Daredevil: Born Again - Season 1
Disney+
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe was blowing up in theaters throughout the late 2010s, the universe was also being expanded on the small screen on Netflix. Hosting an incredibly well-received series of shows that connected different characters and stories on a smaller scale around New York City, these shows quickly grew their own unique audience. The cornerstone show of this lineup was Daredevil, which ran for 3 seasons between 2015 and 2018. Many fans were devastated when Daredevil, alongside the rest of the Netflix Marvel shows including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher, were canceled ahead of the launch of Disney+. Marvel, however, hinted that they might not actually be done with these characters or their stories. Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, would pop up in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, while his mortal enemy, Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, would appear in Hawkeye and Echo. Finally, 7 years after the release of the final season of Daredevil, these characters are given their time to shine properly once again with the release of Daredevil: Born Again.
It is impossible to analyze and watch Daredevil: Born Again and not be reminded continually of the troubles plaguing the series behind the scenes. Not only is the show contending with trying to continue the story of these characters in a way satisfying to fans of the original show after such a prolonged time away, but the show itself has faced massive rewrites and changes in direction. Originally led by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, concerns from Cox and D'Onofrio allegedly led to Marvel overhauling the creative direction for the show, ultimately giving the reigns to Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who had previously impressed with their work on Loki and Moon Knight. They had to take what was largely set up as a slow-burn episodic courtroom drama with multiple episodes already filmed and transform it into something more aligned with the sensibilities of the original show, which was known for its captivating drama and character work. It is only natural that, as a result, the show's storytelling would feel at times messy and awkward.
From a brand new pilot episode that tries to stumble its way through an explanation for why Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), two staples of the original series, will be absent for the majority of the show to the drawn-out largely meaningless court cases that Murdock takes on that the series has to sit through, the show feels plagued down by what it once was. On a larger scale, the season wrestles with this problem on a far more foundational scale than just a handful of scenes. True to its name, Daredevil: Born Again is a series about rebirth. Contenting with the changes brought to each of its main characters in their other MCU appearances over the last 7 years and trying to revert them to align more with who they were during the original show, the series has to spend much of its runtime working backward. From outright ignoring certain plot developments of other shows to having to go through redundant narrative beats to refresh where these characters stand, the actual direction of Daredevil: Born Again is clearly weaker than any of the Netflix seasons. While it is entirely possible that the show can truly embrace itself in future seasons where it can simply focus on what it actually wants to be, it is impossible to ignore these faults within the set-up of this first season.
There are, however, some undeniably bright spots found within the series. There is something almost indescribably intoxicating when Cox and D'Onofrio share the screen, speaking to a passion rarely seen in the MCU anymore. These are two actors who understand and truly care about their characters. When they are allowed to go back and forth, trading thoughts on morality with an underbelly of threats to each other is pure magic and easily are the best scenes of the entire show. It is their passion that ultimately saved the show in production, and one can hope that their passion for this world might even be able to resurrect others in the Marvel Netflix lineup who had proven similar passion for their characters and their projects. In a time where the MCU is struggling to find a meaningful voice and direction, it feels like this true care and love for the material is a missing ingredient few seem interested in discussing but is also so obvious when seen in action.
The new connected plot that the show builds is also far from being the least interesting seen from the MCU as of recent. While the initial set-up of Wilson Fisk running for Mayor of New York City sees some questionable development as the show seemingly wants to use the character to send a statement on modern real-life politics, something the show is unable to develop in a way that feels natural and actually meaningful, once this narrative takes off it does provide a new intriguing layer to Fisk's character as he seems to truly want to change who he is and what he stands for. Of course, this is something only seen on the outskirts of the season, with this journey needing far more attention and time to truly work as well as it could, but it still is present nonetheless. There is also a compelling drama found with the dynamic of Murdock's new girlfriend Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) also works as Fisk's therapist, but this great set-up, one of the few that feels completely aligned with something that would be used in the Netflix series, ultimately is void of a truly rewarding payoff. This speaks to a larger inherent problem of the series. Not only are the 9 episodes seen in this season an often confused mixture of visions, but it is also clearly an unfinished story. The original plan was for Season 1 of the show to be 18 episodes, with the overhaul of direction splitting this lineup into two separate seasons. While even the Netflix series contained various stories and throughlines that would extend throughout multiple seasons, considering how slow much of this show is, one would hope for a more rewarding payoff than what is ultimately delivered.
One of the most noteworthy parts of the original show was the action sequences, which still stand tall as some of the best throughout the entire MCU. While the action within Daredevil: Born Again fails to rise to these same heights, the visual effects are inconsistent, and the choreography of the scenes lacks the same intensity of the original show, many will still be pleased with the results. Especially for a Disney+ series, the show holds back no punches in its violence and bloodshed, delivering satisfying results for those willing to wait, as much of the action is reserved for the latter half of the series. The action especially feels effective when, instead of the choreographed Daredevil fights, it can embrace the more rough ground and pound approach to the action from Fisk and the returning Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal).
While it is clear that Daredevil: Born Again is a flawed show, it is worth saying that for massive fans of the Netflix series and this character, the best compliment that could be given is that it does truly still feel like that original series when all is said and done. While the storytelling is slower, the character work is more awkward, and the drama is ultimately less captivating, the show does still contain a clear love for these characters and captures the tone enough to feel believable as a continuation of their story. Especially compared to what this show was originally going to be, it is refreshing to see Marvel actually be willing to make an effort to adjust and provide something more pleasing. While it is a bizarre world where the studio seemingly was going to let the original concept for the show pass at all, thankfully, adjustments were made. For all the messiness, the series does ultimately work in laying a strong foundation that could set up future seasons for massive success. Perhaps the faults of Season 1 were a necessary evil for what is to come, but this is something that will only be decided with time.
