While many fans of the original Netflix TV show, Daredevil, were elated when the program was revived for Disney+ as Daredevil: Born Again, quite a few had complaints about the new TV show. Originally, the revival was supposed to be a soft reboot of the original Netflix show, but Marvel Studios was not happy with the episodes filmed and retooled it with new footage. The result was a strange hybrid that at times matched the greatness of the original show and other times it fell short. Still, Daredevil: Born Again was a fine TV show with its faults, it just was that it could not compare to the greatness of the Netflix show. That changed, however, with Daredevil: Born Again’s second season.

The second season of Daredevil: Born Again just concluded its eight-episode run and it was very evident from the first episode to the last that it reached the heights of the intense drama and gritty superhero fights that made the Netflix TV show so renowned.

When the first episode “The Northern Star” begins, blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), who is actually the costumed viglante Daredevil with superhuman senses, operates in the shadows with a dedicated group to undermine the criminal mayor of New York City, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is nicknamed the Kingpin. In the first episode, Daredevil raids a cargo ship approaching Brooklyn that is smuggling weapons and is willfully sunk by its captain during the raid to scrub any evidence linking the shipment to Fisk. As Murdock and his allies try to expose Fisk’s crimes and Fisk uses every means possible to cover up his link to the shipment, a series of events pits Murdock and Fisk into a forceful confrontation that will determine the fate of the city and its citizens.

The overrall storyline of Fisk’s iron grip on the city and the reign of terror caused by his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF), who are made up of corrupt and violent cops, was much more compelling and distressingly relevant to our times. We are shown how oppressive the AVTF are on the locals, and how they begin to fight back after being cowed for so long. We also witness how Fisk’s rule negatively impacts everyone, including the main characters who either suffer from internal ethical struggles or just do their best to survive and heroically try to expose Fisk.

While the first season struggled with its new supporting characters that really did not engage audiences, here in the second season, they came into their own and added their mark to the series. Take for example, Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), the young deputy mayor of communications. When first introduced last season, Blake came off as naive, easily enthralled by Mayor Fisk, and eager to win Fisk’s approval. But in the second season, Blake comes to fear the tyrannical Fisk and questions his own loyalty especially when it comes to dealing with BB Urich (Geneya Walton), a journalist who is out to expose Fisk. Then there is Heather Glenn (Margatita Levieva), a therapist and former girlfriend of Murdock. She also gets enthralled by Fisk after working for him and later begins to lose her sanity after her ordeal of being kidnapped in the first season by the masked serial killer known as the Muse. How they and other characters wind up by the end of the season felt organic and rounded out the characters so that we understood them better.

Of course, the main characters like Murdock, Fisk, and Murdock’s girlfriend Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), were well developed with captivating arcs that explored their inner emotional turmoils. Fisk certainly belongs in the conversation as one of the best live-action villains ever presented on film or TV thanks to how he is written and D’Onofrio’s intense performance. The man is a terrifying mountain of barely controlled rage and sensitivity who more and more becomes unhinged. Meanwhile, Murdock struggles to defend a broken justice system by taking extra-judicial measures to preserve it and barely does so. Yet, thanks to his skill as a lawyer, in one of the most riveting scenes in the series takes place in the final episode “The Southern Cross” Murdock redeems the law when he confronts Fisk in a courtroom. Unlike their previous encounters that ended with bloody fistfights, this confrontation was one of pure will and words, but it was still intensely compelling. How the confrontation ended was one of the most memorable moments in the TV show.

One of the MVPs of the season was hands down the insane assassin Bullseye (Wilson Bethel). Once a disgraced FBI agent manipulated by Fisk in the original series down a path of crime, Bullseye, otherwise known as Benjamin Poindexter, sets off on personal quest of redemption. In the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, Bullseye murdered Murdock’s best friend Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and ever since then he wants to amend for his sin. This sets him off an a murderous rampage that culminated in the episode “Gloves Off” where he skillfully takes out an entire team of AVTF agents in a diner. That was one of the most inventively filmed action sequences in the TV show and demonstated how deadly Bullseye is. Thankfully, the series did not salvage him or try to re-invent him to be some kind of anti-hero, but his actions helped significantly propel the show’s narrative.

Another pleasing aspect of Daredevil: Born Again, which fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) should enjoy is its connection to the MCU. It’s not over the top with pointless cameos by established MCU characters but the subtle connections are visible, such as an establishing cityscape shot that features the Avengers Tower or a name drop. More impressive is that this TV show is clearly a continuation of the original Netflix Daredevil with flashback scenes, references and even character appearances. The most joyful returns were characters from other Netflix Marvel TV shows like Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and even Luke Cage (Mike Colter). Their appearances reinforce a sense of continuity and herald an eagerly awaited Defenders reunion that will take place in the third season of Daredevil: Born Again. This is much appreciated and helps cement the relevance of both Daredevil TV shows.

The future is unknown for Daredevil: Born Again after its upcoming third season. The ratings for the second season were not the greatest, which is a shame since it rises to the level of greatness from the Netflix era. Hopefully word of mouth will increase attention to this TV show. Perhaps an appearance by Cox in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day (which is not a guarantee and do not expect his character to don the Daredevil outfit) or any other MCU film will steer more fans to give Daredevil: Born Again a deserved chance.

José Soto