Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Review
- Kieran O'Brien
- 9 hours ago
- 7 min read
A worthy revival that I can't wait to obsessively rewatch
FULL SPOILERS FOR DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN AHEAD
When the emotional shock of watching Foggy Nelson die in the opening moments of the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again finally wore off, I had questions. At the time, the circumstances surrounding his murder were a little hazy, as were Bullseye’s motivation for the killing, but the questions I had weren’t about either of these things.
Instead, I wondered about the long-term impact of Foggy’s death. While opening this revival show with such a shocking moment really upped the stakes and set the stage for a new kind of Daredevil series, it also created a vacuum.
Foggy’s still kicking around in the comics—albeit in a somewhat reduced capacity from the days when he appeared in nearly every single issue. In both the comics and the original Daredevil show, his goofy personality serves as an excellent foil to Matt’s brooding. Removing that threatens to destabilise some of what makes Daredevil such a great character.
Indeed, Daredevil: Born Again would prove to be—if anything—much darker than the original show (And to think there was a time when people had reason to believe this would be Whedon-esque joke-fest). At the beginning of Daredevil: Born Again, Matt has been utterly defeated by Foggy’s death, and there’s very little levity to be found throughout this first season Not no funny moments—just less than the original show for sure.
This was a good thing, because the biggest question I had after Foggy’s death was ‘Will this affect the show as much as I hope it does?’ There was a real fear that his murder would simply be used to wipe the slate clean—to start fresh with new characters for a new show, with Foggy only being referenced periodically while Matt focused on new adventures.
Foggy’s death was, thankfully, given adequate weight throughout the season. From the atmosphere to the dialogue to Matt’s character arc, Foggy Nelson’s absence was felt. The writers took a huge risk in killing off a main character like this in the opening minutes. It was a risk that would only pay off if it was let colour everything that came after it—otherwise fans like me would feel betrayed.
The first season of Daredevil: Born Again gives Matt arguably the strongest arc he’s had since he first appeared on screen back in 2015. To go from a man who has given up vigilantism in his grief and accepted his former enemy’s new rule to putting back on his mask with the intention of raising an illegal army to fight Fisk’s criminal empire was an expansive and satisfying change.
I know it probably tested some people’s patience. Early episodes focused a lot more on Matt than Daredevil, but I think it just made the moment when he finally did embrace the other side of him once again feel all the more impactful. The show felt more episodic throughout its middle episodes—a holdover from a previous creative direction, perhaps—but I really liked how these episodes challenged Matt’s decision to abandon Daredevil. His conversations with both Frank Castle and a homeless man being excessively punished by the law for a minor infraction were both incredible highlights in this regard.
Speaking of Frank Castle—my God does Jon Bernthal bring some serious energy to this show. He’s only in two episodes, but the Punisher-worshipping cops are ever-present, which makes it feel like Frank’s always right around the corner. Much like Charlie Cox, Bernthal re-embodies his role here like no time has passed. The ferocity he displays in the final episode hasn’t been tamed the slightest bit for Disney+ audiences.
Ditto for Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk (that skull-crushing scene… Jesus Christ…). Fisk is also given a character arc just as strong as Matt’s. His change directly parallels Matt’s. Both are men indebted to violence and seriously struggle with the new, non-violent direction of their lives. There were several cross-cutting scenes throughout Daredevil: Born Again that reflected Matt and Fisk’s change, making these characters feel like they were in conversation with each other even when they weren’t directly interacting.
Listen, I love the writing on this show. The writers put Matt and Fisk front and centre but also delivered some surprises with Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini), Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) and Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer), although that last one will be less of a surprise for those familiar with the original show. Still, it was fun to see Vanessa embrace the criminality that comes with Fisk’s name to an extent we’d never seen before.
There were a few misses, though. I think Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) was extremely underutilised. She wasn’t the fun, dryly humorous character she is in the comics, nor was she put to use as a romantic interest of Matt's. With the show demanding a dark tone and giving Matt a different girlfriend (more on Heather later), one might wonder why the writers chose to include Kirsten at all.
The answer is, of course, that they needed Matt to have a job that didn’t completely fall apart when he was Daredevilling. In the end, she felt necessary only for background logic reasons, and never seemed to mean much to Matt personally. BB Urich (Genneya Walton) also left something to be desired. I really liked the interstitial scenes pulled from her show featuring New Yorkers speaking to the camera, but BB herself never came close to matching the impact her uncle made in Daredevil.
There’s potential for her yet, and I really liked her relationship with Daniel Blake, but I think she could’ve done with some stronger ties to the forces of good for her to feel truly guilt-ridden over her complicity in Fisk’s master plan.
Then, of course, there’s Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). As I mentioned before, she was a surprise pull from the Daredevil comics, but I was intrigued to see what the writers would do with her. Thankfully, they deviated heavily from her comic-book roots and presented a genuinely interesting character for the show.
I liked Heather as a couple’s counsellor for the Fisks. I liked her interest in the psychology of masked vigilantes, which put her at odds with Matt. I liked how this lead to Muse’s obsession with her. All of that said, I’m not sure I ever truly vibed with her as Matt’s girlfriend. It’s hard not to compare her to Karen (or Kirsten to Foggy, for that matter), but even taken on her own terms, I just don’t know why Matt wants to be with her.
Even the writers themselves know that Karen is a more engaging love interest for Matt. Just look at how they use her in that last episode. There’s more genuine affection and tenderness between her and Matt in that episode than between Heather and Matt all season. If Matt was only with Heather as a way to force himself to move on from his past life, then that should’ve been explicated.
If she was ever going to be an argument for Matt to fully leave behind his life as Daredevil for good, then the writers undercut themselves by putting Heather in such close proximity to the show’s primary danger and having her bring up vigilantes non-stop. She simply occupied a funny middle-ground in the show that I definitely liked at times and definitely bumped on at other times.
Now: let’s talk about the fight scenes. I… really had no problem with them! There’s a sentiment online that the CGI ‘ruined’ things, but I really don’t see it. Yes, CGI was clearly used… but only in fleeting moments that could never have been shot any other way. A continuous, panning shot of Daredevil leaping acrobatically across the NYC skyline is simply not something we got in the previous show. This blend of some CGI with the obvious stunts (obvious as in ‘these are clearly people rolling around, not computer-generated models) made the show feel different from the original.
And I do believe that’s a good thing. I know a lot of people probably wanted the show to feel identical in every way to the original. Sure, it might’ve been nice to get Daredevil ‘Season 4’, but I honestly enjoyed how the show strove to be something different, be it that in its new cast of characters or its visual style.
We’ll always have the original Daredevil show. Now, we have two, distinct Daredevil shows, and that’s no bad thing. If you want to get really deep about it, Daredevil: Born Again mirrors the regularly soft-rebooting style of modern-day comics. On the page, the long-running Daredevil comic series begins with a new first issue every three or four years, at which point a new creative team takes over and starts their own story—one which still exists in the world where all previous stories have taken place but puts the character on a new journey.
I am beyond excited for season two. With season one, I was perhaps more apprehensive than excited. I recall sitting down before watching the first episode and giving space to the idea that maybe I shouldn't even watch Daredevil: Born Again at all; that I might love the original show too much to be anything but disappointed with the revival.
I won't be having the same problem with season two. The writers have convinced me that they know what they're doing; that they're not afraid to play with elements of the original show—both in terms of tone and story content. At the same time, Daredevil: Born Again feels new and exciting. Yes, this was scary at first, but this is The Man Without Fear we're talking about. Once again, he's proven that was never any reason to be afraid.
Thanks for reading my review of Daredevil: Born Again Season One. If you liked it, consider checking out my wishlist or buying me a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/kieranobrien or below.
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