Does Daredevil: Born Again Live Up to the Legacy of the Netflix Series?

Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney+, bringing fans one of the most pivotal Marvel Cinematic Universe projects in years. Born Again has the massive challenge of both serving as a continuation of the original Netflix Daredevil series, while soft-rebooting that show and its characters for a new era within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios gave fans ample runway to get re-familiarized with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and their violent struggle for the soul of Hell’s Kitchen (and the larger NYC area). At the time of writing this, a day after Daredevil: Born Again‘s premiere, it’s looking like fan reactions to the show are not universally glowing.

So, is Daredevil: Born Again the show that fans of the original Netflix series – those who championed the character’s MCU import, year after year – deserve?

It Barely Got “Born” At All

There is no easy answer to that question above – we could (and Marvel chat threads certainly do) debate what MCU fans “deserve” as a whole separate essay topic. But even taking the question at face value, we still have to start by addressing the reality of what Daredevil: Born Again‘s production actually was – and the reality that fans should be grateful we’ve even made it to this renewed opportunity, at all.

In many ways, the reception of Born Again will be a critical measure of the MCU’s brand viability, as the series was, at one time, created during Disney and Marvel Studios’ turbulent shifting mandates under the misguided leadership of then-CEO Bob Chapek. The entire series being scrapped and retooled after just five or six episodes were shot, speaks to the moment the “righting of the ship” mentality took hold under returning Disney CEO Bob Iger; it also means that Born Again was always going to show the proverbial ‘seams’ of that troubled first production attempt – especially in its earliest episodes.

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Nothing Can Ever Be The Same Again (& You Should Know This By Now)

Is that an excuse for Daredevil and Bullseye’s fight having unsightly visual effects stumbles that make Marvel-Netflix look like premium action in comparison? No. Nor is it caping for a show that seems to have some troubles finding its tone and pacing in Episode 1 (and arguably part of 2). Any longtime fan of the Netflix Daredevil series who turns on Born Again, watches that opening fight sequence, and initially feels a sense of failed nostalgia… They’re not entirely wrong or unjustified for feeling that way. That said, at this point in the game of major franchise IP universes, we should all know that you can never go back to the same exact magic of that old thing anymore. And thankfully, Daredevil: Born Again (and its clear early imperative to clear the board and give us a time-jump) seems to know that.

After the two-episode premiere, It’s hard to deny that the core element of the original show – Cox and D’Onofrio’s respective abilities to “live” in these characters, and their shared chemistry onscreen together – is still very much intact. Already the larger MCU playground is seemingly being utilized in more interesting and unexpected ways that most fans expect. Instead of Spider-Man swinging in, we’ve gotten a character like Hector Ayala/White Tiger (the late, great, Kamar de los Reyes) and the setup for a trial that will double as commentary on street-level superhero vigilantism at this period in the MCU. We already know from trailers that other fan-favorite elements like Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is on the way – and that Matt had more grounded and classic-looking fights coming, as well. It seems that there’s ample reason to be hopeful that the production bumps smooth out soon, and Born Again manages to find that perfect marriage between the old and new series.

As a positive final takeaway: MILD SPOILERS: By the time Daredevil: Born Again ended with Matt thrashing a couple of corrupt cops in close combat (even without wearing his superhero suit) did it not feel like we were locking in again?

Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on Disney+.