Daredevil: Should It Have Been Born Again?

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is a hybrid amalgamation of the hit Netflix series that I believe was one of the best superhero shows of all time (I’d say one of the best TV shows of all time too if I didn’t include season 2) & the results are mostly good but not mostly great, let me tell you why. 

If you fuse an A+ show such as the Netflix ‘Daredevil’ series with the current MCU which is at best a C- at the moment, you end up with something that’s around a 4/5 stars show and that IS a solid B, but going from an A+ to a B is gonna be fine for some people, while drastically bothering others. 

I’m currently on season one, episode 7 of the show and some of the main issues are as follows:

“What’s with the unnecessary CGI?” 

To see Daredevil swinging through the city like he’s Spider-Man then being edited back into the gritty fight scenes that the show was known for in its first three seasons, comes off as, well…off. 

It’s like oil and water, they don’t mix. Either be another basic MCU CGI show or stick with what made Daredevil great in the first place: stimulating fight scenes that can go for even up to 10 minutes uncut, all in one shot. No other MCU show/movie even touched that kind of hallowed ground, which is ONE of the reasons why this show had such a strong fanbase in the first place. 

Another issue: “You literally killed the heart and soul of the former series in the first episode.”

I searched online and couldn’t find any evidence of Foggy Nelson dying in the comic book series. Nelson and Murdock is literally the law firm that Daredevil mostly works out of in the comic book series & they got rid of all of that, just to give Matt Murdock a motive and a reason to quit being Daredevil temporarily to only come back to picking up the mantle again in just a couple of episodes?! Not gonna lie that type of reasoning is straight up BS. 

If you watch the Netflix series, Foggy Nelson (who was played with a lot of heart and humor by Elden Henson) & who I was REALLY looking forward to seeing back in action alongside Karen Page who also was played with great intentionality by Deborah Ann Woll, are literally the two people that keep the main character grounded as the complex twofold person who is both Matt Murdock AND Daredevil. 

Now after an episode or two into the new series, they get written off the show, EFFECTIVE immediately?!

Not gonna lie if I was Elden and saw that I was dying in the first episode, I would’ve refused to come back to the show, PERIOD. He should’ve talked to Michael Caine who made that decision with the movie ‘Kingsman: the Golden Circle’ after reading that his character was going to die in the first ten minutes of the movie. 

Looking back on shows like ‘The Office’ & ‘That 70’s Show’ for example, I’ve never understood how the writers think that writing off the main/best characters of a TV comedy or drama would even remotely be a good idea in the first place. 

If you ask me, the last episode of ‘The Office’ was ‘Goodbye Michael’ which was season 7, episode 8, because we all know not one person in the world preferred the show with ‘Andy Bernard’ as the boss of the ‘Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch’ over ‘Michael Scott.’ Not one solitary soul. 

All of that to say, if you reboot a show, DON’T forget what made it great in the first place. & in this case with Daredvil, it was the ALREADY solid cast & the ALREADY solid action. End of story. 

That’s enough complaining now, let’s talk about what’s good with the new show. 

Charlie Cox still brings it. To see Charlie back in action, literally, fighting off bad guys again while acting his heart out as Matt Murdock as well, is a true privilege as it is something I never thought I’d see again until his unexpected cameo in ‘Spider Man: No Way Home’ back in 2021. 

He’s still got it, even though he is 10 years older after originally getting the role, it’s really hard to even tell though because this guy is still ready to give his all during the action AND during the drama. Good to see him back on the screen again. What’s next. 

The story is still MOSTLY solid. As I mentioned I didn’t finish the series as I’m writing this and am currently on episode 7, but what I can say is that this show is still smart, funny (sometimes they push too hard, side effects of being added into the ‘Thor Love and Thunder’ esque MCU), & it mostly still lands on its feet as the dialogue is still mature and does not pander to trying to be a show for anyone younger than a young adult. 

Lastly, despite my complaints about the MCU culture affecting the show, this show IS opening the door to the other Netflix Marvel superheroes to re-enter into the picture as well. 

Punisher is back, Jessica Jones is making a return, & please please please (I hope I didn’t summon Sabrina Carpenter) bring back Luke Cage 🙏 Iron Fist thoooo…I’m good 😂

When you create a hybrid show with the two separate entities being near polar opposites in their type of content, the end result should end up being a strange mixed bag type of Frankenstein’s monster. Thankfully in this case, the show mostly retains what made it great in the first place while expanding its territory into the MCU universe AND resurrecting other fallen Netflix Marvel heroes along the way. 

This is definitely not the best they can do, but far from their worst, & I’m expectant to see how they continue to improve & move the story forward as a whole. In the end, I’m glad the Daredevil series got born again. 

Peace.