Daredevil is easily one of the best comic book adaptations ever made. It’s filled with visceral action, gorgeous cinematography, three-dimensional characters, and, most important, religious symbolism. That made it all the more sad when the Netflix series was canceled in 2018. Seven years later, it got a second chance.
Daredevil: Born Again, a reboot of the original series as its title suggests, started off strong with the first two episodes that dropped on Disney+ last week. While it’s not perfect, the opening does hook you in with an explosive fight scene — the conclusion of which holds implications affecting our titular hero beyond the first 15 minutes.
A lawyer by day and a vigilante by night, Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) hangs up his suit in response to a certain traumatic event that will remain unspoiled. (Let’s just say he’s going through the wringer.) Matt tells himself he is finished as a hero, but you get the sense he’s aching to let the devil out. Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) finds himself on a similar journey: He runs for mayor of New York City, claiming he has quit being a mob boss. Neither buys the other’s story, each believing the other will revert to his old ways in due time.
Cox and D’Onofrio are brilliant in their respective roles, always stealing the show and playing well off each other, as if they haven’t missed a beat in the seven-year gap. Unlike their cameo appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo between the two of them, Born Again has been making good use of Cox and D’Onofrio’s talent so far. If their acting performances stay the course, this could safely become the best Marvel series on Disney+. (Granted, that’s not saying much.)
The action is fine so far — not as hard-hitting as it can be but still exciting nonetheless. The cinematography looks bland in daylight scenes but vibrant at night. The writing is below the original series yet passable. The religious subtext is noticeably reduced — save a line about the balance between grace and retribution and a scene showing Matt listening to Catholic congregants recite Matthew 8:8. Despite those minor critiques, I am curious to see how the rest of the season unfolds.
Overall, the two-episode premiere is good but not great. Still, it’s certainly leagues above any other Disney+ Marvel series. WandaVision and Moon Knight were two examples that started out promising before quickly devolving into nonsense. I only hope Born Again, unlike those previous entries, can stick the landing.
