Review: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 1 Showcases The Best And Worst Of Marvel

Following Netflix’s Daredevil – especially the stellar third season – is no easy feat. But with Daredevil: Born Again being under the “official” Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella, the expectation was for the Man Without Fear to soar to new heights.

However, the MCU’s approach hampers rather than enhances its characters at this point, as the corporate interference becomes the franchise’s worst enemy right now. That isn’t to say that the show’s awful, but it’s a clear-cut case of a tale of two stories in a single season. Mild spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 to follow. 

Much like Matt Murdock, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ suffers an identity crisis

In September 2023, Marvel Studios made the decision to change the direction of Daredevil: Born Again. Six episodes had been filmed, but the company wasn’t happy with the tone and the fact that Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock only suits up as Daredevil by the fourth episode. So, the choice was made to tweak the six filmed episodes and rework everything else to make it more linear with the storyline and attitude from the original Daredevil series.

Anyone who knows this fact should be able to see which is the original footage and which is everything shot post-September 2023, because it stands out like a sore thumb in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. For example: The additions of Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page are shoehorned into the story – namely the first episode. In the case of Foggy, though, his inclusion becomes the root cause for Matt hanging up the horned costume (hasn’t this already been a plot point from a previous season?); nonetheless, this feels like a major disservice to two characters who were fundamental to the success of the original Daredevil.

Also, that whole thing about Matt not being Daredevil for too long a stretch in the series? The same holds true in this new version, as the character doesn’t suit up as often as fans might have expected after Marvel’s initial concern about a Daredevil show without Daredevil in it.

The new characters don’t add anything to a story told many times before

It’s impossible to go into the story details of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 without talking about spoilers, so let’s keep it as brief and vague as possible. Even though this season is only nine episodes long, there are various subplots at play. The main storyline is that Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) runs for mayor of New York City in a time in which Matt Murdock retires his superhero alter ego – but for how long? At the same time, there’s a mysterious serial killer-esque villain named Muse who terrorizes New York. Then, there’s a vigilante whom Matt agrees to defend in a court, while the city’s officials develop an antagonizing relationship toward those who wear masks.

There’s a lot going on in these nine episodes (and even more that isn’t mentioned), with some of it being riveting and the rest fodder. More importantly, none of this material turns out to be new to the genre, as these story beats have been explored in other recent superhero shows and movies. 

What does elevate Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 is the chemistry between Charlie Cox’s Matt and D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. When they meet again, the tension proves to be palpable, as no one knows when the fireworks will explode. Even off screen, their resentment of each other never fades, as these two remain locked as mortal enemies – for better or worse.

In fact, it’s safe to say that it’s Cox and D’Onofrio who keep the viewer invested in this season, as no other character leaves a substantial mark. Nikki M. James’ Kirsten McDuffie gets introduced as Matt’s new partner at the law firm, but she feels blander than a supporting attorney from Suits Season 8. Similarly, Margarita Levieva’s Heather Glenn might be Matt’s worst love interest yet, being reduced to a character who does the most bizarre things from one moment to the next. Considering how good the previous supporting characters were in Daredevil, it feels like this season’s creative overhaul might have watered down certain performances or story arcs.

Come for the action but understand it’s through an MCU lens

Obviously, fans want to know about the action, since the original Daredevil show featured some of the best fight scenes of its era. Again, like the rest of the show, it’s a tale of two stories here. Unquestionably, this is the most violent MCU property yet, and the violence outdoes everything that occurred on Daredevil. Yet, just because it shows more guts and gore doesn’t make it better. While Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 tries to recreate the gritty and brutal action scenes of its predecessor, it forgets what made it successful to begin with: The realism.

Daredevil‘s fights could have been straight of The Raid in terms of how fluid and real they felt between trained fighters. Yes, there are still traces of this in Daredevil: Born Again – and there’s a fun staircase battle between the Man Without Fear and Bullseye in the first episode and Punisher’s big gung-ho appearance doesn’t disappoint – but it receives the Marvel treatment where the super-heroics and -theatrics take center stage. In other words, the tough fighting from before gets cleaned up to look more like it would in a polished MCU movie at times – which is something that takes away from the street-level feel of the original Daredevil series.

But is ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 1 any good?

Taking into account how dreadful Marvel’s Disney+ series have been lately, Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 instantly jumps to the top of the pack as one of the better shows. When the Marvelisms get out of the way, it’s a compelling and exciting program that should satisfy Daredevil fans. That being said, it’s weaker than its predecessor, Netflix’s Daredevil, especially the first half of the season. Perhaps with Season 2 being shot from scratch – and hopefully with no creative overhauls – it might be able to be the show it wants to be. Don’t let showrunner Dario Scardapane’s comments to SFX about Daredevil: Born Again being similar to The Penguin fool you, though; this show isn’t in the same league, so set expectations accordingly.