It’s been seven years since Netflix cancelled the hit Marvel series, “Daredevil”, along with the other shows in the “Defenders” lineup, which includes Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and The Punisher.

Next week, Marvel is reviving the “Daredevil” series, with “Daredevil: Born Again”, which brings back Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities who is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavours in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

With the return of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and Kingpin in the “Hawkeye” Disney+ series, it didn’t take long for Marvel to reveal it would bring back the characters for a new show called “Daredevil: Born Again”.

Many questions were raised about whether these were the same characters we saw in the Netflix shows or if that show was set in another multiverse, especially as the actors were a bit vague in their press interviews to promote the project, saying they were the same but different.

Initially, the show was announced to consist of 18 episodes. However, due to the writer’s strikes, the show was split, with the first season consisting of nine episodes. During the writer’s strike, Marvel had a chance to review what they had created, and they decided to rework the show since it wasn’t working.

This resulted in a new creative team coming in, and Marvel decided that the original Netflix series was, in fact, canon to the MCU and leaning in further into this being a continuation of those Netflix shows.

To go alongside the changes to the creative side of “Daredevil: Born Again”, Marvel Studios has also changed its focus for Disney+ shows, returning back to the traditional way of making television, rather than a movie being cut into six episodes.  They are also cutting back on the number of shows they are making, along with cutting back on the budgets, having spent too much creating shows like “Secret Invasion”.

One of the significant changes Marvel is making is that it is now moving away from random limited series about different Marvel characters. Instead, they are moving to focus on shows with multiple seasons. 

During an interview to promote “Daredevil: Born Again”, with Screenrant, Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Brad Winderbaum, was asked, with filming of the second season underway this month, if “Daredevil: Born Again” would be an annual show, to which he replied:

That is the plan. Season 2 will come out next year, and then hopefully season 3 and season infinity after that. I think this world is extremely rich, and there are many stories to be told on the streets of New York.

It’s certainly something very fundamental to Marvel, going back to the earliest days of publishing with Stan and Jack and Steve and the original Marvel bullpen. It’s New York through New York, and the fact that we’re able to shoot here and tell a story about New York made by New Yorkers is just fundamental to the series.

Since Daredevil has already been featured in multiple shows including “Daredevil”, “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law”, and “The Defenders” shows, it’s safe to say that the character is established and popular enough to warrant more adventures on the streets of New York.   Plus, Marvel can make “Daredevil” shows on a much smaller budget and be separate from the major MCU storylines dealing with world-ending storylines. 

Roger’s Take: Making “Daredevil: Born Again” into an annual show for Disney+ has so many advantages.  It can be a different tone to the movies, with a more adult theme, while also being separate away from the “Avengers” level threats.  It’s cheaper to produce, so it’s easier to film and get out more regularly; plus, if it’s cheaper to make, the show doesn’t need as many viewers to be deemed successful enough to continue.  

Marvel can also incorporate other street-level superheroes and cameos to keep things fresh.   Trying to connect the shows to the movies hasn’t worked, and going back to a more traditional TV show sounds like a good movie for the long-term health of the MCU.  Marvel can mix things up with other shows, but multi-season shows will keep audiences engaged, without the need to feel like they need a guidebook or homework before each new release.

“Daredevil: Born Again” is coming to Disney+ on March 4th 2025, and the original “Daredevil” shows are also available on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to watching “Daredevil: Born Again”?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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