The Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 finale is poised to really earn its TV-MA rating with what could be a shocking amount of violence. Following the premiere of this week’s episode “Isle of Joy,” Daredevil: Born Again producers and directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson spoke with TV Line to discuss what’s on deck for the season’s last episode. According to them, the finale is going to turn up the levels of brutality a notch, teasing that there’s a sequence they were very enthused to tackle as creatives. They couldn’t get into too much detail, but it sounds like there’s something unexpected on the horizon.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“There is a moment in the finale that is extraordinarily shocking on a practical effects level, and is very, very, very violent — but also, as filmmakers, incredibly exciting,” Benson said. “You’ll know what I’m talking about [when you see it], and I can’t wait for people to understand why there’s a gleam in my eye [right now].”
“[The finale] is so brutally tragic…. A bonanza of bonkers visuals,” Moorhead teased.
[RELATED – Born Again Reveals What Powers Bullseye Got at the End of Daredevil Season 3]
Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Episode 8
While most Marvel Studios productions strive for a family-friendly tone, Daredevil: Born Again fully embraces darker sensibilities. Over the course of this first season, viewers have been treated to Muse’s unsettling, gruesome treatment of his victims, the cold-blooded murder of White Tiger, and some brutal fight sequences. These elements help Daredevil stand out from other MCU titles, tapping into ground that the movies rarely tackle.
“Isle of Joy” has no shortage of its own violent moments. Vanessa’s pinpoint headshot on Adam came as a bit of a shock, and Benjamin Poindexter found a creative way to dispatch of a prison guard and doctor. The episode also ends with a cliffhanger: Matt Murdock taking a bullet (stopping Bullseye’s attempt to assassinate Wilson Fisk) and bleeding out on the floor.
When the original Daredevil series was cancelled at Netflix, some fans expressed fear that the character would be watered down in any subsequent MCU appearances. It’s exciting to see that hasn’t been the case and that the Daredevil: Born Again creative team is apparently pushing the envelope regarding the show’s depiction of violence. Daredevil is a character where this kind of approach makes sense. This isn’t to say the Man Without Fear couldn’t work in a PG-13 context (Charlie Cox is game to join the Avengers), but it’s great that Marvel didn’t hold back. It’s important for the different Marvel movies and shows to have their own unique tones and styles to keep things feeling fresh.
It’s also exciting that this mysterious violent moment was apparently created using practical effects. In the past, Marvel has been criticized for leaning too heavily on CGI (Daredevil: Born Again was not immune to this problem), so it will be interesting to see what Moorhead and Benson came up with and how they shot it. They seemed to want to make sure that the first season of this revival ended on a high note, giving fans something memorable to take in as they wait for Season 2. Hopefully this scene, whatever it is, delivers on the promise.
