Tag Archives: Bullseye

May 9 2026

Daredevil: Born Again Rises Again To Greatness

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

Apr 18 2025

Daredevil’s Long-Awaited Return in Daredevil: Born Again

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…

Continue reading →
Nov 4 2018

Daredevil Season Three Is A Triumph!

Daredevil S3 poster

When Netflix dropped the third season of Daredevil a few weeks ago, viewers witnessed why Daredevil is the best of the Marvel Netflix shows. As the first of these streaming shows, Daredevil was an immediate hit with critics and fans, although it faltered in its second season. Then following the missteps of other Marvel Netflix shows, many doubted the quality of them, including Daredevil. Fortunately, the third season of the Marvel superhero show re-affirmed our faith with a triumphant season.

The third season takes place after the events of The Defenders where Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), the blind superhero with enhanced senses, was presumed dead. He barely survived and is in the care of Sister Maggie Grace (Joanne Whalley) in the church where he grew up. As he recovers, the notorious crime boss, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), is in prison thanks to Daredevil and carries out a complex scheme to get out of prison and manipulating members of the FBI to serve him as he re-enters public life. Part of the scheme includes destroying Daredevil’s reputation by having an impersonator murder people in cold blood. While this goes on, Matt goes through a crisis of self and faith as he struggles with his ideals when dealing with Fisk and his lackeys. One of them happens to be FBI Agent Ben Poindexter (Wilson Bethel), a deeply disturbed man with a supernaturally deadly aim. Fans know that this is the villain Bullseye and he is more than a match for Daredevil. He is so deadly with his skills that he defeats our hero on more than one occasion, and these fight scenes were actually terrifying to watch with their brutality.

daredevil vs bullseye

Speaking of fight scenes, the third season of Daredevil continues the tradition of presenting “one-take” fight scenes that are so memorable and the one shown in the fourth episode (“Blindsided”) does not disappoint fight fans. In fact, the fight scene, which takes place in a prison, probably tops these scenes with its elaborate and long nature. It features savage fisticuffs, lines of dialogue and a well-choreographed riot scene that all lasts over ten minutes! One has to wonder with the intensity of these fight scenes why it is so difficult for the other Marvel Netflix shows to match the ones featured in Daredevil.

On the other hand, other episodes pack emotional punches and are haunting character studies. One of them, “Karen” explores the back story of Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and it features some powerful acting by Woll as we learn she is not the innocent person Matt and his buddy Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) believe her to be. There are several surprising twists and revelations. Some are inspired by the comic books while others keep us guessing. We’re never sure who will live or die and its often unexpected and tragic.

What makes Daredevil such a triumph is that it focuses on characters, which are perfectly played by topnotch talent. Cox, D’Onofrio and Bethel are the standouts in the stellar cast as they exude raging demons within them and we see how each of the three grapple with their inner turmoil. Charlie Cox continues to sell his Matt Murdock as a decent, tortured man who is pushed to the edge and has to find a way to center himself. Meanwhile, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin (called by that name for the first time in this Marvel Netflix show) is a terrifying monster who is barely able to control his inner fury. There are some wincing moments when he lets his volcanic temper explode which you can’t help but watch. Bethel’s Poindexter is a true psychotic but great pains are taken to show what led this FBI agent to fall from grace. There is a new character who has an impressive arc. That being FBI Agent Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali), an honorable man who is tragically ensnared in Wilson Fisk’s complex web.

The season may come off a bit slow in the first couple of episodes but after having seen the entirety of Daredevil season three it is clear that the quieter pace of the early episodes were needed to set up the characters and situations. The payoff starts fairly soon and it is worth the wait.

Daredevil season three proves that not only is it the best of the Marvel Netflix shows but the best superhero TV show out right now. It would be a shame if Netflix were to cancel it given the recent uncertainty of the Marvel Netflix shows. The showrunners were hoping to have the show run five seasons and there is plenty of story left to tell with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Besides without not given too much away, it would be nice to see Matt don the red suit again.

Lewis T. Grove