Daredevil: Born Again is a thrill-ride. A gritty, compelling thrill-ride.
The Disney Plus show is a sequel series to Netflix's Daredevil, which is widely regarded as one of the best Marvel shows of all time. How on earth could any kind of revival ever hope to compete? Pretty darn well if it's anything like Daredevil: Born Again. That's how!
The show opens on a haunting note, with a strong two-part premiere that is sure to have its viewers in a meltdown, but having viewed the whole season, I can say with ease that it maintains that pace throughout, delivering a batch of nine episodes that is almost as vivid as its predecessor in some ways, and even more so in others.
Same but different
When Daredevil: Born Again opens, you are immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia. And it's beautiful, truly beautiful, to find yourself immersed back in that world. To see Matt Murdock, Karen Page, and Foggy Nelson together again just like old times. It's everything it should be, and so much more. But it doesn't stay the same. It can't stay the same, for Born Again is its own monster, and it has its own story to tell. This isn't the fourth season of Daredevil, it's the first chapter in a new story. And that's something that I struggled with at first, but it's something that can be overlooked because the new series does an exceptional job of sticking the landing.
One of the best things about the Netflix series was the quality of writing, and that translates into Born Again too. Matt Murdock's new chapter is as compelling as his previous one was, largely because the show does a great job of placing the focus on him and his struggles with grief, with loss, with change. He's always been a bit of a loose canon who spirals out of control, so seeing something that like that again could be repetitive, but the Disney Plus show handles it well, taking a new approach to highlight the nuance in the storytelling.
The newer characters don't quite have the grit or depth that Foggy and Karen have in the original series, but there is potential there that is realized throughout the season. The introduction of Heather Glenn creates an interesting dynamic between her and Matt as the two clash over their differing views on vigilantes. It allows the show to further explore the conversations that were only touched upon in the original series between Matt and Karen. And that plays nicely into the season's overarching story.
Vigilantism gets the spotlight placed upon it because of Wilson Fisk's run for office, which was previously teased in Echo. The former Kingpin's mayoral campaign is at the heart of the season as he vows to outlaw vigilantes, much like his comic book counterpart did. It's particularly thrilling because now the world of Daredevil is officially tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is full of vigilantes, allowing for some fun nods and references to the wider MCU throughout.
I mentioned dynamics earlier and there is no doubt about it that the best one of them all is that of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio share such a natural chemistry that you can't manufacture and you can just feel the weight of their history in every one of their scenes. Born Again does a great job of leaning on that history to tell this new story, highlighting the unique parallels between the pair throughout the season, making their inevitable renewal of their rivalry all the more of a compelling watch.
Cox hasn't lost a step as the titular character, making every scene that he isn't in that suit as much of an experience as the ones in which he is. Matt is edgier in public than he was in the Netflix show and Cox handles this change well, as the evolution in his performance shows us the journey that the character has been on. He's more confident, while also somewhat reckless at the same time. That's the anomaly that is Matt Murdock, and Cox handles it brilliantly.
D'Onofrio continues to be a scene-stealer in Born Again, ensuring that the legacy he has crafted as one of the small screen's greatest ever villains remains intact. It's intriguing watching Fisk try, and occasionally struggle, to fit into this new lifestyle as a political figure that he has crafted for himself. But the Kingpin is still in there, and when he comes out, D'Onofrio is exceptional as always.
All of the returning supporting cast members are wonderful, effortlessly slotting back into their roles, but it's Ayelet Zurer who perhaps shines brightest. Vanessa has her biggest storyline yet in Born Again and seeing Zurer thrive in the role just highlights why Marvel made the right choice in bringing her back for the revival. You can feel the gravity in the scenes that she shares with D'Onofrio's Fisk and that enhances every one of them.
Although the storyline and visual presentation in Daredevil: Born Again is different, all of the elements that we have come to know and love from Daredevil remain there. The fight choreography is exquisite, with the show very quickly reminding you how innovative the Daredevil team can be with two outstandingly choregraphed fight sequences in the first two episodes. It's an emotionally exhausting experience watching Daredevil give - and take - so much punishment, and that's how you know it recaptured the spirit of the original.
It also isn't afraid to push boundaries like its predecessor, with villain Muse being among the most terrifying to ever grace the screen. There could have been a little more focus on the character from time-to-time to truly allow audiences to feel the weight of the danger that he poses, but the show succeeds in its attempts to build him up off-screen threat. And it also isn't afraid to showcase that violence and maturity that the Netflix show was known for, with Muse offering up some of the most unnerving visuals of the whole season.
The pacing is strong for the most part too, with a slight blip midway through, but that paves the way for an explosive build towards the season finale that confronts you with more ferocity than the Kingpin himself.
Daredevil: Born Again is violent, gritty, and more ambitious than you can imagine, taking big swings and landing all of them. It tells a remarkable story that is everything bit as thrilling as its predecessor, making the journey of its season equally as fulfilling as the destination. It is, without question, one of the Marvel's very best Disney Plus shows.
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