Heavy spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, now on Disney+
In 2015, fans were treated to a hard-hitting Daredevil series on Netflix. Although it only lasted until 2018, those 39 episodes were among the best comic book television shows ever put on the small screen. Flash forward ten years to 2025, and Daredevil has returned, this time on Disney+, with a series titled Daredevil: Born Again.
Disney has not had the best track record when it comes to acquiring well-known and beloved properties and making them their own—Star Wars being the obvious example. I was pleasantly surprised by the adult content and story they delivered. However, some choices still left a bad taste in my mouth, despite some outstanding performances carrying the season through its nine episodes.
The first episode of Daredevil: Born Again left me bewildered, angry, and annoyed, which is not the best way to start a season. One of the key emotional bonds/elements of the Netflix series was the bond between Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). Lawyers Murdock and Nelson run a small law firm with Page by their side, acting as the secretary, researcher, and friend. They were more than the sum of their parts, and as a group, a united and devoted force. This all changes in episode one, “Heaven’s Half Hour,” when Foggy Nelson is killed off by Bullseye (Wilson Bethel). The united force the three had is shattered forever.
It was a gutsy call, I’ll give them that, but what followed made it seem so hollow and pointless. Karen would essentially disappear after that for most of the series, and while their lives would be forever changed, it felt like Foggy was done dirty and deserved so much more. To add to the misery, a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye had some truly atrocious CGI (no idea why), making this moment seem even cheaper. It was hard to believe this is how they chose to kick off the new series, and it made me wonder what the rest of the season would now look like. As it turns out, there was a method to the madness, although, at times, it was maddening.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 has two storylines. One follows Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Matt Murdock as they struggle to keep their dark nature at bay and maintain a somewhat normal existence, to them. The other is the fight against tyranny, with its obvious parallels to real-life situations unfolding right now. Watching Cox and D’Onofrio try to balance their everyday lives with those of their alter egos was impressive, as both realized that the darkness was an inherent part of them. The rationalizations they made to unleash it were both different and similar.
A season-long story arc that featured both familiar characters, such as the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Bullseye, as well as new characters, including White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes) and Muse (Hunter Doohan). All with parts to play in the light versus dark struggle that eventually unleashed both Daredevil and Kingpin on New York City yet again.
RELATED: IDW to Release ‘Event Horizon’ Prequel Comics in August
Even more interesting was the idea of rising up against tyranny, against one man vying to take total control, regardless of the cost. While the real-life parallels are obvious, they didn’t detract from the idea, and the writers cleverly wove this story arc through the nine episodes in some exciting ways. New York has always been a character in its own right in the Daredevil series, and it’s front and center here, pushing back against the chest thumping and corrupt grab for complete control. It’s a tricky arc to maneuver, but it helps the overall story more than it hurts it, giving it legs in some very interesting ways.
However, there are some hurdles this season that can’t be overcome. It takes far too long for the show to find its footing, spending big chunks of time, sometimes entire episodes, on long-winded dialogue and storylines that weren’t necessary. Matt Murdock is simply a lawyer for a long time, and with Daredevil on the shelf for a big chunk of the nine episodes, the writers were left with too much time on their hands. As a result, they worked too hard at making every single moment seem important. Too many scenes fell flat, felt too long, or didn’t work, making a few episodes throwaways that didn’t even need to be there.
Also, try as they might, there is no replacing the dynamic that existed between Foggy, Matt, and Karen. In the Netflix series, they were the heart, the soul, the moral core, and the line in the sand between good and bad. (Okay, Matt/Daredevil blurred that line a bit.) A new love interest was introduced for Matt, that being Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), who had her moments. She walked the dark edge herself more than once, but failed to ignite that consistent spark to fuel their scenes together.
Removing Foggy in episode one and putting Karen on the sidelines was a creative choice, and in the overall scheme of things, it makes some sense. However, it left a significant gap that was never filled, which was a shame, as there were numerous character dynamics and interactions that were overlooked.
RELATED: 5 Must-Read Slasher Comics for Horror Fans
While there was more fascinating than frustrating overall, Daredevil: Born Again left me feeling puzzled and perplexed about how it all played out. Excellent performances were sometimes overshadowed by long scenes and the need to over-explain far too much. With a second season on the way, it will be interesting to see how it picks up following the finale and whether the show intends to continue exploring the same themes or delve deeper into the superhero mythos.
Darkness, tyranny, and personal struggles will need more help if they are going to build on the first season’s success. Hopefully, the show will stop wasting time on things that don’t work as it moves forward.
