By Cole Gee | Staff Writer
When “Daredevil” was originally canceled by Netflix in 2018, fans of the show and the MCU were left dumbstruck. The show had just finished its most critically acclaimed season yet and had been one of Netflix’s most-watched shows since its premiere. Even the most stubborn MCU critics praised Daredevil as a gritty, bolder look into storytelling in the MCU, proving that not every comic character needs to be held down by corporate de-sanitizing and that prestige-level shows can be created with superheroes at the helm.
Seven years later, “Daredevil” has risen from the grave with an entirely different set of showrunners. Despite the show’s higher budget, it returned the original cast, CGI and added a slick new look. However, there are still multiple plot holes and weak storylines that hold it back from being a near-perfect season.
The overarching plot of this season follows blind lawyer-turned-vigilante Matt Murdock as he struggles to maintain his new job, city and romantic interest in the wake of the death of his close friend, Foggy Nelson.
That’s right, the showrunners boldly decided to kill off fan-favorite character Nelson in the first 10 minutes of episode one by the antagonist Bullseye. Throughout this season, we see the various effects Foggy’s death has had on Matt. Matt is drowning in guilt due to this loss, and we see him poorly attempt to hide it. Matt becomes disillusioned with his lifestyle as a vigilante because he failed to protect his best friend. He swears to never become Daredevil and instead uphold the law, the right way.
Unfortunately for Matt, his long-time nemesis Kingpin has other plans. His recent successful mayoral campaign has sent the city into a frenzy as a serial killer and an anti-vigilante task force hunt innocent civilians on the street. Matt is forced to choose to either break his promise to uphold the law or don the mask of Daredevil once again.
Thanks to multiple script rewrites and re-shoots, “Daredevil: Born Again” season one is almost like the Frankenstein monster. Poor creative decisions from the previous creative team were stitched together and forced to coincide with the new showrunners’ ideas. They seem to have kept the smaller parts of the original script that work, and completely cut and rewritten the majority of what did not. Even the average viewer can somewhat tell where the writers had to “make do” with what they had. There are numerous key storylines in the eight-episode season that seem to be out of place or end abruptly.
Some of the newer characters don’t seem to click, including Matt’s police informant Cherry, who long-time fans of the show argue could have been replaced by Brett Mahoney, an original character from Netflix’s “Daredevil.” Cherry was seen as almost whiny and annoying throughout the season. She constantly chastises Matt for taking up the mask again, and that’s ultimately the only interesting thing his character does. Hopefully, in season two, the showrunners can create a storyline to better captivate their audience with this unremarkable character.
Another failed character was the secondary antagonist of the season, “Muse”. The gruesome graffiti artists were heavily promoted to be equal to Daredevil throughout the season. Instead, fans were left somewhat disappointed by the character’s very early and untimely end, joining an ever-growing list of MCU villains killed off before reaching their full potential.
His overall motivations felt very flat as well. Muse’s main motivation in becoming a violent serial killer is because, I kid you not, his parents signed him up for Taekwondo as a kid when he wanted to be an artist. This was easily the weakest and most ridiculous choice the writers had made for this season, and it isn’t close.
Muse might’ve been a flaming pile of disappointment to many hardcore Daredevil fans; however, it’s no surprise that the one villain able to live up to his full potential was Kingpin, played by the always incredible Vincent D’Onofrio.
Throughout this season, you see him truly trying to change and go down the path of righteousness. He attempts to work with bureaucrats and do his work in the “right way”. He learns quickly, though, that in politics, he can’t simply shoot, punch or threaten to get whatever he wants, forced to rein himself in and smile and laugh as he’s met with roadblock after roadblock. He attempts to control his anger and nature through therapy alongside his estranged wife, Vanessa.
The saying goes, “A tiger never changes its stripes.” When faced with the opportunity to gain unchecked power, Kingpin used his office to enact a fascist takeover of New York City. This empowered his anti-vigilante task force to bring down anyone who stands in his way, from Daredevil to civilians to his criminal associates and even his own chief of police.
Speaking of Police Commissioner Gallo, I’m not sure the Lariat will allow me to describe fully what the “fight” between the two looked like. But if I had to give an accurate description, it looked like a TikTok video of a hydraulic press versus a pumpkin.
I think the dynamic between Matt and Kingpin is the strongest it’s been since the first season. I love how the show tells the various ways that two men are intertwined. Matt, like Kingpin, has struggled to come to terms with his violent nature. Matt believes that working as an attorney pro bono and supporting the “little guy” can ultimately do more good than Daredevil.
However, near the end of the season, Matt comes to realize that the corruption and evil that plague his city are too deep for a lawyer to fix alone. If he truly wants to stop Kingpin and avenge his fallen friend, he’ll have to embrace the darkness that’s plagued his catholic soul for so long.
It wouldn’t be the MCU without cameos and returns. Born Again does well on its promise to bring back fan-favorite characters from other Netflix properties.
Frank Castle makes his return to the show, and despite his small amount of screen time, he is arguably the season’s most memorable character. Disney+ also announced that it would receive a “special presentation” episode alongside Born Again season two. At the end of season one, Frank was captured and imprisoned by Fisk’s special police task force, so fans believe his episode will focus on his violent escape from Fisk’s goons.
As a longtime fan of both the “Daredevil” show and comics, I’d have to say this reboot is easily weaker than Netflix’s seasons one and three, but slightly better or on the same level as season two. I think the showrunners built a strong foundation for the future of the show and the MCU as a whole. Hopefully, the next season will not be bogged down by past showrunners’ mistakes and reshoots. Then, “Daredevil” can once again take the crown for prestige superhero television.
