Daredevil: Born Again is a True Return to Form for Marvel -

By Luis Zonenberg

Despite a cancellation, writers strike and a creative overhaul, the devil of Hell’s Kitchen is back and better than ever! The new TV series Daredevil: Born Again serves as a revival of the original Daredevil series from Netflix, one that stays true to its gritty and grounded spirit. While the character had fun appearing in several Marvel projects such as She-Hulk and Spider-Man: No Way Home, it was about time to see how he would fit back into the growing mold of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The series picks up one year after Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) hung up the cowl after suffering a tragic loss. Now working with former district attorney Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), Matt hopes to further his career after his former law firm collapses. Things soon spiral out of control when Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is elected as the new mayor of New York City, which might rekindle his former rivalry with Matt.

The first two episodes kick off this season in spectacular fashion, showing this series stays true to the gritty tone and style of the original series. The story is much more character-driven when compared to other MCU series, focusing a great deal on Matt trying to move on in his life and set aside his Daredevil persona for good. We even get a good sense of Fisk’s character as well, even seeing how his relationship with his wife, Vanessa, has also changed.

The acting in the series is phenomenal, with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio stealing the scene whenever they appeared on-screen. Deborah Anne Woll also returns from the original series, and though her appearance is fairly brief, she recaptures the humanity of her character that won over so many audiences. Newcomers Margarita Levieva and Nikki M. James also helped anchor the series, working well off of Cox.

The action and choreography is just as good, if not better than what the original series had to offer. The opening scene of the first episode showcased an epic fight sequence filmed as a continuous shot, very reminiscent of the hallway fight in the original series second season. These sequences are meticulously shot and incredibly paced for the viewers to be immersed in the fight, allowing them to get such an adrenaline rush!

The VFX sequences clearly show the upgraded budget the cast and crew now had to work with. At their best, the effects perfectly blended in the CGI backgrounds with the characters and helped fuel the few action-set pieces present in these two episodes. At times they look a little wonky and out of place, but they mostly blended in rather seamlessly and helped fuel the story as it went on.

Overall, this new revival continues the original series in spectacular fashion and serves as a true return to form for the MCU. The grounded stakes and more character-driven approach helps set it apart from the rest of the herd, while firmly showing that the title character has not lost his touch. With fantastic performances from Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, Daredevil: Born Again kicks off on a high note and is sure to win over audiences new and old.

Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney+

Rating: ★★★★★