Daredevil is the closest thing Marvel has ever had to its own Batman. The original Netflix incarnation paid homage to the core principles of the comics, and that essence is preserved in the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. The show captures the tone, themes, and key elements that made major characters like Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk so beloved by fans.
It’s rare for Marvel to achieve something so gritty and grounded—taking a cult favorite and bringing it into the mainstream that is as epic as comic-serialized television can get.
Both Daredevil and Daredevil: Born Again are the closest Marvel has come to capturing the spirit of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. The series explores themes of transformation and identity, chaos versus order, and pain and redemption, applying them to heroes and villains. This incarnation is compelling because the creators understand that while these characters strive for rebirth or reformation, they can never entirely escape their ingrained behaviors, which are always simmering beneath the surface.
The story follows Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), aka Daredevil, as he celebrates at Josie’s with Karen (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy (Elden Henson), Cherry (Homicide: Life on the Street’s Clark Johnson), and Kirsten (Nikki M. James). Murdock has retired as The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, choosing to focus solely on his thriving law practice. However, the celebration is short-lived—something shocking is about to happen that will change everyone’s lives forever.
Due to the general rule of avoiding spoilers, we won’t reveal what happens next, but it’s big, shocking, and jaw-dropping. The fallout leads Matt to a new confidant, a psychiatrist named Heather (The Acolyte’s Margarita Levieva), a mental health professional who works hard to conceal her Queens’ accent. And it’s good that Matt has someone so qualified by his side—because Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), aka Kingpin, is back. This time, he’s running for mayor of New York City, claiming to put the people first.
But Matt knows better.
The revival series Daredevil: Born Again is the 13th Marvel television series, and boy, did they pull no punches. This was a significant concern, given that the greedy little mouse loves to run its projects through a filter that makes everything feel cartoonish and primed for memorabilia sales to the pre-adolescent crowd.
However, with The Punisher’s Dario Scardapane at the helm, the series delivers an even more intense, brooding atmosphere and an impossibly bleak outlook—one that could make even Gotham’s Chamber of Commerce cry out for a massive prescription of vitamin D. And after watching the final moments of the bone-crunching finale, you will agree.
The performances are phenomenal, with Charlie Cox at his ferocious best and Vincent D’Onofrio bringing his signature power to a role like a powder keg. Both actors show great restraint and patience, taking a pensive approach to the superhero/villain clichés as they try to withhold their true nature. It’s fascinating to watch as they slowly unravel at the seams, unable to contain who they really are.
There’s a fascinating psychological aspect to the show, forcing the audience to ponder whether these characters became who they are by nature or nurture. Case in point: when they meet again for the first time since making their handshake deal, they sit down, and the scene has the same feel and intensity as Al Pacino and Robert De Niro’s iconic moment in Heat. They hate each other but almost need each other to find purpose. Simply put, you’ll, well, marvel at their performances.
Yet, make no mistake, the action is spectacular, with the hand-to-hand combat rivaling what you’ve seen in the John Wick franchise, which is a credit to stunt coordinator Philip Silvera. In addition, Hillary Fyfe Spera and Pedro Gómez Millán provide a foreboding, claustrophobic look of impending doom that is both infectious and intriguing. While I do quibble with some of the supporting characters, especially Michael Gandolfini’s take on The Kingpin’s protégé, Daniel Blake, the rest of the series, as a whole, is the best piece of television that Marvel has ever done. (No, the best comic series ever still is held by Max’s The Penguin).
Daredevil: Born Again is bigger, badder, and better than ever! The series is back with all its nostalgic glory, yet it somehow feels new again, reinventing itself in a bruisingly cinematic way from start to finish.
You can stream Daredevil: Born Again’s first two episodes on March 4th, with new episodes dropping every week on Disney+ up until April 15th!
Sit back and marvel at Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio's brooding and intense performances in Daredevil: Born Again.
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I am a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. However, I still put on my pants one leg at a time, and that’s when I often stumble over. When I’m not writing about movies, I patiently wait for the next Pearl Jam album and pass the time by scratching my wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. I was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs, but I chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find my work on InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Hidden Remote, Music City Drive-In, Nerd Alert, and Film Focus Online.
