Daredevil: Born Again‘s first trailer has rekindled a fire under the Marvel fandom, as it both represents the return of the fan-favored Marvel-Netflix franchise, as well as an exciting “event” project for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s run of Disney+ TV shows. However, while there is considerable hype for Daredevil: Born Again, the project also represents a very pivotal moment in the MCU brand โ a make-or-break moment, if we’re all being honest.
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A Tale of Two Eras
Before we can dig into the point of the second section of this essay (see below), we have to break down the contextual information in this first section. Daredevil: Born Again is distinct from every other MCU project before it (and likely after it) in that it was made โ and then remade โ to fit two very different eras of the franchise.
Initially, Daredevil: Born Again was put into production as part of Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s ‘Flood the Zone’ strategy, which saw exponential increases in big franchise universe content (Marvel, Star Wars) being pushed onto Disney+. Originally, Born Again was set to be a wholly original take on the Daredevil character than the Netflix show was – a courtroom procedural with superhero elements, and the only connective thread to the Netflix show being the re-casting of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. Disney-Marvel shot a handful of episodes for that version of the show, before the overall failures of Chapek’s run as CEO forced a course-corrective move by Disney.
Bob Chapek was removed from his CEO position in November of 2022, with former Disney CEO Bob Iger re-taking the reigns; a little less than a year later, the six episodes of Daredevil: Born Again that had already been shot were deemed to be creatively off the mark, the creative team was replaced, and the show concept was retooled to be a direct continuation of the Netflix series. Born Again will now bring back many additional characters from the Netflix show, including Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), Frank Castle/Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson).
[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Is Already Filming]
Daredevil: Born Again Will Prove If Marvel Studios Righted the Ship

As stated, the contextual information about Daredevil: Born Again‘s start-stop-restart production is necessary for explaining why the series is now a make-or-break release for the MCU brand.
Between 2023 and 2024 there has been no shortage of headlines about the MCU’s diminished brand value, as well as the behind-the-scenes troubles that have been occurring since Chapek took over. In 2024, Marvel Studios PR made a charge to take back the narrative, letting fans know that course corrections are being made. Playing the hits and focusing on quality content over quantity has been the new set of marching orders under Iger โ turning that ship around has been a slow process, but it’s been clear that Daredevil: Born Again is the symbolic marker from which to measure whether or not Marvel Studios can turn this ship around.
If Daredevil: Born Again cannot take the DNA of the Netflix series โ one of the most groundbreaking TV shows of the 2010s โ and spin it into both an acclaimed and fan-favorite MCU experience, then it’s the surest early sign we’ll have that Iger’s return and the refocused content strategies aren’t saving graces it was hoped they’d be. If Born Again can’t tap into that same thrilling vein as the Netflix series, it’s also a damning sign that Marvel Studios isn’t the single undisputed king of adapting these characters for the screen.
Some fans may point out that Captain America: Brave New World will arrive in theaters first, and that it is potentially the greater portent of the MCU’s decline if it doesn’t perform at the box office. However, Brave New World started production in March of 2023, and arguably is still coasting on the final fumes of the Chapek era; Daredevil: Born Again is a project that was specifically overhauled to dispel any lasting influence of that era โ it will be the first “pure” piece of content to come out of Iger and Kevin Feige’s Dream-Team return era. If it’s a hit, MCU fans will be able to chant “We are so back!” with deserved confidence. But if it’s not a hit, then MCU fans will have equally deserved reason to be worried that the franchise’s time is fading.
Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ on Tuesday, March 4th.