Marvel first announced plans for Daredevil: Born Again in 2022, and now, after two Hollywood strikes and a creative overhaul, the highly anticipated series is finally here. The nine-episode revival continues the story from Netflix’s Daredevil, which ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2018. Since its cancellation, fans have been clamoring for more of what many, if not most, consider to be Marvel’s best series ever.
Showrunner and executive producer Dario Scardapane (The Punisher), along with EPs and lead directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Loki, Moon Knight), joined the project during the revamp. Charlie Cox was already set to return as Matt Murdock, visually-impaired attorney and masked vigilante of Hell’s Kitchen, along with Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. However, Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page and Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson weren’t included until the much-needed overhaul.
Wilson Fisk made his first MCU appearance in 2021’s Hawkeye as the show’s big bad. His storyline explored his complex relationship with Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), a skilled fighter and commander of the Tracksuit Mafia. She’s loyal to him until she learns from Clint Barton / Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) that it was Fisk who had her father killed. In the finale, Maya shoots him in the eye. The series also introduced Jack Duquesne / Swordsman (Tony Dalton), who reprises his role in Born Again.
Matt Murdock joined the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he represented a newly outed Peter Parker who was framed for the murder of Quentin Beck / Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).
In 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Matt goes to Los Angeles to represent superhero fashion designer Luke Jacobson (Griffin Matthews). He gets the case dismissed and works his charm on Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), at a bar before they team up to rescue Luke from her client Eugene Patilio, aka Leap-Frog (Brandon Stanley). That night concludes with them going back to her place to hook up. In Jen’s finale rewrite, Matt returns, and the two hang out with her family.
The last time we saw Fisk was in 2024’s Echo, pursuing Maya in her hometown in Oklahoma. In their final confrontation, Maya tapped into her ancestral powers, leaving Fisk shook before he goes back to New York ready to run for mayor. There’s also a brief appearance by Daredevil, who fights with Maya early on in her time working for Kingpin’s criminal empire.
For a more comprehensive recap of the interconnecting storylines, including the relevant information from The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, I highly recommend checking out New Rockstars.
Born Again’s two-episode opener takes viewers on a roller coaster of emotions. We catch up with our favorite trio of Nelson, Murdock, and Page as they celebrate at Josie’s. A tragic incident in the pilot sets the tone for the rest of the season and puts Matt on a path that doesn’t involve Daredevil. However, his instinct to save people and fight for justice causes inner conflict because the legal system can also do so much or, as he learns in many cases, does nothing at all.
Like a true comic book villain, Wilson Fisk runs for office and gains support by making promises that prey on the everyday fears of New Yorkers, as well as cracking down on vigilantism. In his absence, his wife, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), has overseen and improved the business. Their strained marriage was already on shaky ground with him disappearing on her for a long time, and his new political goals don’t make reconciliation any easier.
Born Again also introduces several new characters. As the mayor-elect, Fisk is now surrounded by a political entourage — his loyal associate, Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan), Sheila Rivera (Zabryna Guevara), and young go-getter Daniel Blade (Michael Gandolfini). Daniel also knows journalist BB Urich (Genneya Walton), an intrepid reporter following in the footsteps of her late uncle Ben Urich (Vondie Curtis-Hall), a victim of Fisk’s wrath in Daredevil season one.
Being the womanizer that he is, Matt soon finds a new love interest in Dr. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), a therapist interested in the psychology of people, specifically vigilantes like Daredevil and Hector Ayala / White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes), who wear masks while protecting the city.
Former DA Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) and retired NYPD officer Cherry (Clark Johnson) also become staples in Matt’s new life. Both Matt and Fisk have to put a stop to Muse, a Banksy-esque artist and serial killer who uses the blood of his victims to paint disturbing graffiti around the city.
To avoid revealing any spoilers, I’ll just say that Frank Castle / Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Daredevil season 3 villain Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter / Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) play important roles in the season. Yusuf Khan (Mohan Kapur), the father of young hero Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), introduced in Ms. Marvel, last seen in The Marvels, appears in a very fun episode 5.
This season explores how Matt and Fisk try to fight their violent natures by masquerading as changed men on the straight and narrow: Matt as a by-the-book lawyer and Fisk as a reformed mob boss-turned-mayor. Like all great heroes and villains, the two perfectly mirror each other. They both repeatedly declare that they’re “saving the city” but also figuring out how to take each other down.
Fans will be happy to know that Born Again does not compromise on the action-packed violence established in its initial run. It was originally a more toned-down version, but thanks to Cox and D’Onofrio, Marvel scrapped those plans and decided to return to form. In an interview with BGN, Cox described the fight scenes choreographed by stunt coordinators and 2nd unit directors Philip Silvera, who worked on the original series, and Dave Macomber as character-driven.
With its stellar acting performances, compelling writing, and immaculate stunt work, Daredevil: Born Again lives up to the hype and then some. Each episode is more thrilling than the last and strikes the perfect balance of everything we love about the original series and exciting new elements that will continue in upcoming seasons and projects.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres with its first two episodes on March 4, 2025 on Disney+.
