Marvel’s latest show for Disney+ is “Daredevil: Born Again”, which is a revival/continuation of the former Netflix Original series, “Daredevil”, which sees Charlie Cox return as a blind lawyer with heightened abilities, who is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, who is pursuing his own political endeavors in New York. Both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course when their past identities begin to emerge.

Ever since “Daredevil” hit our screens, it changed how fans saw superhero TV shows, as it was very different to most other superhero shows being released.  It was a serious, hard-hitting and gritty take on the character, with brutal action scenes and storylines that you would never have seen in your typical Marvel show or film.   Following Marvel Studios’ taking over the television division, with Disney+ becoming the new home of Marvel shows, we saw a drastic shift in tone as they tried making shows that were more like extended movies, which has had mixed results.

This resulted in Marvel looking back at what had worked in the past. The “Daredevil” show, along with the other “Defender” shows, was able to tell a street-level superhero story that adults enjoyed. The shows could be produced on a cheaper budget and separate from the larger world-ending storylines that typically feature in the movies. 

Originally, the “Daredevil: Born Again” series was going to be a slightly different take on the Netflix show since Marvel Studios decided that since they didn’t make the old shows, they wanted to reclassify them as part of the multiverse. But during the production of “Daredevil: Born Again,” they finally realised that their approach wasn’t working. Instead, they embraced the classic Netflix shows, making them a proper continuation.  

They overhauled the entire show, reshooting massive chunks of the series to connect it more strongly with the original show.  It’s a little noticeable that some scenes, especially involving older characters like The Punisher, Foggy and Karen, feel like they weren’t part of the original plan (but are now for the second season!).  These scenes make the show on a whole far better, but you can tell that these possibly weren’t part of the original plan, for the majority of the show.

Unfortunately, if you’re expecting to see lots of scenes involving Daredevil taking down criminals, you might be a little disappointed. The vast majority of the show is more focused on Matt Murdock’s inner conflict, as he struggles with his desire to deliver real justice that the system can’t do properly.   Though there are still some big action scenes throughout the series, but there are a few episodes in the middle, where Daredevil isn’t seen, similar to the original season.

There is, however, a fantastic episode halfway through the season, which is a refreshing change.  I don’t want to get into spoilers, but it’s full of action and suspense, involving a character from another Marvel Disney+ show (don’t get your hopes up too much on who!).  It’s one of my favourite episodes from the entire season, as it’s almost a standalone story and something I really hope the creatives lean into a little more in future seasons, since not everything has to be interconnected.

Thinking back to the original pitch for Marvel shows for Disney+, which was a family-friendly service, “Daredevil: Born Again” feels like a huge step forward in making a show for adults. It has some very violent scenes and more adult themes than you could ever have imagined possible in a Marvel Disney+ show a few years ago.   There’s one scene in the finale that is really gross, which highlights that this isn’t your usual Marvel show.

“Daredevil: Born Again” is set many years after the events of the old Netflix shows. Half the world might have blipped and then returned, plus there have been major changes within the larger MCU, but on the streets of New York, people are continuing their lives as normal.  It’s also refreshing to see how this show isn’t about the world ending or a show with a big climax to a big CGI fight.  Instead, it just leads us straight into the second season, but unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait for.

Speaking of CGI, one of my minor complaints about the show is that there are a few moments when Daredevil is jumping around, often resembling Spider-Man, and it looks a little odd, especially as the majority of the show is grounded in reality.  I hope moving forward, the creatives just do these stunts for real, rather than with CGI, or just tone down him swinging around like Spidey.

There is a big elephant in the room with regards to the major storyline involved in “Daredevil: Born Again” that has to be referenced.  With Kingpin becoming the mayor of New York, it’s very hard not to compare these story elements with the real-life politics involving the US President.  This show isn’t political, but it does lean into the idea of some people liking the idea of someone who can get the job done. It is different from normal politicians, along with the reaction of people who can’t stomach the thought.  In some ways, it makes the Kingpin as mayor storyline even more believable.

One thing to be aware of is that Disney provided me with all nine episodes of “Daredevil: Born Again”, which is something they’ve never done for any previous live-action series.  Usually, they give the press only a couple or maybe half of the episodes of the show.  It’s very rare that Disney does this, which shows that they have a lot of faith in this show. 

Overall: I loved watching “Daredevil: Born Again”, bingeing through the entire season in a couple of days and having a great time with it.  It had that unique feeling of returning to an old show you love, but it’s new.  It’s easily one of the best shows Marvel has put out in a long time because it has embraced being a TV Show. It’s not trying to be a movie or interconnect with anything other than itself.   Kingpin is even scarier, and spending so much more time as Matt Murdock just makes you connect with his character so much more.  It’s a fantastic return to form, and I can’t wait for another season!

Rating: 4.5 Out Of 5

The first two episodes of “Daredevil: Born Again” are available to stream now on Disney+, with a new episode being released each week.

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

View all posts