There was a time when the cancellation of Netflix’s Daredevil and the eventual Defender saga got people in an uproar. There was no sign of when we could possibly see these characters again, but then Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) made an appearance in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. This all led to the return of the Daredevil series in the form of Daredevil: Born Again, which was a continuation of the Netflix series.
For the most part, it was a solid return to the character, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead hopping on to help restructure the series (which is evident from the episodes they didn’t direct), but a good chunk of the series was just lacking a few ingredients to make the perfect return to the character.
In Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, we find a wanted Daredevil gathering allies with the help of Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) to resist Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF). The short story is that Season 2 is a major upgrade from the first season.
The long story is that having both Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead to rework the series was the best thing that could’ve happened to it. For fans who had major issues with the last season, a lot of them don’t carry over. There are no “filler” episodes; there are no fight scenes where it’s hard to distinguish what’s going on. It’s Daredevil exactly as you’d expect it from start to finish.
With the first episode, we open up straight into action as Daredevil investigates a cargo ship which Fisk is using to smuggle armed weapons into the city. Without wasting any time, Daredevil is already kicking ass, and we’re getting more utilisation from his batons, which you’ll see him use to swing around the room and get into positions where he can land an attack.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been making use of Daredevil’s acrobatic skills, and Season 2 continues to focus on his fighting skills and highlights more of what he’s capable of, making the fight scenes more engaging and electric. There’s roughly a two-minute one-shot sequence that feels like it was ripped straight out of the comics with Daredevil teaming up with another vigilante; it was a chef’s kiss moment.
Everything that happens in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is important; there’s not a single detail that’s mentioned that doesn’t come back involved in something much bigger down the line, and I was surprised to see that an incident which took place in the first episode ended up becoming such a pivotal moment for the final episode.
Each Daredevil season has brought alongside another villain or adversary that’s also trouble for Daredevil while he’s dealing with Fisk. We had Frank Castle/Punisher (who doesn’t make an appearance) in the second season, Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter/Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) in the third season, and with Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, we got Muse. Now, admittedly, Muse was a weak, underdeveloped and underutilised villain that felt like a waste of the character, but to my surprise, the character still finds himself involved with Season 2.
Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) returns and is now Fisk’s Mental Health Commissioner, who’s aiding him with the vigilantes that he sees as dangerous, providing an extra reason for why they may be unsafe for society. In the last season, we saw her get attacked by Muse before she put several bullets into him, bringing him to a pathetic end. But her story with Muse doesn’t end there, as throughout the season, she’s haunted by him, still reeling from the events of that night.
It adds an unexpected layer to the character that she lacked in the first season, and while she’s still not a character of great interest, I can appreciate Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead trying to repair the damage, and for the most part, it doesn’t feel out of place.
It’s safe to say that the supporting cast have stronger legs this season to stand on and bring a whole lot more to the storyline than whatever was going on last season. We get characters returning from the first season, such as Angela del Toro (Camilia Rodriguez), Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton), BB Urich (Genneya Walton) and so many other characters who feel like they have an actual involvement with this season.
While there are some performances that still aren’t the best, it’s nice to see Daredevil work alongside these characters to put a stop to Fisk’s AVTF. There might not be any Spider-Man or Punisher team-ups, and the supporting characters might not be as strong as they once were in the Netflix series, but they’re getting somewhere and are at the very least memorable.
There are new supporting characters that truly change how you look at certain characters. We’re introduced to Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard), who’s fantastically played by Lillard in a role that was simply just made for him. His interactions with Fisk are some of the best in the series, as we finally get to see Fisk in a vulnerable spot as he feels like he’s not the smartest or strongest person in the room, and we know that’s something that he sees as a threat to his character.
Mr. Charles is a character that even by the end of the series is very much kept in the dark with his true intentions but is a character that I’d love to see more of as he seemingly replaces the Powerbroker role that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so poorly set up. Matthew Lillard is giving them a second chance with his unforgettable performance, and they should take it.
Some characters even return from the original Daredevil series, such as Brett Mahoney (Royce Johnson) with minor involvement, but the character that we’ve all been waiting to see is finally back: Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter). There are finally two OG Defender members officially back in the MCU, and Jessica’s introduction in the series will excite fans of the character, and her further involvement in the series will have you tweeting #BringBackJessicaJones. Jessica Jones’ story in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is personal, and there’s a lot more that she’s fighting for, and while it’s not for the same reasons as Daredevil, it brings them across each other’s path.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is the most timely Marvel Studios project that there currently is. The world is suffering from corruption amongst people we should be trusting with our lives, dehumanisation and the unlawful imprisonment of innocent people who are being stripped of their rights just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There’s never been a better time for this season to air than right now with the current events taking place in America.
With Daredevil on the run and Wilson Fisk trying to keep his city in place, we get to see two different sides to both characters that we usually wouldn’t see. They act separately from each other in this season, only encountering each other a few times, but Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 feels like a real season connected to the original Daredevil series, with the rivalry back at the focus of the show.
Charlie Cox delivers such a gratifying performance as Matt Murdock and The Man Without Fear, but Vincent D’Onofrio delivers such an emotionally powerful performance as Wilson Fisk, both mentally and physically, and it might genuinely be his best performance yet as the character. This season finds itself going back to its origins, and for the fans who complained about the lack of Matt’s faith in the first season, there’s a lot more of that in this second season that connects with redemption and, most importantly, one of the best villains in the MCU: Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter/Bullseye.
Daredevil can get pretty violent with his enemies, but the one thing that separates him from Bullseye is that he doesn’t kill. We got that iconic scene from Daredevil Season 3 that perfectly encapsulated why Daredevil chooses not to kill, and in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, we see how this conflicts with Bullseye’s morals. In the last season, we saw him trying to take out Fisk, and at the start of this season, we see Poindexter trying to redeem himself through these twisted methods.
From protecting Daredevil to purposefully slaughtering AVTF officers, he has the right intention, but his method of how he’s going about it is reminiscent of Frank Castle’s arc in Daredevil Season 2. One of the greatest scenes from this season involves both Daredevil and Bullseye at a church, and it’s such a great character study of the two, their morals and ways of delivering retribution, and with the improved visuals of this season with the red and purple lighting contrasting each other and flashbacks that replicate the visuals of the Netflix series, it all makes Episode 5 easily the best episode of Daredevil: Born Again.
A character that was missed last season was Karen Page, and thankfully, she’s back in full force. She’s switching out the wigs, getting into the action and putting herself in danger to help bring New York back to safety. Deborah Ann Woll delivers her best performance yet as Page, stealing the spotlight and being the heart of the entire show.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is the true return to form that the show needed, and it is Daredevil in his finest form yet. This season feels like the perfect blend of Chip Zdarsky’s and Brian Michael Bendis’ comic book runs. It’s grittier, darker, and more intense, with stakes that completely change the game, cinematography and fighting choreography that are masterful, and performances that take the actors beyond their limits.
Just like with previous seasons (excluding Born Again Season 1), it does start off quite slow, setting up the season, but after Episode 3, they hit the gas and never let go until that finale that will shock everyone to their cores.
