Most people agree that the original Daredevil TV show that streamed on Netflix was the pinnacle of superhero TV shows. Buoyed by powerful performances by Charlie Cox as the blind lawyer and superhero, Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio as his arch nemesis, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Daredevil was dark, gritty, and intense. Sadly, the show was cancelled by Netflix, and it would take some time before Marvel Studios resurrected the TV show and its characters in the newest Disney + Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) TV show, Daredevil: Born Again.

The main question fans of Daredevil had was whether the new TV show could measure up to the old one? The answer is yes, for the most part.

It is fairly well known that when Daredevil: Born Again was first announced, it was not clear if the original TV show was part of the MCU and it seemed as if it wasn’t even though Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk appeared in properties like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye and Echo. This was evident by the Kingpin’s portrayal in Hawkeye where he displayed previously unmentioned superhuman strength and wore more leisurely clothing. Not much was known about the original episodes of Daredevil: Born Again, except that it did not capture the spirit of Daredevil and Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige, was not impressed with what he saw, which was reportedly more of a legal drama where Murdock didn’t wear his Daredevil costume until the sixth episode. So, Feige decided to retool the TV show by bringing in a new creative team, which filmed three new episodes and re-edited the original six episodes of Daredevil: Born Again.

Looking at the complete first season of Daredevil: Born Again it is very obvious that the episodes varied in quality between the revamped episodes and three episodes done by the new team. It’s not that the six original episodes were bad, they were fine, but they lacked the oomph and high standards of the original Daredevil that the newer episodes were able to match. This is not a knock against Daredevil: Born Again because it ranks as one of the best Disney + MCU TV shows. There is a lot to admire about it overall, and it is nearly perfect. It’s just frustrating that there were undeniable flaws with the season that prevent it from reaching the heights of seasons one and three of Daredevil (the second season had its issues). But it’s important to note that the first season of Daredevil: Born Again starts off powerfully strong and ends on a similar high note, which will continue with the second season.

There will be spoilers…

Daredevil: Born Again begins a few years after the third and final season of Daredevil. Matt is enjoying some quiet time with his friends and partners Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Moll) at a local bar. But Foggy is soon killed by Benjamin Pointdexter (Wilson Bethel), the insane assassin Bullseye, which pushes Daredevil past his breaking point as he tried to kill Bullseye. These events cause Murdock to abandon his Daredevil identity as the show shifts forward a year later.

Matt is now running a successful corporate law firm with his new partner Kristen McDuffie (Nikki M. James) and has a new girlfriend, Dr. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), a psychologist who is actually providing couples therapy to Wilson Fisk and his estranged wife Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer). In the time period between the two shows, Fisk left New York City as his wife took over his criminal empire in his absence. After Fisk returned to the city, he decided to run for mayor. Meanwhile, Matt is trying to live out a normal life as a lawyer while grieving for his friend Foggy. Eventually, Matt and Fisk meet, and both men decide to stay out of each other’s business as long as they leave behind their former lifestyles.

That as the saying goes is easier said than done as throughout the season, both men eventually give in, resume their former lives and face the consequences of their actions. The fact that they would resume their secret lives was evident in the final moments of the first episode “Heaven’s Half Hour”, which was especially captivating. As Wilson Fisk celebrates his win after being elected mayor of New York City from a lofty rooftop bathed in heavenly blue light, Matt wanders through a hellish urban landscape strewn with rowdy revelers, smoke and stark red lighting. Eventually the two men face each other as the episode’s soundtrack played TV on the Radio’s “Staring at the Sun”; to say the imagery was mesmerizing is an understatement.

Throughout the rest of the season, Matt struggles with his decision to remain retired as a superhero when he defends in court an imprisoned superhero, Hector Ayala aka the White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes), and later when the Muse (Hunter Doohan), a mysterious serial killer who uses the blood of his victims to pain murals throughout the city’s buildings, comes into prominence.

At the same time, Fisk begins to rule the city with an iron fist and develop a port project in Red Hook, Brooklyn by strongarming the city’s elite. He also creates an anti-vigilante task force made up of corrupt and brutish police officers who indulge too freely in violent behavior. As this goes on, Fisk must contend with rival threats to his criminal empire and his failing marriage which was made worse after Vanessa cheated on him.

The quality of these revamped episodes varied with the early episodes being stronger, especially the tragic arc of Hector Ayala’s story. The late Kamar de los Reyes gave a particularly powerful performance as the beleaguered superhero who felt forced to protect the city’s citizens after Daredevil seemingly disappeared. His final fate was very heart wrenching and enraging, though it more or less followed his story in the Daredevil comic books. His actions have a major impact on Matt who decides to don the Daredevil costume after the Muse abducts Hector’s niece, Angela del Toro (Camila Rodriguez).

As interesting as the Muse seemed his story arc felt a bit rushed and disappointing. The character did not have much set up, his identity was fairly obvious, and his backstory was not impressive. In the comic books, the Muse had this ability to block Daredevil’s superhuman senses, and unfortunately, the live-action version of the character lacked this trait. It’s regrettable since this trait would have made the Muse more of a threat to Daredevil.

This arc takes place around the middle of the season, which was when the series was at its weakest. This doesn’t mean that the show was not worth watching, it just was not as captivating as the early episodes or the final two episodes. It was clear that the middle episodes underwent extensive editing to salvage them, and the attempts worked. They were watchable, just not up there in terms of quality.

Why? Some of the sub plots like the criminal gangs trying to outmaneuver the Kingpin felt flat or were not fully developed. Some of the expositions were clumsy and the pace was off at times. They should have shown more instead of telling. What would have made the Hector Ayala arc more captivating was if we actually saw him as the White Tiger in action. The most we had was some newsreel footage on a smartphone. The same thing happened when the Swordsman was shown in action. Ordinarily, the return of the Swordsman’s civilian identity of Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton who first played the role in Hawkeye) should have been an inventive way to tie Daredevil: Born Again to Hawkeye and the MCU. But Duquesne was underutilized, which is a shame since Dalton plays the character with a lot of aplomb.

Another issue with the show was that some of the new characters were not as interesting as the old ones like Foggy and Karen. They were sorely missed in the show, although Foggy’s death was a logical plot device to drive forward Matt’s inner turmoil. Let’s just hope Marvel Studios doesn’t cheapen the death by resurrecting Foggy. On that note, Henson is reported to play the role in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, and hopefully it will be in flashback scenes. Getting back to the new characters, many of the more interesting ones like BB Urich (Genneya Walton), an independent media reporter who covers Fisk, had thin storylines. She was the niece of Ben Urich, a reporter who was killed by Fisk in Daredevil, but she did not reveal her suspicions about Fisk until late in the season. Other characters who were supposed to fill in the roles of Matt’s supporting characters in Daredevil were just not as interesting. Did anyone believe that Heather Glenn could measure up to Karen Page? The answer was clear when Page showed up later in the show and the chemistry between her and Matt was obvious.

As the season came to a close, Bullseye escaped custody and targeted the Kingpin for murder, which brought him into conflict with the assassin. Also, the activities of the anti-vigilante task force increased and got Daredevil’s reluctant ally, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) to defend Daredevil when he confronted the corrupt cops in the season finale “Straight to Hell”.

Thankfully, unlike most MCU TV shows, Daredevil: Born Again ends on a high note, and we won’t have to wait years for the next season or even an announcement as is typical with most MCU TV shows. The increased quality should continue in season two as the new creative team behind the show will be fully in control.

There is so much to admire about Daredevil: Born Again. As mentioned, the performances from all the actors were exemplary. They inject a lot of nuances into their roles, especially Cox and D’Onofrio. Despite some clumsy scripts, the themes explored were noteworthy and added much to the characters’ developments. The camera work was very inventive and underscored the emotional turmoil and world views of many characters. Special shout out has to go to the amazing stunt work and fight choreography. The fight scenes involving Frank Castle were very brutal and graphic. Actually, the entirety of the series was graphically violent and wincing as characters’ bones were viciously broken and blood gushed out everywhere from savage wounds.

Daredevil: Born Again is definitely not for the kids and is an inspired adult departure from the typically safe MCU TV show. The adult nature of Daredevil: Born Again was very welcome for the MCU and demonstrated how diverse the cinematic universe has become. It’s a relief to know that in a universe with space gods, sorcerers and superhumans there is room for relatable, street-level stories. Marvel Studios, don’t be afraid to take chances and let’s see more of this and maybe the rest of the street-level Defenders and even other MCU characters who could easily fit in season two of Daredevil: Born Again.

José Soto