TV Review: Daredevil: Born Again – Season 2

I was able to watch all eight episodes of season 2 of Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again, which is streaming on Disney+. This review will cover the entire season, looking at the overall story and character arcs while also highlighting some of my favorite moments. It will be completely SPOILER-FREE, but just a heads up, there weren’t any major character reveals or anything crazy that would have the internet in a tizzy.

Since its days on Netflix, I have been a huge fan of the Charlie Cox-led Daredevil series. Heck, I even have a soft spot for the 2003 cinematic Daredevil starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. When Daredevil moved from Netflix to Disney+, entering the much lighter and less violent MCU, many were worried the show would tone down the violence and toughness we had come to expect. We were wrong. Daredevil: Born Again season 1 kept the same dark, moody tone with the hard-hitting, spectacularly choreographed fight sequences that made the seasons on Netflix so good.

Season 1 of Born Again was great and a welcome return for Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk. Season 2 is not only better than season 1, but it is also the best Daredevil season since season 2 of the Netflix series (the season we got introduced to Jon Bernthal’s now-iconic Punisher) and the best entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Endgame. It’s better than any movie they have released since then, and it is better than any show they have released since they started producing them in 2020. It’s a tough, violent, expertly crafted series that deals with timely societal issues.

In the outstanding finale of season 1, we saw Wilson Fisk (D’Onofrio) become Mayor of New York and put the city under martial law, banning all vigilantes by establishing an Anti-Vigilante Task Force that does everything to keep the city clean of vigilantes, even if what they define as a vigilante is less about being a hero in a mask and more about average citizens protesting the current government. Meanwhile, Matt Murdoch/Daredevil (Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) are putting together a resistance team while Murdoch, who swore off being Daredevil following the death of his best friend Foggy (Elden Henson), is fully back as The Man Without Fear.

The first episode of season 2 begins on a ship called The Morning Star, which is carrying over 30 tons of military weapons and ammunition as ordered by Wilson Fisk. Daredevil, in a new, slick costume, boards the ship and beats the henchmen on board, foiling Fisk’s plan. The fight sequence on The Northern Star brings us right back into this Daredevil universe. It’s a swift, bloody, jaw-dropping fight and sets the tone for what we are going to see this season.

The incident on The Morning Star has repercussions throughout the entire season, including introducing us to Mr. Charles (a wickedly fun Matthew Lillard), a mysterious government man who works for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis Dreyfus, who doesn’t show up during the show) and seems to have the upper hand on Fisk. There are several other smaller plot threads throughout season 2, like Dr. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), Matt Murdoch’s former lover who is now working for Fisk, suffering the trauma that happened between her and Muse in season 1, or the friendship and ethics battle between BB Urich (Genneya Walton), an online news reporter who opposes everything about Fisk, and her good friend Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini, slowly but surely morphing into his father), who works for Fisk and starts off giving information to BB for her news channel, but is torn between his friendship to BB and loyalty to Fisk. There are other plots and stories throughout this season, yet it never gets jumbled, and every story is captivating. There is never a dull moment during this season of Born Again, even when Murdoch and Fisk aren’t on screen.

What most hooked me about Daredevil: Born Again was the strong themes about forgiveness and changing for the better. This is a big theme when it comes to Benjamin Poindexter (Wilson Bethel), a.k.a Bullseye, the man responsible for killing Foggy in episode 1 of season 1. Murdoch and Page are constantly struggling with this, especially when they come face-to-face with Poindexter. They know they need to be better than Fisk and show the restraint not to kill Poindexter despite what he did to their friend. It’s powerful stuff and makes for some of the most electric moments this season.

This is also the most socially and politically relevant show or movie the MCU has ever put out. I don’t expect much from the MCU in terms of messaging or socially relevant themes, but Daredevil: Born Again wears it on its sleeve (or chest, like a normal superhero). It looks at a powerful man leading a corrupt government system, oppressing its people, and unleashing a task force that is ultimately there to stop anyone who opposes their leader. It’s hard not to watch season 2 and think of the current political climate in the United States. Some of the imagery and scenes felt ripped right from the headlines. It’s about time Marvel made a statement of any kind.

The highlights of the season for me were episode 4, titled “Gloves Off”, a brutally violent but deeply emotional episode, and the season finale, “The Southern Cross”, which starts like A Few Good Men and finishes with a bold, moving ending and keeps us guessing about the future of Murdoch and Fisk. Cox is once again spectacular as Murdoch, with “The Southern Cross” being his finest hour of acting. It shows his physicality as Daredevil and his intelligence and wit as Murdoch. The supporting characters are great, but this is a show that belongs to D’Onofrio, who gives an award-worthy performance as this monstrous villain. Much like Colin Farrell’s lauded portrayal in HBO Max’s The Penguin, D’Onofrio gives depth to an iconic comic book villain. He is a man with a personal code and honor system that is both his greatest strength and weakness. He is full of suppressed emotion and rage, and when it comes out, you never know who or what might be affected. This is a towering (both literally and figuratively) performance that I hope garners the attention of the Emmys and other TV awards.

I could go on about Daredevil: Born Again season 2, but this would end up being 5,000 words at minimum. Here’s what you need to know: this is as good a product, whether a movie, show, special, or anything else, that Marvel and the MCU have put out this decade. The performances are top-notch, the action hits hard and is shot perfectly, the writing is sensational, every story is interesting, and the themes are a great mix of timeless and timely.

TL;DR Review of Daredevil: Born Again – Season 2

• Better than season 1 and the best Daredevil season since season 2 of the Netflix series.
• Hard-hitting action is coupled with timely storytelling and timeless themes of good versus evil and forgiveness.
• Charlie Cox is excellent. Vincent D’Onofrio gives an awards-caliber performance and firmly cements himself as one of the greatest comic book villains ever.
• The best entrant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Avengers: Endgame, regardless of medium.

Daredevil: Born Again begins streaming on Disney+ on March 24th.

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