Seven years after Daredevil was canceled on Netflix, the Man Without Fear is back in Daredevil: Born Again, the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+.
While the return of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk is a major draw, Daredevil: Born Again faces the challenge of blending the gritty tone of the original with the MCU’s evolving TV landscape.
The original Daredevil series, which premiered in 2015, was praised for its dark, grounded storytelling, intense fight choreography, and stellar performances. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio delivered some of the best hero-villain dynamics in Marvel history, and the show stood out as a rare example of the MCU embracing a more mature, noir-inspired tone. However, by 2018, Marvel pulled the plug on its Netflix collaboration, canceling Daredevil and its sister shows (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist), ending an era of street-level storytelling in the Marvel universe.
Now, Daredevil: Born Again brings the blind vigilante back, but not without controversy. The show, originally greenlit in 2022, underwent significant creative upheaval during production. Midway through filming in 2023, Marvel fired the original writing and directing team, leading to a significant overhaul. The result is a series that, while visually compelling and anchored by strong performances, struggles with tonal and structural inconsistencies.
The first part of Daredevil: Born Again, set across 17 episodes (with nine releasing in 2025 and the rest in 2026), sees Matt Murdock dealing with the aftermath of a personal tragedy while Wilson Fisk pursues a bid to become the mayor of New York City. While this premise has potential, the show introduces numerous subplots—a serial killer, a bank heist, a prison break—that at times feel disjointed. The ambitious scope and rewrites leave Daredevil: Born Again feeling like a patchwork of ideas rather than a fully cohesive story.
One of the show’s biggest hurdles is its identity crisis. It attempts to honor the darker, more mature tone of the Netflix series while also fitting into the current MCU Disney+ lineup. The result is an uneven blend, where attempts at interconnected storytelling sometimes detract from the core narrative. Unlike its predecessor, which was free to focus on Daredevil’s world, Daredevil: Born Again seems burdened by the need to fit into the broader Marvel puzzle.
Despite these challenges, Daredevil: Born Again is still a compelling watch for fans of the character. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio’s performances remain a highlight, and the fight sequences, while not quite as visceral as before, still offer moments of excitement. However, as the MCU navigates its current growing pains, Daredevil: Born Again serves as a reminder that sometimes, less is more. Whether the series can recapture the brilliance of its predecessor remains to be seen.
