DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN is a new series releasing on Disney+ this week and is also a sequel to three seasons of Daredevil on Netflix, which are also now playing on D+. While I have been lucky enough to see the entire nine-episode season, I will be keeping this review mostly vague, to avoid spoiling anything from this upcoming season.
I will start off by saying, if you have not watched the original series, I do think you will still enjoy this show, but nowhere near on the level if you are familiar with Daredevil. It is a true sequel to those seasons, and a massive piece of this new season is regarding Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, and how he deals with personal issues with his best friends, as well as grief and loss. At the very least, I would recommend watching a detailed summary video, because for an orphan like Matt Murdock, his friends are truly his family and all he has left in the world.
Speaking of Matt Murdock, Charlie Cox continues to make this the role of a lifetime. Daredevil, Matt in the suit, somewhat gets put on the backburner in this season, and Cox absolutely shines here. As previously, he is a British man performing a perfect American accent, while also playing a visually impaired lawyer, but also the nuance and emotion in this season is next level.
Without going into spoilers, I did say Daredevil himself is somewhat put on the backburner this season. In his place is a fantastic and well portrayed legal drama, set in the MCU, at least until things get crazy.
While there is action and plenty of it, Born Again does a great job keeping the audience interested with these court cases. Speaking of the action, this is by far the hardest R- rated action we’ve ever seen from a Disney+ show, and it is awesome. They don’t shy away from gunshots, blood, and broken bones here, and it all feels grounded in this exaggerated MCU, which is a nice change of pace.
The other star of this series is Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. Born Again is adapting a pretty big ark from the comics in its own way, that you will learn about by the end of episode one. Fisk is portrayed with immense nuance by D'Onofrio, to the point where you aren’t sure if he is the villain he once was, or if he truly wants to help the people of New York City. That nuance keeps you on your toes the entire season, making you feel the possible threat, even when you aren’t sure you should be.
Overall, Born Again is a massive success in my eyes, easily in my top two favorite MCU shows. I do believe I may have benefited from the ability to binge the season, instead of the upcoming two-episode premiere followed by weekly releases. That could be a negative towards pacing, but that is for you all to decide once you see it. The show has some expendable new characters, and the lack of Daredevil could be a negative for some, but the focus is purposefully on Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, and they are both a 10/10 here.
Bring on Season Two!
DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN launches on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Logan Wischmeier (Contributing Editor) is a Texas native and a massive fan of all genres of film. You can find him talking about movies on YouTube or in line for the latest Star Wars/Comic Book film.Click Here to check out Logan's Articles.