Since everything that happened in Marvel’s Daredevil Season 3 already happened, we could call this new Disney+ continuation Born Again (Again). If you’re a fan of the comics, you’ll call it Devil’s Reign. That’s because the iconic arc by Frank Miller, where Matt Murdock retreats to a Catholic Church to heal after “dying,” inspired the title of the series. The story comes from Chip Zdarsky and artist Marco Checchetto‘s Reign. And, just like the third, this season is king.
This time, we find Matt (Charlie Cox) in a happy place, which is a bigger red flag than when we found him under a building after fist-fighting a dragon. He’s with his best friends, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), on their way to Josie’s Bar to clink glasses with a variety of law enforcement—lawyers, prosecutors, investigators, officers, detectives, you see what I mean. It’s all good vibes, and although we don’t know it yet, we’re seeing several major players come into focus. Three conversations are in rotation. Karen and Matt get nostalgic while wondering if Foggy can close with the woman he’s chatting up. She’s Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James), an assistant DA that some fans will recognize. Kirsten and Foggy have good banter, and it’s nice to see him so free. Nearby, at the bar are Cherry (Clark Johnson) and Detective Angie Kim (Ruibo Qian). They’re discussing his retirement—and whether or not he’s going out too soon. This scene is played for coziness and it works. You want to smile with the characters because you feel like you’re part of the moment.
That’s when Hell’s Kitchen proves it earned its name. From the vignetted conversations to a fight scene that is orchestral in its movements and its shattering impact, this entire open sequence is deftly done and chaotically choreographed, and the lighting is insane. When I say the creatives bless us with a pure, uncut street brawl between two extraordinary individuals, one that leaves you unsure whether to get closer or run, please believe me. This team is cooking in Hell’s Kitchen—and from there, they keep turning up the gas.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I didn’t want to give you an excuse.”
In the aftermath, we find out Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has recovered from his “Echo“-related injuries, but his wife Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) seems to have one less problem without him. The love that, up until this season, was foundational for Fisk is in a questionable place. Beyond that, he’s not the man he used to be. His body is softer, his faith in his mandate is squishier, and the people he thought of as bedrock aren’t as solid anymore.
That’s when the duality begins. Daredevil and Kingpin / Matt and Fisk are flipped up into the air like different sides of the same coin. Together, they answer the question: Where is the line between hero and vigilante? But they come up with very different answers. Both men are filled with a rage so cataclysmic that it fuels and implodes everything in their lives, but while Matt takes off the horns, Fisk runs for mayor of New York. Choices are made. Things come undone.
To underscore the escalating unease on the streets of New York, the show features snippets of various street interviews about Daredevil, masked heroes, vigilantes, and Fisk. These help escalate the action but also give New York a literal voice.
By this point, if you’re like me, you’ll be bouncing in your seat, anticipating how bad things will get. I’m warning you now, it’s going to be rough. Fisk gains momentum in the polls after choosing an anti-vigilante platform. At one point in Episode 2, he calls out The Punisher, Spider-Man, and Daredevil, but not by name. Another street hero, White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes), has been caught on tape. Opinions in the city differ but it’s the rage we can count on. Especially within the odd duality that’s the series’ centerpiece: Matt and Fisk. Their duel is engaging because it’s so scary, imbued with a constant expectation of violence. For a few episodes, we wonder if the peace treaty they established in S3 will hold. No, you fools. You already know.
Can Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk overcome their rage to be new men?
Do they want to?
That is as spoiler-free as I can make the start of Daredevil: Born Again, but I have more to tell you. In the ranking of comic book adaptations, the best live-action versions are made by creatives who know the comics, but also respect them. That’s why it’s so good to see Brian Michael Bendis come through as a consulting producer to help showrunner and executive producer Dario Scardapane. The Charlie Cox version of Daredevil has always been top-tier, but that little extra comic book sauce makes it tastier.
What makes Born Again so good is a culmination of character and performances, visuals and action, and writing. The writing soars in its themes and parallels. We’ve talked about Matt and Fisk a bit, but they align in more than their rage. Their lovelines run in tandem, Matt starts a love thing with another character from the comics, Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). On their first date, he’s on his romance hero game, picking Heather up and placing her out of harm’s way. It’s a mirror for the unyielding love Fisk surrounds Vanessa with.
Daredevil finds other parallels in Frank Castle, The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Hector Ayala, White Tiger. They’re heroes/vigilantes born of broken hearts, heritage, and the need for justice—with all of them finding it in retribution. That causes us to question their results even though we understand their hearts. Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) is back and finds his mirror-image in Muse, another villain, but they are not the same. One is a charismatic foil for DD, and the other is skin-crawlingly sinister. No disrespect to Colin Farrell and his take on the Bullseye character, but he is now The Penguin. Wilson Bethel is Bullseye, unopposed. The way the creatives behind Daredevil: Born Again treat his powers, using angles and ricochets to hit any target, anywhere, gives him a diabolically geometric gift for assassinations.
All of the performances are high level, Cox has merged with Daredevil so completely that I forgot there was any other version. And I’ve said it before, D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is a bone-chillingly good bad guy. Kingpin is a blanket of calm wrapped around pure menace. With these two actors anchoring a keenly chosen cast, it must have been a got-damn delight to explore themes of innate violence, heroics vs vigilantism, and how love curdles. As the season progresses, those thematic sparks turn into a blaze that mirrors a shuddering Star Wars quote: “So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.” Can New York survive a villain like Fisk, who plans to “protect” us out of our rights and freedoms? Daredevil: Born Again is taking its time to answer that question, and it’s time well spent.
I still have more to say, but it’ll have to wait for our Geek Girl Riot episode next week and a follow-up later. For now: Go watch the first episode immediately. Daredevil: Born Again is the best nightmare you’ve ever had. After 9 episodes, let’s hope in Part 2 we get to see the dawn.
Daredevil: Born Again launches on Disney+ on March 4
Daredevil: Born Again
New Character List (work in progress)
Kirsten McDuffie – In the show, she’s a partner in Matt’s new law firm. In the comics, she’s another bad romance for Matt Murdock. He leaves her after the Purple Children erase some memories and make it easy.
Cherry – A newly retired NYPD cop who worked cases with Matt and Foggy and now works as an investigator for Matt and Kirsten.
Muse – A terrifying metahuman serial killer who makes blood art in the series but uses blood, organs, and body parts in the comics.
Detective Angie Kim – NYPD who works several cases throughout the season, most notably starting with the soon-to-be fan-favorite Episode 5. I’m keeping an eye on her because something about her hair tells me she’s someone we know.
Heather Glenn – In the comics, she’s another bad romance for Matt Murdock. She has a storyline in the comics that is wild. Let’s see if the show takes that on.
White Tiger – Masked Puerto Rican (boricua) hero or vigilante, depending on who you’re talking to. There are three incarnations from the comics that are relevant here—Hector Ayala, Ava Ayala, Angela Del Toro—but beyond de los Reyes, I’m pleading the fifth.
Daniel Blake – Played by Michael Gandolfini, is a character I’m calling Diaper Pin because he has baby Kingpin aura.
BB Urich – Portrayed by Genneya Walton, BB is the niece of Ben Urich (Vondie Curtis-Hall), who’s following in his journalistic footsteps.
