“No man is ever truly good. No man is ever truly evil.
I do the things you never could… and we won’t ever be equal”– Incendiary & CFO$
The biggest fear everyone had with Daredevil moving from Netflix to Disney+ was that the show wouldn’t have the gritty, noir, dark elements that make Matt Murdock and Daredevil the characters that they are. These are the elements that revitalized the franchise in the 80s under Frank Miller. With the MCU announcing Daredevil: Born Again, the consensus was that we may be moving the character into a lighter light. Aye, look me in my eyes when I tell you this: you ain’t gotta worry bout none of that. Someone at the House of Mouse said, “if you can’t stand the heat, then get out of Hell’s Kitchen cause we ain’t changing a thing!”
Daredevil: Born Again feels like we got the gang back together again. You can tell when a show tries to recapture the formula of a previous iteration vs maintaining the vibes. Not only was the vibe check passed, it was done while creating a new adventure for these characters that we’ve become so familiar with. Seeing Charlie Cox reprise the role of Matt Murdock is one thing, but seeing Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) is an entirely different thing. Honestly, it feels like the creators of Daredevil: Born Again – Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord – were in the offices of Disney+ and told them, “y’all know what to do. Dismissed.”
Daredevil: Born Again, So We Ballin’ Again
The mark of a good comic adaptation is being able to take characters with a heavy history for an on-screen adventure that will keep an audience engaged. Now, I have been a Daredevil fan since I was a kid. I collected the Frank Miller “Man Without Fear” comic run, then the Brian Michael Bendis/Alex Maleev comic run back in ’01. I saw the Daredevil movie with Ben Affleck in 2003, died on the hill defending that movie (it was a B+ movie) and franchise for twelve years till the Netflix show dropped and changed the fucking game. I say all that to say this: I have been a fan of Daredevil’s world for more than half of my life.
In the first episode of the series, I could not believe what I was seeing. I mean that in the best way possible. I know this character in and out and I was shocked. That’s how you adapt a comic book series. That’s how you elevate the natural progression of the characters. What I love about the show is seeing character’s from the Netflix series now interacting with characters from the comics making their debut.
Seeing Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) from the Mark Waid/Paolo Rivera Vol 3 run of the Daredevil comic was a pleasant surprise. However, with the insertion of original characters such as Cherry (Clark Johnson), I thought I knew where the show was going to go alongside the show. Man, color me Jon Snow tho, because I knew nothing. Something that was a pleasant surprise and that I had been hopeful for was a specific call back to the Netflix series; someone that was a very important and connected character. We see them honored through the portrayal of Genneya Walton’s character BB [redacted last name]. I was very excited to see her character; it felt like a baton pass in a way.
The initial episode sets the tone for what’s to come for the entirety of the season. Folks talk about the MCU not taking risks, well Daredevil: Born Again brought out the board game for the critics.
Situation, Speculation, Everybody, Litigation
As exciting as it is to have Charlie Cox hitting the streets as Daredevil, an underrated joy is seeing him back in the court of law because being a lawyer is a big part of Matt Murdock’s identity. The Netflix series did a good job of mediating Matt’s life between being a lawyer and a vigilante, especially in his early years, but as the show went on the vigilante aspect took over a majority of the show. Daredevil: Born Again, on the other hand, doesn’t shy away from Matt’s career and all that it entails. One of the biggest cases Matt Murdock has involves The White Tiger, Hector Ayala, portrayed by Kamar de los Reyes.
For those that don’t know, White Tiger debuted back in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19 in 1975. He’s credited with being the first Latinx superhero as well (Puerto Rico stand up). Kamar de los Reyes is a scene stealer as Hector – every time he appears you want to see more of him. This man wastes no time on-screen and truly brought this legendary character to life. It’s wild to remember reading this storyline as a teenager in the Bendis/Maleev comic run and now see it happening in live action.
This storyline is an important one in Daredevil’s lore and what’s amazing is the way the creators and writers blended it into a different storylines to weave together a tapestry of the bigger picture that’s being told over the season.
Violins and Violence
The show runners understood that the essence of the Daredevil franchise is the duality of Matt Murdock. This man has the most gifted hands (no Ben Carson) Marvel 616 has ever seen. The struggle of Matt trying to keep his composure and violence contained is what truly makes him such a compelling character. No one understands that composure better than his nemesis, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio portray Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk as two men wrestling with violence that found themselves at opposing sides of the law.
Two victims of circumstances that led to different paths, which makes their conversation with one another so compelling considering their history in the comics as well as the show. These are two men tryin’ to suppress who they truly are for a more acceptable version of themselves for society. However, all they need is an excuse to let their true selves out. They are that excuse for one another.
Throw in the appearance of Punisher (Jon Bernthal), whose relation to violence is much more brutal and savage then Murdock and Fisk. Bernthal lets you not only see that in his portrayal of Punisher but he lets you hear it as well. D’Onofrio’s Fisk calmly releases his violence like an animal walking out of a cage. Cox’s Daredevil has his violence escape from him like a prison break whenever he does his yell. Bernthal’s Punisher has a visceral and primal violence. Every time he fights, he sounds like a wounded animal backed into a corner.
Now when we look at the more defined villains of the series like the newcomer Muse (who debuted in the Charles Soule/Ron Garney Daredevil run) his violence is artistic. Expressive. Then we got Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye. Woooooo-wheeeeeeeeee. There is no spectrum with this man. The violence is simply an extension of himself – it’s as natural as breathing.
Speaking of violence. I’m reminded of a story staff member Nicole Homer (who is a brilliant writer) told me. She was in a martial arts class, and the instructor told her that she had to be even more brutal. “Don’t compromise the violence.” I thought that Daredevil: Born Again was going to compromise the violence and I was prepared for a milder type of fight choreography for a watered-down Daredevil. It. Was. Not.
My god, I never thought I’d live to see the day when the House of Mouse would air Matt Murdock breaking bones and filling more hospital beds in Harlem than Loaded Lux, or seeing The Punisher [redacted]. Disney+ went full on Triple H and let Daredevil be Daredevil because “that’s what’s best for business”. Now, yes – violence is a part of Daredevil, but it’s not all that he is. We see these characters cursing and having real reactions of frustration and anger and it makes the series feel so much more authentic. Matt drops an F bomb later on in the series that came straight from the soul.
Hood Politics
You know a show is good when they can make politics and the things that go into the operation of a city interesting. Daredevil: Born Again was out here looking like The Wire and Ozark for a couple episodes. As much as I love how Daredevil lore can delve into the occult and mystical, I’m always going to be a fan of the street level happenings. The show captures all the things going on in the city and the temperament of the citizens of MCU New Yorkers perfectly. There’s so much to check in on in the series from the crime, the people, the villains, and heroes, as well as the city itself, but there is such a perfect balance this time set as a foundation for this show. Another thing the show does is not only make the law an interesting character as well, but it also shows how fickle that law itself can be.
We always say that art imitates life. The suspension of disbelief can only hold so much. What I like about this go-round with Daredevil is that even these folks who defend the law feel as if the system is rigged. What’s believed to be wrong or right changes from certain perspectives being switched. Especially when it comes to cases that aren’t so major or grand in scale.
Matt Murdock is a lawyer that defends the little guy – we get to see and critique that help this time around. Sometimes the best case scenario isn’t actually helping when the system got the dice rigged, which is something I appreciate. Don’t tell me that in this world the law is black and white when we know it’s the same color as prime era Loaded Lux’s hoodie. I appreciate the element of realism this incarnation of Daredevil achieved for this season. Again, seeing this character get to be his full self and real rap rap on Disney+ is insane to me. Never thought I’d live to see the day but we here now, baby.
Daredevil: Born Again is streaming right now on Disney+. The first two episodes aired as of March 4th. COME DOWN TO HELL’S KITCHEN AND SEE MATT MURDOCK GOIN CRAZY ON THE WOK AND STOVE TOP!
“Next time you in the hood and see an ol’ G
You ask about me, The young boy don’t back down.”
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