The Daredevil series on Netflix helped to kickstart Marvel’s modern TV efforts. It ran for three seasons and directly connected to a number of spin-off shows, including The Punisher and Defenders. Now, Daredevil: Born Again arrives on Disney Plus to continue that series, and it feels very much like a proper evolution, both for the character, and Marvel Television as a whole.
Born Again is essentially Daredevil season four. While you don’t have to be an expert on the first three seasons to understand what’s going on, it certainly helps so you can at least understand the pre-existing relationships between characters. This is a new series in name only, and directly references a number of characters and events from the Netflix (now Disney Plus) show.
Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, and the rest of the returning cast all slip back into their Daredevil characters with ease. It does not feel at all like a decade has passed since season three of the Netflix series, aside from D’Onofrio losing a little weight (which has almost no impact on Kingpin as a character). The newcomers all have a proper role to play, and mostly feel like fully fleshed out characters by the end of the nine episode first season.
BB Ulrich (Genneya Walton), Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), Nikki M. James (Kirsten McDuffie), Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), and Cherry (Clark Johnson) all add to the Daredevil mythos and feel as though they’ve been playing in this world for the last three seasons, despite being new characters. Gandolfini, Johnson, and Walton are the standouts, but all of these actors went toe-to-toe with D’Onofrio and the rest of the main cast.
While Born Again is mostly on par with the Netflix series, it raises the stakes when it comes to graphic violence. Marvel and Disney Plus showed they weren’t afraid to show a little blood during the Echo series, but Born Again kicks that up a notch. Blood sprays and bones break to the point of likely forcing some people to look away from the screen at times.
All that said, the violence isn’t too over the top, and definitely fits with what’s going on in these respective scenes. It’s a good sign that Marvel and Disney aren’t afraid to showcase the more violent side of the comics. The added violence goes a long way in making the series feel more grounded and realistic. Charlie Cox also helps by really selling the hits, as he slumps over in a corner, or limps to his next destination.
One aspect of Daredevil that wasn’t touched on much in the Netflix series is the character’s acrobatics. While some of that was showcased in the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series, we see a bit more of it in Born Again. Unfortunately, the CG in some of these moments felt a bit off, but that doesn’t take away from the action and fight sequences.
The Netflix series set a new bar for TV fight sequences, and while it’s difficult to say Born Again surpasses that high bar, at the very least it meets those lofty expectations. Daredevil uses his weaponry much more, making the fights feel more like grounded comic battles rather than the more basic fistfights of the Netflix seasons.
What may disappoint some fans is the lack of Daredevil in costume. The series has a very clear focus on Matt Murdock the lawyer, who is seen far more often than Daredevil. However, the lawyer aspects of the show are done well, and offer compelling cases that help keep audiences entertained. By the end of the nine episode run, there’s plenty of suited Daredevil action, but there are certainly times when Born Again feels more like a lawyer series than a more traditional Marvel show.
Daredevil: Born Again is a proper evolution of what began on Netflix. While it helps to have seen the first three seasons, you don’t need to know much more about the MCU to really get into the events of the show. The writing is sharp, the fight scenes are entertaining, and there’s plenty of variety, from Matt’s love interests to his battles with Kingpin. This is the Marvel series fans of street level characters have been waiting for. Now bring on Luke Cage and the rest of the Netflix heroes (maybe with a new Iron Fist).
About Daredevil: Born Again
Synopsis: Matt Murdock finds himself on a collision course with Wilson Fisk when their past identities begin to emerge.
Creators: Matt Corman, Chris Ord
Stars: Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Clark, Johnson, Michael Gandolfini
Average Episode Runtime: 50 Minutes
Number of Episodes: 9
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
- Bryan Dawsonhttps://geeknewsnetwork.net/author/bdawson1/
