What do you get when you take a street-level hero who is constantly battling his own demons, yank him out of the grounded world he lives in, and throw him into the MCU’s interpretation of that world? You get Daredevil: Born Again. When Daredevil first came out in 2015, it was a gritty look at the titular Marvel hero we hadn’t seen before. Not only that, but it kind of shrugged in the direction of the existing MCU. There were references to the Battle of New York here and there, but ultimately it was a contained story. The way the series balanced themes of justice, revenge, and morality was critically praised, and the way that Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock struggled to seek justice during the day as a lawyer and justice at night as a masked vigilante set the standard for what people wanted from Marvel when it came to these street-level heroes. There was also much praise for the fantastic action sequences — a couple of amazing one-shot hallway scenes — and it ultimately launched a spin-off in Season 2 when the series introduced Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, aka the Punisher.
After its cancellation and the eventual wiping of the Marvel TV shows from that era, fans clamored for more of Cox’s Daredevil, and when the MCU announced that they were bringing Cox back as Daredevil for his own series on Disney+, the hype began to build. However, would the MCU be able to live up to the original Netflix Marvel show? Would it be able to mimic or improve on the formula built by its predecessors? In the months leading up to Born Again’s release, there was an emphasis in marketing on just how bloody and violent the show would be, likely in an effort to convince fans of the original series that they’d be tuning in for more of what they loved. Well, it doesn’t seem like Disney really picked up on what actually made the original series so good.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Doesn’t Know What It Wants To Be

Image via Disney+

The major problem at the heart of Daredevil: Born Again, showrun by Dario Scardapane, is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be. It struggles with whether it wants to fully lean into the tone of the former show or the more familiar MCU formula. Now, there’s a lot to be said for the TV shows that have come from the MCU in recent years. There have been major successes, like Wandavision and Loki, and there have been more lackluster showings, like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But one thread that weaves in and out of all of these shows is the tried-and-true approach to storytelling that has become part of the MCU standard — aome punchy humor and witty line reads, some thrilling fight sequences, and then a heartfelt story at the center that never really tangles with some of life’s thornier realities.
It’s clear that some of that formula made it into Born Again. One episode, in particular, which features a guest-starring character from another MCU TV show, feels very in line with what we’ve come to expect from Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s humor, there’s heart, and ultimately the good guy does the good thing. It’s an entertaining episode, but it misses the entire point of what made the original Daredevil so good. On the other end of the spectrum, there is the hyperviolence. True to what’s been said, there are some scenes that are downright horrendous compared to the original Netflix shows — but the violence doesn’t really say much. It is violence for violence’s sake. The scenes often feel like moments people can point to and say, “See, they did it even bloodier than Netflix!”
On the one hand, it’s obvious that Marvel is trying to recapture some of the magic of the previous series, with Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio being brought back already as Matt and Wilson Fisk, respectively, in other MCU properties before this. Born Again also showcases a few more familiar faces in Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Frank Castle (Bernthal). It’s clear that Disney understands the appeal of the original show’s cast and dynamics, but it’s hard not to shake the feeling that Marvel wants to wash its hands of what was established in the original show. Aside from Matt and Fisk, the other characters are barely seen, and rather than rely on the existing set of characters established already, Born Again ferries in a whole new cast that doesn’t make the splash they need to feel memorable.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Has a New Cast and New Stories, but Carries Old Baggage

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the new characters, but it feels like Born Again went through and plucked up what was liked from the original series and ignored the rest, and it might have been wiser for Disney to just start from scratch with this story. In trying to balance two very different tones, Born Again suffers. It is impossible to imagine someone who has never seen Netflix’s Daredevil feeling the same impact when they start Born Again. The new series asks its audience to remember and carry the emotional baggage from the original show — with one of the first episode’s most pivotal moments hinging on a relationship formed in Daredevil — and then immediately wipes the slate clean and throws you into the deep end with a whole new group of people.
The result is jarring. Replacing his old compatriots, Matt has a new girlfriend, new coworkers, and a new life. He’s hung up the proverbial cape, and he doesn’t even live in Hell’s Kitchen anymore. He’s now dating Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), a therapist who doesn’t have much love for vigilantes, while his new coworkers consist of Cherry (Clark Johnson), an ex-cop, and Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), a fellow lawyer who was a former ADA. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Wilson Fisk is reunited with his wife Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), and is now running for mayor of New York. At his side is the thirsty Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) and Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), his campaign manager and general right-hand woman. He’s also got Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan), who you can essentially view as his lackey, bodyguard, and the guy who does most of the dirty work.
If that sounds like a lot of new characters to keep track of, you’re right. And that’s not even mentioning the other important characters, like Ben Urich’s niece BB (Genneya Walton), as well as all the new cops, new vigilantes, and new villains we have to keep track of. The show is overwhelmingly jam-packed with faces, and that robs us of strong character moments, forcing development to occur in the margins or in explosive arguments that have little lead-up.
‘Born Again’ Misses the Point of What Made the Original ‘Daredevil’ So Good

Image via Disney+

The Matt Murdock of Born Again is a man who has survived a tragedy. He’s focused on finding justice in the courtroom rather than on the streets. But gone is the contemplative man who struggled with both his Catholicism and an inherent violent nature that filled him with a desire for revenge. It’s one of the most depressing effects of Disney’s version of this character. Matt Murdock is probably one of the most religious characters in this universe, and his faith (which he often butted up against) was a major part of his identity in the original series. The lack of desire to actually dig into those same nitty-gritty details is one of the most glaring issues with Born Again. You’ll get plenty of headshots and violent fights, but none of the weight that should accompany those. In fact, the series makes a point to barely linger in these areas.
Born Again also struggles to find the same parallels between Matt and Fisk, as well as Matt and Frank. It doesn’t really know how to handle these big conversations and philosophical questions that don’t have a good or clean answer. Rather than indulging in the fact that Daredevil is a character who often walks the thin line between being a hero and being one bad day from becoming the Punisher, the series goes out of its way to emphasize to us that this is a good man who does good things, even if it means he has to punch a couple guys to do it. None of this is helped by a painfully written script that often turns conversations into either exposition dumps or hand-feeds you the feelings you’re meant to feel. Rather than trusting the viewer to debate and struggle with deeper issues just like Matt Murdock does, everything is spelled out, with the series safely painting within the lines.
Much of the season focuses on Wilson Fisk’s political career, and there is truly nothing more heavy-handed and cringey than the direct parallels between Fisk’s campaign and another controversial politician currently sitting in the White House. Born Again is about as subtle as a sledgehammer when it comes to Fisk — and while the Kingpin was never a good man, there was nuance in his original iteration. His relationship with Vanessa was often at the heart of his character development. And while it’s wonderful to see D’Onofrio and Zurer in scenes together once again, turning their incredibly nuanced and complicated relationship into something that is fairly black and white feels like a misstep. The way Born Again deals with politics, government, and law enforcement is indicative of the problem at the heart of the show. It is unwilling to admit that in this world, not everyone is simply good or bad — and that includes our hero, Matt Murdock.

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Thankfully, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Still Delivers on Powerful Performances

Image via Disney+

What remains top-notch in Daredevil: Born Again is the acting. Cox, especially, is in top form in the series, managing to turn stale dialogue into some of the most deeply emotional scenes of the season. He’s also fantastic in the courtroom, and it’s in those scenes where Matt feels the most like himself again. Similarly, D’Onofrio always stands out in his portrayal of Fisk, able to harness some of the one-note villainy that he picked up in his other MCU cameos and blend it with his original interpretation of the character. It’s not perfect, but he is often the most magnetic character to watch on screen.
While a lot of praise goes to the cast brought over from the original show, special praise deserves to go to the late Kamar de los Reyes, who portrayed Hector Ayala, aka the vigilante White Tiger. Much like Bernthal’s stirring performance as Frank Castle in Season 2 of Daredevil, de los Reyes’s Hector is a complicated man — and his scenes with Matt, especially the quiet conversations they share together as men who are living the same kind of life, are an example of just how good the series could be.
However, the quiet conversations that get at the heart of Matt’s personal conflict are few and far between. Some of them occur between Frank and Matt, offering yet another look at the two actors playing off each other. Bernthal and Cox have some of the best chemistry in the show, and it’s a pity we don’t get more of it. And while I don’t love the direction the series is going in with Karen’s character regarding Matt and Frank, Woll and Cox fall into their characters so easily that when you contrast Karen and Matt’s relationship, his current relationship with Heather feels bland. Cox and Levieva do not have the best romantic chemistry, and it often feels like Heather is a roommate rather than Matt’s actual girlfriend. It’s even more of a pity because Levieva’s best scenes are with other characters, so it feels like a waste to have paired her up with Matt when she clearly had the potential for so much more.

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When It Comes to Action and Story, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Can’t Measure Up

Image via Disney+

On top of its narrative blunders, thematic blandness, and an overflowing cast of characters, one major pervasive MCU problem pops back up here in Born Again: the action scenes. One of the most memorable fights from Daredevil is undoubtedly the one-shot hallway fight where Matt Murdock, in just a makeshift black vigilante costume, takes on a whole band of thugs to save a little boy. What makes fight scenes especially good is not only being able to follow the choreography of the fight (which shows off the talent of stunt performers and actors who have trained for months) but also when it serves as a narrative device about the character. In that scene, we learn exactly who Matt is and how far he’ll go for justice, throwing his entire body into it even when he’s up against insurmountable odds.
Unfortunately, Born Again does not have a single scene that really matches up to that iconic hallway fight. Instead, the fight sequences are hindered by the quick smash editing that all Marvel movies suffer from, where the scene is cut up so many times we really have no idea what is happening, and it robs the fight of kinetic tension. They are also often poorly lit or quite literally hidden in smoke. The first episode of the season has a fight that should be heartpounding, but instead, I found myself squinting at the screen and rewatching the fight to try and understand when Matt’s opponent even pulled out their weapons.
The muddy cinematography is made worse by the end when you realize that the season feels more like a prologue rather than a completed story. By the final episode, it feels like we’ve just gotten to the title page of a book — as if now that Disney has reset the board, they can finally tell the story that they want to after doing their due diligence and either repurposing characters or completely retconning their personality traits. After a meandering nine episodes of a courtroom drama arc, a masked villain arc (which essentially is a footnote), and a big fight against the bad guys arc, Daredevil: Born Again is a hodgepodge of ideas. Whether it’s too many cooks in the kitchen due to its production woes or a desperation to recapture lightning in a bottle, in trying to revive Daredevil, all Disney accomplishes is giving us a watered-down Matt Murdock who neatly fits into the mold of all MCU stories. While the season ends on a cliffhanger, I don’t find myself eagerly waiting to return to this story. I think I’ll stick to the original devil of Hell’s Kitchen, because I really don’t know who this version of Daredevil is anymore.
The first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere March 4 on Disney+.

Daredevil: Born Again

Daredevil: Born Again struggles in the shadow of the original Netflix series and waters down what made the story so good.

Release Date

March 4, 2025

Showrunner

Chris Ord

Writers

Chris Ord

Pros & Cons

Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, and the cast offer stirring performances that redeem the series.

There is a tonal imbalance where Born Again doesn’t know what kind of series it wants to be.
An almost entirely new cast of largely forgettable characters take away more time for intimate storytelling.
The hyperviolent scenes seem to exist only for violence’s sake, not lending much to the development of the story.