARVEL.
Of course, that all changes now that Daredevil, friends, and villains are all a part of the MCU. It’s not so much of a detriment considering the nine-episode run sees the return of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who are at very different points in their respective lives and will inevitably come into conflict with each other, acknowledge the world that they are in but have their own problems to deal with. While the first three seasons of the Netflix show were brutal, sometimes uneven, and occasionally strange, it is a series worth revisiting so that we can get reacquainted with the character dynamics.
“Daredevil Born Again” picks off like it was always a part of the MCU, with Matt, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) celebrating at their favorite local dive bar, Josie’s. Though it’s a celebratory occasion with various characters discussing personal and professional lives, including retirement, choices between a storefront and a corporate office, and political aspirations, tragedy strikes unexpectedly when Matt is forced to respond to a distress call regarding one of Foggy’s clients, leaving the bar unprotected and patrons an open target for marksman Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter, aka Bullseye, to shoot and kill them indiscriminately.
Though our hero makes his return, it’s not without its costs. Dex’s body count increases with each kill. During the ordeal, the man without fear’s extrasensory powers brings viewers into the action as survivors of the attack try to comfort victims while Matt pursues Dex. One way these powers are visualized is through lighting and sound. Echoing cries and heartbeats helps viewers understand the urgency and the stakes. It’s a lengthy ordeal that takes audiences on a grueling and punishing journey from the bar to the rooftop, where Murdock and Dex exchange blows and stab wounds. Watching it all unfold, we are reminded of what makes these confrontations great. The men of action are unwilling to give an inch of defeat to the other, and without the use of meta-powers or high-tech weaponry, it keeps things grounded. Ultimately, the fight is more about crossing a line that cannot be uncrossed for a man whose morals are defined by his Catholic upbringing.
(L-R) Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in Marvel Television’s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2024 MARVEL.
Such a physically punishing and emotionally traumatizing reintroduction helps set the stage for what’s to come for these characters, especially for Matt and Fisk. Matt’s arc and the series’ narrative dramatically shift as the former storefront defense attorney at law business works alongside former district attorney Kirsten Mcduffie (Nikki James). As one of the few who can challenge Matt, Kirsten also serves as a shoulder to lean on, considering Foggy was also her close friend. One can hear the defeat in man without fear’s voice during a a powerful summation for a his friend. Believing that no matter what sentence is served for Dex, Foggy will remain dead.
Things have changed for Fisk, who pursues his political endeavors in New York. A brilliant strategist, Fisk is determined to prove that he can accomplish great things within the confines of the law while fulfilling his own ambitions and having an endgame. Usually, there would be a power vacuum where the different crime families would battle over territories and powers. However, Vanessa Fisk was able to expand her husband’s criminal empire. They respect the money she makes them as she believes protection makes people scared and profit makes them loyal. However, his sudden return begs the question of whether he is there to take it away from her. He is still able to end a meeting between herself and the five families by simply standing in a doorway. But he has his own political aspirations, which would help further their goals and increase their powerful grip on the city.
Much of the show is viewed through the lens of New York City, where a young BB Urich, the niece of Ben Urich, does guerilla interviews with the citizens. With the way that the episodes uses the cityscapes and interviews the people, New York City feels like just as much of an important character as Daredevil and Kingpin. Additionally, we get to see how a broken justice system works against marginalized communities and what they have to do to defend themselves against crime and corruption. That is especially true for characters like Hector Alaya, aka White Tiger (the late Kamar de los Reyes), a decorated veteran with no priors who has served as a CPA for 15 years and is basically a pillar of the community who is accused of killing a police officer. Then there are characters like Leroy (Charlie Hudson III), who is charged with petty larceny. Legal proceedings reveal the harsh realities of a broken justice system, with sentences for petty crimes being particularly severe. Even a guy like Matt is unable to see the consequences of what happens to those who have been jerked around by the system. In Leroy’s case, being jailed for 30 days caused him to miss his SSI appointments, and as such, they cut off his benefits like food stamps. Leroy then tells his story about eating scraps and begging for change, and wanting to eat something that doesn’t taste like crap.
Given that this is long-form storytelling, it’s lovely to see how tight the season is with its nine-episode arc. These episodes explore when men of power deny their inherent egos while still having space to be a courtroom drama within a superhero world.
The main themes of the series are vigilantism, the consequences of one’s actions, and the little guy wanting to be seen and fighting against the elite. “Daredevil Born Again” doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of how corruption can infect the law and how it can expand one’s political influence. Since Fisk won on the idea of protecting the people from vigilantes like White Tiger, Swordsman (Tony Dalton), and Daredevil, he wants to return the power to the police to reestablish the public’s confidence in New York’s finest. One of the ways Fisk does this is by creating an anti-vigilante campaign that inspires other dirty cops to misappropriate the Punisher emblem. Of course, this forces Matt to bring Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) out of hiding when he finds out these dirty cops have engraved the symbol of the Punisher on bullet casings.
(L-R) Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in Marvel Television’s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2024 MARVEL.
Foggy and Karen’s absence can be felt for what it’s worth, but it feels like that was intentional, as the season is more about the Matt and Fisk dynamics. The tension between the two is palpable, especially when they confront each other after the attack at Joise’s. Both men have laid out their terms, each of them knowing their real identities and what they are capable of. While they operate on opposite sides of the law, they are working together to protect the little guy from killers like mass serial killer Muse. The graffiti artist embodies the idea that there are dangerous people hurting civilians, thus further stigmatizing graffiti artists and giving them a worse reputation.
Muse’s murals are discovered to be made with epoxy and blood, making them challenging to remove. As such, the mayor of Fisk forms a task force to combat the killer, comprising officers with a history of misconduct. The task force is granted special privileges to operate outside the usual protocols and will help accomplish Fisk’s crusade against vigilantes.
While some scenes seem bloated and unnecessary, they play an essential part in the larger story. The way that character dynamics, conversations, power shifts, and questioning one’s own morals tie together leads to terrific payoffs.
Even when Kirsten sets up a date between Matt and Hethear, key relationships are established, leading to unexpected places that only benefit the story. This relationship is only further complicated when Heather starts to treat Fisk and Vanessa in couple’s therapy.
The same can be said for the dynamic between Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), Fisk’s protégé, and BB Urich. Though Daniel can be seen as a simple upstart climbing the political ladder through his initiative, he is BB’s way into revealing the truth about Fisk. And while Daniel can’t see through what BB is doing, he isn’t naive to see what she is doing and how her journalism is ruining Fisk’s mayorship. The dynamic keeps things interesting while developing other character arcs and keeping Ben Urich’s memory alive.
The show doesn’t just remind its audience about Daredevil’s past pre-Disney reacquisition through cameos and other character appearances/mentions/and history. Later episodes hint at certain scandals that have hurt Fisk’s empire and family. This is why figures like Vanessa are essential to the overarching story that plays out during “Daredevil Born Again.”
“Daredevil Born Again” works so well because it’s a show that lives up to its name. Sure, the show is reborn on a streaming service like Disney+, but it earns its title by forcing Matt to give up the moniker for failing to live up to his duty as Hell’s Kitchen’s protector. After that tragedy, he finds himself the most vulnerable and broken. No one has seen Matt like this, and even then, it takes quite a while for him to put the suit back on when he finally sees how the city needs him at a time when citizens are not safe and political corruption runs rampant. So it’s fantastic to see Matt walk this path of emotional pain alone, only to see his relationship with himself and Daredevil and vice-versa. Cox plays this role as if he were born to do it. It’s like the character never left him, both emotionally and physically.
The same can be said for D’Onofrio’s Fisk, a man to New York with a new and legitimate title: Mayor Fisk. However, he believed he could do good for a city facing a rising tide of crime and corruption. However, his high hopes begin to wear thin when faced with the reality of bureaucracy. As such, he is forced to create a task force of corrupt cops who misuse the Punisher’s emblem. His need for control and manipulation only equals his love for Vanessa. Though she is trying to find her place in the world now that her husband is back in the picture, their betrayals towards each other only make the relationship more interesting to watch. And that plays out in many therapy sessions and the discovery of skeletons in each other’s closets.
Frank Castle’s appearance also represents what happens to a guy like Matt if he crosses that line of uncontrolled rage and vigilantism. Frank’s grief and tragic loss justify his relentless war on crime. He takes matters into his own hands and operates by his own rules. While he takes the violence to another level, it reveals who these characters are and where they are in their lives. For Frank, that’s hiding away in a fallout shelter that is armed to the teeth with guns and blades.
“Daredevil Born Again” is the start of a new era for the character, one that remains committed to being grounded in its storytelling and action. And the action is nothing short of bloody and brutal. It may even outdo what has been done before in the Netflix series. Between the bone-crunching and blood-splattering during the lengthy and occasional one-shot action sequences, action goes in hard. Even when Matt isn’t in costume, being held hostage at a bank, or searching for evidence in a missing person’s apartment, fans will be delighted to know that the fights deliver. The fight choreography and stuntwork are visceral and graphic. It’s important to note that these fights aren’t just in it to make you flinch or squeamish but to be relative to the characters in the scene and what they bring into it. Understanding the emotional stakes that go into each fight, brings greater depth to the characters and adds gravitas to each fight.
“Daredevil Born Again” feels like the man without fear has always been a part of the MCU. The stories are relevant and the character arcs are resonating, but it’s still very much a superhero story with all of the heavy-hitting action sequences and MCU namedrops. The season may start out slow, but our patience is rewarded with a dynamic and conflict that is fascinating and exciting to watch again and again.
9/10
