Daredevil: Born Again Review: A Welcome Upgrade for Marvel's Favorite Small-Screen Hero

Relaunching Marvel's first adult-rated series, Daredevil: Born Again represents the ideal outcome for a TV revival: a show that retains all the best qualities of the original, while getting rid of its biggest flaws.

Our titular hero is, unsurprisingly, one of the highlights. Returning for another round as Marvel's most emotive superhero, Charlie Cox is unafraid to go big when it's time for Daredevil (aka Matt Murdock) to dissolve into tears or scream with rage. In his day job as a lawyer, Matt can be suave and sensitive and ruthless by turns, determined to protect his clients against impossible odds. In private, though, he's caught in a cycle of tragedy and pain, some of it self-inflicted. Ten years on, it's still perversely satisfying to see Cox's handsome face crumple up in distress as yet another traumatic wrecking ball crashes into Matt's life. This messy vulnerability remains a defining element of Daredevil's appeal, even if his action scenes tend to get more attention — a detail that Born Again makes sure to prioritize, delivering well-choreographed beatdowns every episode or so. 

Helmed by Dario Scardapane (The Punisher), Born Again condenses Daredevil's crime-fighting format into something much snappier than its predecessor. Gone is Netflix's meandering pace and overly dour tone, replaced by case-of-the-week storytelling, often focusing on Matt's legal work. One subplot examines the public role of vigilantism in Marvel's crime-ridden version of New York. Another sees Matt represent a man facing weeks of jail time for stealing some popcorn. 

Running for three seasons between 2015 and 2018, the original Daredevil launched an experimental phase of R-rated Marvel spin-offs. Due to its nature as a soft reboot on Disney+, there were some concerns that Born Again might adopt a more family-friendly vibe. But fans shouldn't be too concerned. While this revival is lighter in tone, it's still an undeniably adult show, tweaking the format around a familiar set of themes.

8.0

Daredevil: Born Again

at Disney+

Like

• The episodic structure is a major upgrade from the original show's uneven pacing
• Both sides of Daredevil's double life are equally fun to watch
• Wilson Fisk's political career is a smart new direction for an established villain
• It's accessible to new viewers

Dislike

• Some of the tie-ins to other Marvel properties are a little corny
• There's no compelling reason to care about the mobster characters in the supporting cast

Charlie Cox plays the same old Matt Murdock, a man of deep moral convictions who perpetually struggles to restrain his violent impulses. When he dons the Daredevil mask and starts stomping on people's kneecaps, is he taking desperate measures to deliver justice within an unjust system? Or is he just exorcising his own frustrations, retreating back to the violence that shaped his childhood? Despite dating a therapist (Margarita Levieva) this season, he's still as gloriously un-therapized as ever. We wouldn't have him any other way.

Also returning to a long-running role, Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin) is a prime example of how Born Again bridges the gap between new viewers and longtime fans. All you need to know is that he's a former mob boss who has now decided to run for mayor of New York.

Pinning Born Again's season-wide arc to Fisk's political career was an inspired choice — not just because it gives us more time with an incredibly watchable villain, but because it's more relevant than Fisk's original role, which relied upon a decidedly 20th century view of organized crime.

Campaigning (ironically) on a tough law-and-order platform, Fisk embodies the deceptive appeal of authoritarian leadership. He's an outsider candidate who promises to cut through red tape and get sh-- done, in a city whose people feel abandoned by the system. Entering a field with no clear frontrunners, his bold promises and privately funded campaign quickly overshadow the opposition. He's also joined by a humiliatingly worshipful Gen Z protégé (Michael Gandolfini), who — in a prescient echo of current events — rises through the ranks of Fisk's campaign while demonstrating no qualifications besides toadying up to the boss. 

ALSO READ: Daredevil Born Again: Recap, Easter eggs, and everything you missed in the two-part premiere

Of course, as Daredevil viewers, we arguably buy into a similar fantasy ourselves. In a setting that acknowledges the violent legacy of the NYPD and the wider failings of the legal system, Matt Murdock is also a disruptor who gets things done by circumventing the legal niceties. He and Fisk both want to make New York a better place, and they're both equally frustrated by the procedural roadblocks in their way. The difference is that Matt is a genuine underdog who wants to help vulnerable citizens, while Fisk is a megalomaniac whose insecurities propel him to acts of monstrous harm. The only person he isn't willing to hurt is his wife, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), a dignified and self-contained businesswoman.

Unlike the grim tone of his earlier criminal exploits, Fisk's political career creates unexpected opportunities for comedy. As a socially awkward perfectionist who can barely suppress his disgust at other people's failings, is he really prepared to make nice with the public? Can he handle negotiating with the sanitation department or smiling through photo ops with children's choirs? In his quest for a more public kind of power, he may have bitten off more than he can chew. 

Conceptually speaking, Daredevil isn't the most adventurous of superhero adaptations. In fact, it's founded on some of the most meat-and-potatoes ideas in television: courtroom drama, criminal investigations, and a white male protagonist who delivers justice with his fists. This formula probably won't appeal to people who already suffer from superhero fatigue, but the fact is that Daredevil: Born Again does excellent work with reliable material. I'd actually rate it higher than last year's much-lauded Batman spin-off The Penguin, which — despite a fantastic turn from Cristin Milioti and a convincing veneer of HBO prestige — was never as smart or sophisticated as it wanted to be. Daredevil: Born Again has no such pretensions, but it knows its characters well and puts real effort into finding inventive uses for Matt Murdock's multisensory superpowers. Opening with a dramatic and fast-paced debut episode, it makes a persuasive case for Marvel's most popular small-screen hero. 

Premieres: Tuesday, March 4 on Disney+
Who's in it: Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer 
Who's behind it: Dario Scardapane (showrunner), Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson (premiere directors)
For fans of: Netflix's Daredevil, The Penguin, John Wick, municipal procedural dramas
How many episodes we watched: 6 of 9