Rob Reviews: Daredevil – Born Again

Yesterday, I finally finished watching Daredevil: Born Again; or perhaps I should call it that Daredevil: Born Again – season 1. All I can say is the wait was worth it!

The Good

Born… had more than its share of production problems. About halfway through production of season 1, Disney/Marvel did something unexpected. Amid diminishing box office returns and TV ratings, Disney asked the fans for feedback. We, the fans, spoke. We explained what we liked and what we didn’t like.

And Disney/Marvel listened.

As a result, they scrapped nearly everything from the original first half season of Born Again. Series leads Charlie Cox (Daredevil/Matt Murdock) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk) were joined by the now returning Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Hensen (Karen Page and “Foggy” Nelson, respectively). EVERYTHING that made Netflix’s Daredevil series great is back: the grit, the violence, the profanity. Any fears fans may have had about the aeries being “Disney-fied” are quashed in the first episode.

Daredevil: Born Again draws inspiration, at least in part, from its comic book counterpart. Following the death of a close friend, Matt Murdock decided to hang up his Daredevil horns; focusing exclusively on his legal career. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk/the kingpin returns to New York City, where he decides to run for and is eventually elected mayor of New York City.

But, things are never clear cut when it comes to Daredevil and The Kingpin. A new serial killer is on the loose in New York City. The newly elected Mayor Fisk declares war vigilantes. All this takes place while Murdock investigates the death of his friend and uncover that death’s connection to the overarching season plot.

The Bad

The title “born again” applies to both Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk. Try as they might, they can never fully escape their alter egos: Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively. But, at least for Murdock, it feels like this trope has been overplayed to death. I’ve been watching season three of the Netflix series concurrently with Born Again. That show also deals with Murdock coming to grips with his dual identities. In season three of the Netflix series, Murdoch again spends much of his time fighting crime as an attorney; only to be drawn back into being “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” once again.

The ugly

All the grit, and all the gore that you’ve come to expect from Daredevil is present in Born Again. No complaints here, but the show does have a couple of particularly gruesome fight sequences. It seems as if the show is always feel the need to outdo themselves in each passing season. I would not recommend the show for young children.

FINAL TAKE: highly recommended! Marvel television, knocked out of the park with this re-launch of, arguably the best received of the Marvel Netflix characters. Based on his appearances on She Hulk and in Spider-Man No Way Home, it was definitely clear that Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil was firmly established as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I can’t wait for season two and the upcoming Punisher special.

Daredevil: Born Again, is currently streaming on Disney+

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