It has been nearly seven years since season three of Netflix’s Daredevil launched for audiences to marathon in a weekend. The third season surprisingly (but loosely) covered many of the story beats the comic series from 1986— Frank Miller’s Born Again— covered before the new season of the same name was confirmed. Now, fans are treated to another Matt Murdock-centred soft-reboot in Daredevil: Born Again, where the magic from Netflix has been recaptured. Daredevil: Born Again explores the duality between crime and justice, man and monster, and light and darkness better than most crime dramas.
First off, for mostly anything in the soft reboot to make sense (especially in the opening segment) audiences should watch seasons one through three of Daredevil. That may seem like common sense, but the series has done an excellent job of ‘sticking to one branch’ when outlining the story tree for previous seasons. Born Again utilizes so much of the audience emotionality baked in from the earlier seasons that it’s a disservice to watch Born Again without experiencing the first birth.
This is made apparent by the redone opening theme in Born Again. The Netflix Original captured the full essence of the crimson-clad hero in the small 30-second opening featuring a bloodied city and a bloodier hero. Marvel Studios kicked it up a notch, with a calculated rework that embraces the crumbling state of the main character’s mind throughout episodes 1-9. The opening, and the sad remix to the adventurous Netflix theme evokes a sense of extreme discomfort and injects anxiety straight into the audience’s veins.
After the opening events of the first episode, the theme becomes a regrettable tattoo that won’t wipe away and haunts the watcher in despair. Composers John Paesano and Braden Kimball laid the foundation in Netflix’s Daredevil, and The Newton Brothers picked up right where they left off in Daredevil: Born Again. Born Again features a true sound masterclass for a show that needs it the most.
The opening events of Born Again are easily its most memorable scene that lays the groundwork for the following eight episodes. Matt Murdock (Cox) has given up his crimson cowl and his humble law office and escapes Hell’s Kitchen, with series mainstays Foggy Nelson (Henson) and Karen Page (Ann Woll) taking a backseat to the on-again-off-again romance between Wilson Fisk (D’Onofrio) and Daredevil.
“Daredevil: Born Again explores the duality between crime and justice, man and monster, and light and darkness better than most crime dramas.”
Daredevil: Born Again inserts the former Kingpin into the role of main adversary once again. When Fisk and Murdock are on the screen it’s impossible to look away. Cox and D’Onofrio have not been on screen together in six years, and watching these mortal adversaries in their respective roles again is pure magic. These scenes were hungry for my eyes, and I ate well.
This character dynamic between Fisk and Murdock cannot be understated. Both men are haunted by their past, and they engage in a cold war of sorts between the hiding in plain sight Kingpin and the struggling to move on Daredevil. The scenes where the two main players in the story are portrayed as mere men fighting (and losing) against their demons, while fighting (and losing) against themselves is poetry in motion.
The absence of Page and Nelson is sorely felt (with the latter being possibly the most likeable character in Marvel), but Marvel introduces new comrades with a former New York Assistant District Attorney Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) and retired cop Cherry (Clark Johnson) who have a keen sense of justice and play their roles well. When Born Again tries to deliver itself, it does stumble numerous times with pacing issues and confusing point-of-view switches that are genuinely bewildering.
“…Daredevil: Born Again delivers a story that is both a reboot and a continuation, and Showrunner Dario Scardapane does a solid job at weaving a new tale in this universe, while juggling the sins of the old.”
What isn’t bewildering is the direct (and smart) commentary Daredevil: Born Again makes on the United States’ current political climate. Fisk deploys an imperialist political campaign that promises he will take all the vigilantes off of the streets to drain the swamp of New York. These real-life parallels connect pretty easily to the current world state, and smartly integrate real life anxiety into a super-hero series. This is immersion baked in.
Daredevil: Born Again does this trapeze act of trying to remain balanced in the earlier to mid episodes —which could be attributed to the late change of writers from Matt Corman and Chris Ord over creative differences in 2023— while trying to regain balance and place emphasis on Matt Murdock’s civilian life. When the show steps outside of the focus on Fisk and Murdock, is when it becomes a little foggy.
Introducing so many characters at once while trying to delicately balance former character relationships is a Herculean task, and the re-writes on some scenes that feel too fast or too sluggish can be felt. But, despite the few forced contrivances, Daredevil: Born Again delivers a story that is both a reboot and a continuation, and Showrunner Dario Scardapane does a solid job at weaving a new tale in this universe, while juggling the sins of the old.
Daredevil: Born Again is finally here. While there are some hiccups along the way with forced character interactions, conveniently placed plot rushers, and confusing pacing, Born Again is a great return for Marvel’s most complicated hero.
