On March 4, I was among hundreds of fans who opened their streaming services, anxiously awaiting the release of the first two episodes of the latest addition to Marvel’s television shows. Daredevil: Born Again has been years in the making since the devastating cancellation of the original show in 2018, and in my opinion as a long-time fan, it did not disappoint.
The episodes were dropped on Disney+ and Hulu at 9 p.m., and in typical Marvel fashion, a new episode will be released each week. After the first few leaks in 2020 and more recent promotional tours, fans were skeptical of the quality of the television show and its ability to follow up the masterpiece that is Daredevil, which aired from 2015 to 2018.
However, after a promising reception from critics and its renewal for a second season before the show even released, hope has been restored in Daredevil: Born Again. With interest in comic books seeing fantastic growth, this television show couldn’t come at a better time. Daredevil: Born Again has seen many setbacks over the course of its planning and creation, from multiple reshoots to an entire script overhaul, but in my opinion, the product is absolutely worth waiting all this time for.
Now for my spoiler-free episode breakdown! The first episode opens after an unknown time skip on the law firm of the titular hero, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, and his friends while they close for the day. In a callback to the original show, the characters show up at a familiar bar, and then, to remain spoiler-free, tragedy strikes. The rest of the episode continues after another time skip and focuses mainly on the law aspects of the show rather than the superhero parts.
The next episode is mostly about Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and highlights the tension between our hero and villain. We’re also introduced to what I think is going to be the main court case of the season and a driving plot force. There have obviously been some changes from the original show, and sometimes you can identify when there were reshoots, but overall, I think Daredevil: Born Again is a promising continuation of a beloved television show.
Some of my favorite details they’ve added make me think that the showrunners want to pursue a more creative vision. The dolly zoom shots, in particular, add a lot of depth to the show and emphasize Daredevil’s status as a superhero. Another artistic choice I really appreciated as a fan was the reworking of the theme song from the 2015 show into more dramatic pieces to match the mood of the show.
The main actors, Charlie Cox, Wilson Bethel, and Vincent D’Onofrio, also give fantastic performances in all their scenes, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the cast will perform.
Marvel also seemed to have learned from their failures in the long line of television flops preceding Daredevil: Born Again. The CGI is far less awkward than it was in other recent releases, and Marvel was able to take advantage of the world-building done in the original show to jump right into the heart of Daredevil as a character. Daredevil: Born Again also seems to be taking a faster pace than the original show, with less filler, so I’m excited to see where they take the plot in the coming weeks.
If you haven’t already, be sure to go check out this series if you’re in pursuit of a new show!
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