The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen returns! Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 kicked off almost immediately following the events of the first season, where Wilson Fisk imposed martial law following an assassination attempt by Benjamin ‘Dex’ Poindexter, aka Bullseye, which Matt Murdock intercepted. This second season wasted no time getting back into the action, beginning with an incident that cascades through the whole season.
Please note spoilers below for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.
The first episode was a great check-in with all of the main players from Season 1, from Matt, Fisk, and Karen Page, down to the side characters like Daniel Blake and Heather Glenn. Of course, the titular hero, billy-clubbed his way through some mobsters on a nearby sailing transport vessel called the Northstar. While beating down the thugs, Matt finds a mass shipment of guns onboard—likely for Fisk’s brand-new Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF). Unexpectedly, the captain and first mate were ordered to scuttle the ship, almost killing Matt in the process.
This whole season revolved around this incident because it was pinned on Daredevil, so Matt and his fellow allies had to find a way to clear his name. Meanwhile, Fisk, Vanessa, and Fisk’s right-hand man, Buck Cashman, do all they can to mitigate the controversies behind the half-sunken ship.
“For audiences looking for a more action-packed Daredevil: Born Again season, this was it.”
Side characters like Kirsten McDuffie and Cherry had other issues with Fisk, mostly in that Kate Bishop’s stepfather, Jack Duquesne, aka Swordmaster, was prosecuted for assault and vigilantism. It does not help their case when Fisk’s AVTF acts the same way as the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in current real-life times—busting through people’s homes and businesses to find any ties linking them to Daredevil. In more ways than not, this could be a prime example of art imitating life.
While Kirsten and Cherry battle it out in court and in their homes, Heather continues to deal with the trauma of her altercation with last season’s villain of the week: Muse. With her distrust of Matt and vigilantes, her mission to stop vigilantism becomes a personal crusade as the newly appointed district attorney-backed psychiatrist. Along with her psychosis breaks throughout the season, her story development was more than I anticipated.
As for BB Urich and Daniel, they are having the time of their lives working as Fisk’s social media management team. However, things turn sour when anti-Fisk propaganda videos quickly circulate on the internet. Some new/long-awaited faces join Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, which include Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones and Matthew Lillard as Mr. Charles. Bringing in these cameo characters did not take over the show, feeling like they fleshed out the story rather than detracted from the main plot.
For audiences looking for a more action-packed Daredevil: Born Again season, this was it. Almost every episode contained fight scenes of Fisk and the AVTF trading blows with Daredevil and his team. There were a few unique wirework fight scenes, but nothing overly innovative this time around. I would be remiss to leave out a pivotal character this season: Bullseye. Wilson Bethel brought the heat for his portrayal of the classic Daredevil villain, having dark, sycophantic fun in almost every scene.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 returned to form by feeling like it was the original Netflix show, and not something forcing itself into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Even with Jessica back in the picture, it did not feel like a forced appearance or something toeing the line of bringing back The Defenders. At the show’s core, the real main character is the city itself. This is what makes The BB Report and counter-propaganda videos work this season, where the city gets to voice their opinions.
The only part I could do without in this show was the interactions between Daniel and Buck. It was a good way to flesh out these supporting characters, but nothing really made me care about them as much as I care about Kirsten or Cherry. As Matt continues to get a grip on losing his best friend, Foggy Nelson, the show always leaves the door open for Elden Henson to reprise his role in flashback sequences.
From a filmographic standpoint, the changing aspect ratios continue to be cool—especially when it shows Matt listening to a very specific sound. The lighting was even more distinct this season, adding many red-lit backgrounds for scenes with Matt/Daredevil and blue-lit backgrounds for Bullseye. While the fight choreography was decent in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, we get to see the CGI/VFX teams flex their skills with the different objects Bullseye throws around.
And last but not least, Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio always bring their best performances to these characters. The actors have embodied these characters for over ten years, and their little ticks and mannerisms remain consistent. As Daredevil and The Kingpin trade physical blows and mental ones, fans will be treated to their skirmishes with one another throughout this season again.
With the way the cards play out at the end of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, many tracks are laid down for various characters. It is a bloody, brutal season with a very climactic final episode. With The Punisher special coming out sometime soon and Spider-Man: Brave New Day coming out in July, these NYC heroes/vigilantes are weaving some big threads (not a spider joke). The best way to sum up Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 was that it felt like a “Season 1 Part 2” and was filled with more elements that Netflix fans enjoyed from the original show. Daredevil is back and will always be there to save New York.
