Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Review

Since 2015, Daredevil has long been revered as one of the finest characters realized in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a cornerstone to aspire to as far as modern comic book adaptations on television are concerned. Starring Charlie Cox as the titular character, Matt Murdock’s journey to hell and back in the name of justice and redemption has been one marred with tragedy, pain and retribution. And yet, despite it all, Matt perseveres, and 11 years, three (mostly) stellar seasons of the original series’ Netflix run and one solid season of the revival later (review here), The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is back in Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, now available on Disney+.

It’s been six months since Wilson Fisk became the Mayor of New York, effectively beginning to bend the city to his will and enact any laws that may help take down his enemies, in particular Daredevil and any other vigilantes around, as well as make further moves to corrupt sitting officials so he can achieve more power as Mayor. As his actions begin to affect more innocent civilians and result in further mass panic, Matt must look further to his closest confidantes like Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) for help, and build a resistance that can help fight against Fisk and take back the city before things get worse. In addition, he may receive an extra helping hand from unexpected allies and even some old allies, such as Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) returning to the fray.

While the first season of Daredevil: Born Again was a success, it was infamously the result of a creative overhaul that took place halfway into its filming, the result being somewhat of a Frankenstein’s Monster of a season, i.e., a collection of pre-overhaul and post-overhaul ideas cobbled together as cohesively as possible to make a story come to life. To its credit, however, it ended on a fascinating and dark note that set up Season 2 in a rather effective manner. As this sophomore outing commences, showrunner Dario Scarapane’s vision is singular, and the storytelling feels more focused this time around. It starts slower, resetting all the pieces on the chessboard once again and re-establishing the characters, as well as the warped reality that New York is living under thanks to Fisk. Once it hits the halfway mark, however, the show transforms from its slower burn into something entirely different, shedding the initial run’s more MCU-like identity and instead harkening back more to the tone and feel of the original Netflix series’ run, leading to a sequel season that’s not only better, but also ranks as maybe the finest outing for any television season that has premiered on Disney+ so far.

Season 2 wastes no time establishing the more controlled New York under Fisk, as people on the streets talk about how “New York has never been better.” Every powerful person bending to his will, every critic being silenced, every shady deal being made to gain more momentum. On the streets, in some moments, it’s hard not to see some of the authoritarian imagery brought upon by the administration and wince, especially as the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) begins to become more vicious in their apprehension of anyone against them while also violently pushing back anyone in their way, eerily evoking moments in the news recently. The result is a darker, more (unfortunately) timely story and one that keeps the threats Matt faces more grounded and real.

Throughout the season, the resistance begins to build against them, as viral social media videos mocking Fisk and his policies as well as ordinary citizens protesting against him and the AVTF begin to amplify, leading to more striking sequences and even more brutal ones. As Fisk, D’Onofrio once again shines in the role, bringing the complex yet brutal villain to life and making him feel more menacing and powerful than before, yet often exposing his softer side when he is with Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) until he must rise up to defend her if anyone speaks against her. As the season progresses, D’Onofrio’s performance becomes far more versatile and complex, leading to some of his finest work as the character yet, and proving that he deserves to be ranked among the finest character casting choices to date.

Cox as Daredevil, is also on that hill of casting choices. As a more broken and devastated version of Murdock, attempting to find a modicum of good among all the evil surrounding him, and still trying to deal with the death of Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Cox effortlessly brings the two sides of his character to life, taking many a hit during fights once again but also keeping on going and believing in the power of forgiveness and redemption, holding on to his faith that a light will shine through. The scenes featuring him and Karen (another solid turn from Woll), as well as other close confidantes and his action moments are spectacularly realized. Returning as Jessica Jones, Ritter has not missed a beat between the end of Season 3 in summer 2019 and today, equally effortless in bringing back the dry sense of humor and directness of her character to screen, matching Matt in those conversational moments. It is a delight to see her again as this pocket of the MCU begins to be revived once more.

As many fans of Daredevil: Born Again have come to expect from it and the original Netflix series, the action is once again outstanding. The brutality and violence are dialed up even more, as are some of the more stylized moments, mostly courtesy of Bullseye’s massacres of enemies (Wilson Bethel, fantastic in this season) and Daredevil’s takedowns of AVTF officers trying to terrorize others. Beautifully choreographed and filmed, and with a spectacular visual style spread out throughout the eight episodes, Season 2 of Born Again excels in this department and then some, all once again backed by a terrific score from The Newton Brothers and some stellar storytelling that even gives some side characters like Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) and BB Urich (Genneya Walton) a chance to shine exceptionally. This latter aspect is particularly impressive when characters like Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) get lesser this time, but still has some significant moments as she tries to move past the trauma from Muse (Hunter Doohan, Season 1), and work as the mental health counselor under Fisk and keep the people he has targeted off the grid. 

The marketing for Season 2 of Born Again has been rather sparse in nature leading up to its premiere, keeping hidden most of the plot details and events that kick off the more exceptional part of this run. As such, this review will also keep things a bit on the quiet side but, rest assured, the season leads into something truly special as it makes it way to the finish line, building to a spectacular finale that ranks among the finest hours of Daredevil in the MCU to date, leading to one of the finest outings for the character yet, only ranking below the original series’ masterwork of a third season, and about on par with its premiere run in 2015.

The filming for Season 3 is now underway, and there is much more story to tell yet and much more lore to build into, but more than anything, it is wonderful having this street-level pocket of the franchise back in more solid effect after its abrupt stop in 2019. If Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again is any indication, what is to come for Matt Murdock, Karen Page, Jessica Jones etc. is bound to be even better and stronger. For now, it’s some of the best the MCU has to offer.

*still courtesy of Marvel Television*

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Shaurya Chawla