By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Like many fans, I burned out on the Marvel Cinematic Universe after 2019 Avengers: Endgame. That film felt like a natural culmination and culmination of something the franchise had been aiming for since 2008. However, after losing sight of their glorious cause, Kevin Feige and crew seem stuck and still going. Marvel movies are tired and predictable, and superhero fatigue has set in as fans see the same story-telling blueprint being used in movie after movie. The Marvel TV shows on Disney+ are terrible, most of them feel like homework for a class that mainstream audiences have long since grown out of.
Because of this, I was reluctant to watch Daredevil: Born Againand I was afraid that Disney was going to completely remove everything they did in the beginning Daredevil The series on Netflix is very interesting. However, the news that Krysten Ritter will be reprising Jessica Jones (one of my favorite characters long before she joined the MCU) for Season 2 made me dive in and watch the new show. It scared the hell out of me, to be honest loved season one, in large part because it felt like nothing else in today’s superhero media. This is where it hit me: Daredevil: Born Again directly successful because breaks all the storytelling rules of modern Marvel stories.
Not suitable for children at all
Modern Marvel media has often tried to walk the tightrope between appealing to adults and appealing to the youth they are trying to sell toys to. Thunder Lights is a good example of this. As a film where the real Big Bad is a crippling, soul-killing depression, this film has an important message that older audiences can relate to. Because it’s meant to be a superhero movie, we’re also supposed to get a steady stream of badass jokes, most of which are courtesy of David Harbour’s insanely over-the-top Red Guardian character.
Daredevil: Born Again adapts its TV-MA rating to tell an adult and adult story. There is no real toy vending machine (or, for that matter, Marvel Rivals skin), so that writers can focus on telling a story that focuses on trauma. The first episode begins with one of Matt Murdock’s best friends being shot by Bullseye, leading to the first scene of a balls-to-the-wall match. When he hears that friend’s heartbeat stop, Matt does two things that once seemed impossible: he tries to kill the attacker and then hangs up the horns for good.
The story that happens does not include any questions like Spider-Man-from our hero. This time, no one speaks anywhere of those Whedon-esque lines like “Well, that it just happened.” Instead, the narrative focuses on the guilt our protagonist feels in his life as a superhero, eventually getting his best friend killed by a thug in a costume. Everything (including a horrifyingly honest portrayal of police brutality and a serial killer episode Hannibal) feels refreshingly mature. TV-MA’s rating isn’t just about letting Daredevil drop bombs. Instead, it’s a license, like previous Marvel shows on Netflix, to return to telling rich stories rather than selling cheap toys.
The Return of the King
Unsurprisingly, Charlie Cox does an amazing job as the title hero Daredevil: Born Againand he injects his victimized character with so much pathos that you’ll always be invested in his every move, whether he’s making it on the court or on the rooftop. But the main reason to watch this show is the triumphant return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, better known to friends and foes alike as the Kingpin of Crime. In the first one Daredevil show, the actor pulled off the impossible by showing us exciting glimpses of the vulnerability hidden behind Fisk’s mask of violence and dominance. Amazingly, he doubles down on all of this with his showstopping performance The New Birth to work.
In this new show, the Kingpin becomes mayor of New York City in an effort to improve lives, but he can’t shake the crime scene that made him infamous in the first place. D’Onofrio helps sell the fact that his character doesn’t see this as a conflict or a sign of hypocrisy. Instead, he sees the city spiraling into chaos, and believes that the vigilantes in uniform are more a symptom of the problem than the solution. Accordingly, he treats the city with the same ruthlessness with which he runs his criminal empire, with the ultimate goal of restoring order.
Daredevil: Reborn the conspiracy to seek office operates on several levels, with the Kingpin’s government (complete with enforcers like ICE) serving as a clear parallel to Donald Trump’s government. Thanks to D’Onofrio’s performance, however, the Kingpin always comes across as a complex character rather than a political comedy, giving all of this strong social commentary a strong edge. Like Cox, D’Onofrio isn’t here to sell toys, nor is he here to be a mustache-twirling farce. Unlike most Marvel villains, he’s on this show to show how the banning of evil will always be wrapped up in the cult of humanity and the best suits money can buy.
Law & Order: MCU
Except for his happy entrance Spider-Man: No Way HomeCharlie Cox’s most important Marvel role before The New Birth it was his entrance She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. That series did a great job at delivering humor, and its simple storytelling (despite what the haters told you) often felt like a breath of fresh air. However, He’s the Hulk he suffered in one big way: the courtroom scenes. It was a show about a lawyer turned superhero, and unfortunately, no one involved in the show could write a compelling scene if their lives depended on it.
Fortunately, Daredevil: Born Again presents an ongoing legal plot (Matt Murdock must defend a vigilante accused of killing a corrupt cop) that deserves better Law and Order episode. This plot drives many of our heroes’ actions and makes for one of the most compelling aspects of Season 1. It truly feels like a magic trick. In the season that brought back both Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and the franchise’s killer action scenes, nothing kept me on the edge of my seat as I calmly waited for the judge’s decision.
Forgive those who are surprised, because they have sinned
Obviously, the level Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t make modern Marvel especially disappointing. Furthermore, it is possible that Season 2 (which is still ongoing as of this writing) could drop the ball. But if you’re like me and burned out on what the MCU has to offer, it’s worth checking out this next series. If nothing else, a more snarky audience might allow Disney to know exactly what we want in superhero movies and shows: adult writing, deep characterization, and a few killer plot twists.
You don’t need superpowers to know where to find them Daredevil: Born Again. Like all things Marvel, it can be streamed today on Disney +. This streamer is also home to previous Marvel movies that have aired on Netflix. When The New Birth definitely makes you feel nostalgic for the days of Marvel’s exciting TV shows, you can always go back and watch the original. Daredevil. Just do what I did and try to ignore that you’re watching it on the same streamer that brought you the same sweat Secret Invasion again Iron Fist.
Daredevil: Born Again RESULT
