| Daredevil: Born Again | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Showrunner | Dario Scardapane |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney+ |
| Original release | March 4 (2025-03-04) – April 15, 2025 (2025-04-15) |
| Season chronology | |
Next → Season 2 | |
| List of episodes | |
The first season of the American television seriesDaredevil: Born Again is based onMarvel Comics featuring the characterDaredevil. It sees blind lawyer and former vigilanteMatt Murdock's fight for justice put him on a collision course with former mob bossWilson Fisk, who is electedmayor of New York City. Set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and sharing continuity withthe films andtelevision series of the franchise,Born Again is arevival and continuation ofMarvel Television andNetflix'sDaredevil (2015–2018). The season was produced byMarvel Studios, via its ownMarvel Television label, withDario Scardapane asshowrunner andJustin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as lead directors.
Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil fromMarvel's Netflix television series and prior Marvel Studios productions, starring alongsideVincent D'Onofrio (Fisk),Margarita Levieva,Deborah Ann Woll,Elden Henson,Wilson Bethel,Zabryna Guevara,Nikki M. James,Genneya Walton,Arty Froushan,Clark Johnson,Michael Gandolfini,Ayelet Zurer,Kamar de los Reyes,Jon Bernthal,Mohan Kapur, andTony Dalton. Development on a new Daredevil series began by March 2022, withhead writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord giving it an episodic structure and lighter tone than the original series.Born Again was announced in July 2022 with a planned 18-episode first season. Filming began in March 2023 inNew York, withMichael Cuesta,Jeffrey Nachmanoff, andDavid Boyd directing blocks of episodes. Filming was suspended in June due to the2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Marvel Studios decided to overhaul the series by late September and released Corman, Ord, and the remaining directors. Scardapane, Benson, and Moorhead were hired to reworkBorn Again and connect it to the Netflix series. They added a newpilot, two additional episodes, and serialized elements. Filming for the nine-episode first season resumed in January 2024 andwrapped in April, with Nachmanoff and Boyd returning to assist Benson and Moorhead. Cuesta, Nachmanoff, and Boyd retained credit for their episodes.
The first season premiered onDisney+ on March 4, 2025, with its first two episodes. The other seven episodes were released through April 15, as part ofPhase Five of the MCU. The season received generally positive reviews from critics, who highlighted the character-driven storytelling and performances—particularly those of Cox and D'Onofrio—but had mixed thoughts when comparing it to the originalDaredevil series. Asecond season was confirmed in August 2024.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Heaven's Half Hour" | Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson | Dario Scardapane | March 4, 2025 (2025-03-04) | |
Matt Murdock and his friends and legal partnersFoggy Nelson andKaren Page celebrate the retirement of theirNYPD associateCherry atJosie's Bar. They are attacked by their old enemyBenjamin "Dex" Poindexter, who kills Nelson. An enraged Murdock, as the maskedvigilante Daredevil, attempts to kill Dex by dropping him from a roof; Cherry sees that Murdock is Daredevil. A year later, Murdock has retired as Daredevil and formed a newlaw firm with former district attorneyKirsten McDuffie. Page has moved to San Francisco, and Dex is given a life sentence for his crimes. McDuffie sets Murdock up with therapistHeather Glenn and they begin dating. After taking time away to recover from a vigilante attack,[a] former mob bossWilson Fisk announces that he is running formayor of New York City with an anti-vigilante agenda. In a meeting, Murdock promises to stop Fisk if he steps out of line while Fisk says there will be consequences if Murdock resumes his vigilante activities. After winning the election, Fisk tells his wifeVanessa that he knows she had an affair with a man named Adam while he was away. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Optics" | Michael Cuesta | Matt Corman & Chris Ord | March 4, 2025 (2025-03-04) | |
Hector Ayala comes across two men, Powell and Shanahan, beating up Nicky Torres in a subway station. Ayala attempts to break up the fight and Torres runs away. When Shanahan trips and is killed by a train, Powell reveals that they are police officers and arrests Ayala for murder. Murdock, using his heightened senses, believes Ayala's story and decides to represent him. Cherry, now working as Murdock's investigator, learns that Ayala is the vigilante White Tiger. Murdock convinces the judge in Ayala's case to withhold this information, believing it would unfairly bias the jury. To improve optics during his first days as mayor, Fisk meets with young journalistBB Urich who reveals that popular NYPD Commissioner Gallo is poised to resign in protest of Fisk becoming mayor. Fisk threatens to expose Gallo's infidelity to stop him from resigning. Fisk and Vanessa start attending couples' therapy with Glenn. Murdock tracks down Torres and helps him escape from Powell and anothercorrupt police officer. The corrupt officers have tattoos of a skull, the symbol of the lethal vigilanteFrank Castle / Punisher. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Hollow of His Hand" | Michael Cuesta | Jill Blankenship | March 11, 2025 (2025-03-11) | |
Fisk and Vanessa avoid their previous criminal activities while Fisk is mayor. Two leaders of New York City's gangs, Luca and Viktor, begin to fight among themselves. Fisk believes they should let the gangs kill each other to help build a lasting peace, but Vanessa is frustrated that her work is being undone. She sends Fisk's right-hand manBuck Cashman to order Luca to pay $1.8 million restitution to Viktor. Cherry brings Torres to testify at Ayala's trial, but Torres is intimidated by the police and says he was never assaulted. With no other options, Murdock reveals Ayala's identity as the White Tiger in court. He is criticized by the judge and district attorneyBenjamin Hochberg for his hypocrisy. With new witness accounts and police records detailing Ayala's heroic deeds as White Tiger, Murdock and McDuffie successfully convince the jury to find Ayala not guilty. In an interview with BB, Fisk denounces the trial's results and vows to uphold his anti-vigilante stance. Despite Murdock's warning that Ayala should stop being White Tiger, Ayala goes out on patrol and is murdered by a man wearing the Punisher's symbol. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Sic Semper Systema" | Jeffrey Nachmanoff | David Feige and Jesse Wigutow | March 18, 2025 (2025-03-18) | |
Murdock is confronted by Ayala's niece,Angela del Toro, who believes the police are responsible for Ayala's death. Murdock comforts her with hope that the killer will be brought to justice. At marriage counseling, Fisk and Vanessa discuss her affair with Adam and Glenn privately asks Vanessa if she feels safe around Fisk. Fisk's plan to rebuild theRed Hook port faces several hurdles, including bureaucratic procedures, gang in-fighting, and his protégéDaniel Blake drunkenly leaking details to BB who reports that Fisk is aunion buster. Despite his anger, Fisk decides not to fire Blake when the latter expresses his deep loyalty. Murdock investigates the site of Ayala's murder and finds a bullet casing with the Punisher's symbol on it. He tracks down Castle and suggests he take responsibility for those who are misusing the Punisher symbol. Castle calls out Murdock for not ensuring Dex's death as retribution for Nelson's death. Later that night, Murdock practices with his Daredevilbilly clubs, Fisk eats dinner next to an imprisoned Adam, and the masked serial killerMuse drains blood from a victim. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "With Interest" | Jeffrey Nachmanoff | Grainne Godfree | March 25, 2025 (2025-03-25) | |
OnSaint Patrick's Day, Murdock goes to New York Mutual Bank to discuss a loan for his law firm. His application is denied by assistant bank managerYusuf Khan due to the firm's penchant for taking on clients who cannot afford to pay. Soon after Murdock leaves, a group of criminals led by Devlin enter the bank and take everyone hostage. They work for Luca and are attempting to steal the $1.8 million he needs to pay to Viktor. Murdock hears them and returns to the bank. When the police arrive, Devlin talks with hostage negotiator Detective Angie Kim. Murdock takes out two of the robbers while Khan stalls for time at the bank vault. Murdock opens the vault and they find a rare diamond that the robbers are targeting. Murdock pretends to give the diamond to Devlin as the police enter the bank. Devlin gives the parcel to an accomplice among the hostages, who later realizes that she does not have the diamond. Devlin disguises himself as a police officer and leaves, but is caught and injured by Murdock. Later, Murdock secretly returns the diamond and accepts an offer to have dinner with Khan's family. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Excessive Force" | David Boyd | Thomas Wong | March 25, 2025 (2025-03-25) | |
After the failed robbery, Luca visits Fisk and refuses to pay the $1.8 million to Viktor. Fisk raises the amount to $2.8 million and gives Luca a week to pay it. He then learns from the city'ssanitation department that Muse is using human blood in his street art. Muse later leaves the bodies of two victims next to a new mural as public confirmation of his actions. Fisk learns of this during a fundraiser with the city's elites, including socialiteJack Duquesne, who are against his Red Hook plans. To deal with Muse, Fisk establishes an Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) with additional powers and recruits notorious police officers such as Powell and former detectiveCole North. Angela believes Ayala was investigating Muse before his death and asks Murdock to continue his work. When Murdock refuses, she goes herself and is abducted by Muse. Alerted to her disappearance, Murdock finally decides to suit up as Daredevil. He finds Muse's lair, fights Muse, and rescues Angela, but Muse gets away. Meanwhile, Fisk gives Adam an axe and challenges him to a fight in which Fisk beats him and drags him back to his cell. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Art for Art's Sake" | David Boyd | Jill Blankenship | April 1, 2025 (2025-04-01) | |
A recuperating Angela tells the police that Daredevil saved her and directs them to Muse's lair. Kim reports to Fisk, who is angry that Daredevil has returned, that the primary suspect for Muse is a troubled young man namedBastian Cooper. Luca asks Vanessa to return to her criminal activities behind Fisk's back. In a session with Glenn, Bastian thanks her for helping him embrace his true identity. She realizes he is Muse and Bastian knocks her unconscious. Murdock and the AVTF separately find paintings of Glenn in Muse's lair and go to save her. As Daredevil, Murdock arrives at Glenn's office and rescues her. As the AVTF prepares to enter, Glenn fatally shoots Muse before fainting. Murdock stabilizes her injuries before the AVTF arrives. Fisk gives credit for stopping Muse to the AVTF and publicly declares them to be heroes. Blake threatens BB into removing eyewitness mentions of Daredevil's involvement in the incident from her blog. A recovering Glenn tells Murdock that she heard Daredevil say her name. Vanessa seemingly sends Luca to kill Fisk, but this is a trap and Cashman kills Luca. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Isle of Joy" | Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead | Jesse Wigutow & Dario Scardapane | April 8, 2025 (2025-04-08) | |
Dex is moved fromsolitary confinement togen pop on Fisk's orders. Fisk also: reveals his imprisonment of Adam to Vanessa and watches as she kills him; promotes Blake to Deputy Mayor of Communications; and invites Glenn to his Black & White Ball fundraiser. Murdock realizes that Fisk is Glenn's patient, further straining their relationship as he contests her anti-vigilante views. At Josie's Bar, Murdock learns that Nelson was celebrating an impending court win the night he died. Believing Fisk hired Dex to silence Nelson, Murdock interrogates Dex and injures him. Dex later kills his doctor and a guard before escaping prison. At the ball, Fisk blackmails Duquesne—who is the sword-wielding vigilante Swordsman—and other socialites into supporting his Red Hook project. BB, who is aware of Fisk's involvement in her uncleBen Urich's murder, asks Gallo to help bring down Fisk and the AVTF. Murdock deduces that it was actually Vanessa who hired Dex to kill Nelson, and confronts her. As Fisk starts to tell Glenn that Murdock is Daredevil, Dex arrives and shoots at Fisk. Murdock jumps in front of the bullet. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Straight to Hell" | Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson | Heather Bellson & Dario Scardapane | April 15, 2025 (2025-04-15) | |
Dex escapes from the ball while Murdock is hospitalized. Fisk cuts off the power to New York City and orders Cashman to kill Murdock, who escapes to his apartment. Castle finds him there and they both fight AVTF officers, including North who is revealed to be Ayala's murderer. The pair reunite with Page, who asked Castle to protect Murdock after learning of Dex's escape. Murdock and Page track down Nelson's case files and discover that Red Hook is afree port and the Fisks are trying to turn it into their owncity-state. Castle fights the AVTF at Red Hook, calling them out for using his symbol, and is captured. Fisk learns that Gallo is planning to undermine him and brutally crushes his skull. He turns the power back on and declaresmartial law, outlawing vigilantism and imprisoning Duquesne, Castle, and other dissidents at Red Hook. He offers Glenn the position of Mental Health Commissioner, which she accepts. Murdock recruits Cherry, Kim, and other honest police officers to resist Fisk and save the city. In amid-credits scene, Castle tricks a prison guard to enable his escape. | ||||||
Additionally, news anchorPat Kiernan appears as himself after doing so in various other MCU projects.[17]
Areboot ofMarvel's Netflix television seriesDaredevil (2015–2018) was reported to be in development withMarvel Studios in March 2022.[49][50] The series was confirmed to be in development forDisney+ in late May, with Matt Corman and Chris Ord attached ashead writers and executive producers.[51] AtSan Diego Comic-Con that July, the series was announced asDaredevil: Born Again and was revealed to have 18 episodes for its first season.[52] Directors were hired for blocks of episodes:Michael Cuesta joined in March 2023 to direct the first two episodes;[20][10]: 17–18 Jeffrey Nachmanoff joined in May to direct the third and fourth episodes;[53][54]David Boyd directed the fifth and sixth episodes;[54] andClark Johnson, a director on the Marvel Netflix seriesLuke Cage (2016–2018), also joined in May to direct another two episodes.[55]
By late September 2023, after six episodes had been filmed,[56][57] Marvel Studios decided to overhaul the series with a new creative direction. Corman and Ord were let go as head writers, as were directors for the remaining episodes.[56] Marvel planned to retain some elements that had been shot, add newserialized elements, and move closer to the tone of the Netflix series.[56][58] The creative team also decided to connect the new series to the original series more directly than had been planned.[59] StarCharlie Cox said it was confusing thatBorn Again was not a direct continuation of the Netflix series or a complete reboot.[8]Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, said the studio believed they could "play it loose" with the history ofDaredevil,[8] wanting to keep Cox andVincent D'Onofrio but otherwise "reset" to avoid alienating new viewers.[60] The studio realized they had to either fully embrace the Netflix series or start over fresh.[8]Dario Scardapane, a writer on Netflix'sDaredevil spin-off seriesThe Punisher (2017–2019), was hired asshowrunner in October 2023.[58] Filmmaking duoJustin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who previously worked on the Marvel Studios seriesMoon Knight (2022) and thesecond season ofLoki (2023), were hired to direct the remaining episodes.[58]
A lot of the material that we shot pre-strike is brilliant and is still in the show and works really well. There were just some complicated factors around what we had been tasked to do and what we were discovering was and wasn't working... Credit to Marvel that they looked at the episodes and could acknowledge that we could still do better, and that we maybe needed to go in a slightly different direction... Where we ended up felt really good.
A newpilot episode, two other new episodes, and new scenes for the existing episodes were written.[57][62] Cox confirmed in May 2024 that nine episodes had been filmed.[63] Marvel Studios presidentKevin Feige said in August that these were the first season ofBorn Again and asecond season was planned;[64][65] with the creative overhaul, the planned 18-episode season had been split into two seasons,[62][8] with the second ultimately having eight episodes.[66] Also in August, Cuesta, Nachmanoff, and Boyd were re-confirmed to be credited directors.[67] Moorhead said they wanted to "give those directors credit where it's due" despite him and Benson guiding the final edits for all of the episodes.[62] Nachmanoff and Boyd returned to film new footage for the existing episodes and assisted Benson and Moorhead with blending the style of the original episodes with the lead directors' new material.[19]: 4:44–4:54, 14:50–15:03 Executive producers included Marvel Studios' Feige,Louis D'Esposito, Winderbaum,Sana Amanat, andChris Gary, alongside Scardapane, Corman, Ord, Benson, and Moorhead.[68] The series is released under Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" label.[69]
Original writers for the series included Corman, Ord,[51]Grainne Godfree, Jill Blankenship,[70] Aisha Porter-Christie,David Feige, Devon Kliger, Thomas Wong, Zachary Reiter,[71] Molly Nussbaum,[72] and Jesse Wigutow.[73] David Feige, Wong, and Reiter are all former lawyers who previously worked on other lawyer-based television series.[71] The initial take on the series was described as a legalprocedural that was dark, but not as gory as the Netflix series,[56][74] and more episodic than other Marvel Studios series with "self-contained" episodes.[75] One plannedbottle episode that Wigutow joined the series to work on was centered onFrank Castle / Punisher spending a "narratively... interesting night" withMaya Lopez / Echo.[73] According to Cox, early discussions for the series were about "reinvent[ing] the whole thing" and portrayingMatt Murdock / Daredevil as a different person from the one seen in the Netflix series.[76] Murdock's friendsFranklin "Foggy" Nelson andKaren Page were largely not acknowledged in this version of the series,[8] with plans for Nelson to be killed off-screen before the events of the first season.[6] Amanat said the creative team were struggling to incorporate the characters into the story, but Cox said there were discussions to do some "cool stuff" with them in the future.[8] The season originally opened with a shot of Murdock, in the Daredevil suit, crying and dropping his mask; this was meant to occur shortly after Nelson's off-screen death to explain why Murdock decided to stop being Daredevil at the start of the series.[54]
Following the creative overhaul, serialized elements were set to be added.[58] Scardapane was joined by writersHeather Bellson and Wigutow,[77] and three new episodes were written: the pilot and the final two episodes of the first season.[62] The pilot acts as a bridge between the Netflix series andBorn Again. Scardapane felt the end of the Netflix series—which sees Murdock, Nelson, and Page planning to go into business together again—was a good starting point forBorn Again and did not need too much explanation for new viewers.[78] He felt it was important to include Nelson and Page because they are Murdock's "family structure". Nelson also providescomic relief, while Page is "the heart and soul" of the series.[3]: 30 Cox explained that a few years have passed since the end ofDaredevil, with the characters running their law firmNelson, Murdock & Page and having a "pretty good rhythm" together.[76] The cast said the events of the Netflix series were part of their characters' histories, and there are some new storylines that build on the original's events, but they did not want to dwell too much on past events or alienate new viewers.[79] Corman, Ord, Blankenship, David Feige, Godfree, and Wong received credits on the existing six episodes,[77] which were kept largely intact.[62] Winderbaum said test audiences responded well to those episodes and believed this was due to fan appreciation for the characters. Scardapane agreed that several elements in the original version worked well—including Murdock's relationships, balancing his time as a lawyer and vigilante, and the pressures of an antagonist like Kingpin—but he felt there were storylines that needed to be added along with context from the Netflix series.[8] Cox had particularly pushed back against the bank heist episode, "With Interest", feeling the story did not make sense in the modern day and was not "sophisticated enough". However, it was left unchanged and Cox acknowledged that it received positive responses upon release.[80]
Within theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the season is set after the Disney+ seriesEcho (2024). The first episode begins in late 2025, before jumping ahead a year to late 2026. The season continues into early 2027,[81][82] and showsNew Year's Eve andSaint Patrick's Day celebrations.[82][16] At the beginning of the season, Murdock has not been Daredevil for a year after a "line was crossed",[8] whenBenjamin "Dex" Poindexter / Bullseye kills Nelson and Murdock tries to kill Dex in return.[83] Scardapane thought it was essential that this moment be shown on screen, calling it "more than an inciting incident. This is an earthquake."[6] Winderbaum said the creative team "agonized" over the decision to kill Nelson. They were inspired by theDaredevil comics, whereBullseye killsKaren Page. Amanat believed killing Nelson, who is Murdock's moral compass, was "the only thing that made sense" when telling a story about Murdock starting a new life without being Daredevil.[83] Cox felt Nelson's death was an appropriate way to start the series, believing the new story needed to be "big, brave, and bold" and "shake things up" from the original. He suggested that Murdock be able to hear Nelson's heartbeat throughout the fight with Dex, which Scardapane thought was a brilliant idea and immediately added to the script.[6] Nachmanoff supported the decision to spend the entire pilot dealing with Nelson's death, feeling that storyline "wasn't feasible [to convey] in one shot" as was the original plan.[54] Winderbaum said Nelson's absence "looms large" for the rest of the season and "is a big part of the culmination";[83] the final two episodes reveal that Nelson's death was orchestrated byVanessa Fisk due to him learning about the Fisks' plans for New York City'sRed Hook port.[84]
Both of these men carry a dark passenger. The dark passenger for Matt Murdock is Daredevil, and for Wilson Fisk, it's Kingpin. The tragic flaw in their characters is that they both give in to the darker side of their true nature, and they draw each other into that. We had to do parallel paths—both tried so hard to be something else: 'I'm Matt Murdock. I'm just a lawyer—I'm not Daredevil anymore.' 'I'm Wilson Fisk, mayor of New York City; I'm doing good things for people.' We wanted to bring that tension to a place where they literally can't sustain it, and things start to unravel and explode.
Wilson Fisk / Kingpin is electedmayor of New York City in the season,[5][6] after learning of the need for a strong candidate in thepost-credits scene ofEcho. This follows a late 2010s storyline from the comics in which Fisk becomes mayor that builds to the "Devil's Reign" (2021–2022) event.[85][86][87] Scardapane said the season always included Fisk's reign as mayor and the ending to that storyline would never have been a direct adaptation of the comics, considering the comics event involves a large number of heroes and villains and depicts the destruction of New York. Since an ending to this storyline had not been written when the series was overhauled, the writers had to make decisions about the end game of Fisk's reign as part of writing the new eighth and ninth episodes.[88] Winderbaum said the relationship between Murdock and Fisk inBorn Again would evolve from the Netflix series to be a "game of politics" rather than just trying to kill each other.[89] Scardapane said the series was a "two-hander", exploring both characters.[10]: 4 He said Fisk consolidates power in the season and Murdock is forced into a reactive position while struggling with his identity and whether to continue as Daredevil.[3]: 24–25 The pair come to a "loose truce" which leads to them interacting less than they did inDaredevil,[90] but Cox said they are on a "collision course" for the rest of the season, "pushing boundaries and forcing each other to cross lines they don't want to cross".[3]: 26
Though Fisk is the "prime villain", the season features other antagonists who Scardapane said would be "piling up" as the story continues. These include the serial killerMuse,[8] who was part of the series' original development. D'Onofrio said Fisk has to work Muse's actions into his own plan.[91] Murdock representsHector Ayala / White Tiger in the season after that character is wrongly accused of murdering a police officer.[92][93] Ever since being originally cast in the role, Cox was interested in adapting the "Trial of the White Tiger" storyline fromDaredevil vol. 2 #39–40 (2002–03),[93][44] saying that storyline was "so fascinating to witness a character like Matt Murdock, a lawyer and also a superhero, defend another superhero".[93] Scardapane chose to give police commissioner Gallo a violent death at Fisk's hands during the finale after reading a scene from the existing episodes where Gallo talks down to Fisk. Scardapane said no character could get away with humiliating Fisk without "intense" consequences.[88]
Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio were reported in June 2022 to be starring inBorn Again, reprising their respective roles of Matt Murdock / Daredevil and Wilson Fisk / Kingpin fromDaredevil.[94] Their casting was confirmed a month later at San Diego Comic-Con.[2] Cox was notified by Marvel Studios in early 2022 that they were looking to feature the character in another project following his appearances in the filmSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and the Disney+ seriesShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). He learned that this wasBorn Again shortly before the Comic-Con announcement.[95]
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In December 2022,Michael Gandolfini,[96]Margarita Levieva, andSandrine Holt were cast in major roles.[97] Gandolfini was reportedly portraying "an ambitious guy fromStaten Island" named Liam,[96] while Levieva and Holt were playing love interests for Cox and D'Onofrio, respectively.[97] Holt was cast as Vanessa Fisk,[20] replacingAyelet Zurer from the original series.[21]Nikki M. James joined the cast by January 2023.[98] In March,Jon Bernthal was revealed to be reprising his role of Frank Castle / Punisher fromDaredevil andThe Punisher.[24][99] Bernthal later said he "had to walk away" because he did not agree with where the series was taking Castle and thought it would not appeal to fans, but he eventually decided to return.[26]The Hollywood Reporter said additionalDaredevil cast members, such asDeborah Ann Woll (Karen Page) andElden Henson (Foggy Nelson), were not expected to return and it was unclear if their characters would appear.[24] Despite Henson not being asked to return, Cox said acameo appearance for Nelson was planned to "end the link between the shows and give the old fans closure".[100] Also in March,Michael Gaston andArty Froushan joined the cast,[20][101] with Froushan in a major role that was reported to be an associate of Fisk's named Harry.[101] Set photos the following month indicated thatHarris Yulin was part of the cast.[102] In May, Clark Johnson was revealed to be cast in a recurring role, reportedly named Cherry, in addition to his hiring as a director.[55] In September 2023, aUnited States Copyright Office filing for the series listed several roles: Levieva asHeather Glenn, Gandolfini asDaniel Blake, James asKirsten McDuffie, Johnson asCherry, Froushan asBuck Cashman,Genneya Walton asBB Urich, andZabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera.[103][104][15] With the death ofKamar de los Reyes in December 2023, he was revealed to have a significant role.[105]
Following the creative overhaul, Woll and Henson were set to reprise their roles as Page and Nelson.[11][106]Wilson Bethel also returned as hisDaredevil character Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter / Bullseye,[13] reportedly for three episodes.[14] Amanat pushed for Bethel to return, finding the character intriguing and the most appropriate antagonist from the Netflix series to revisit.[8] Guest star Susan Varon also reprised her role ofJosie from the Netflix series.[5] It was initially unclear if any of the newBorn Again cast members would be retained,[104] though Levieva,[107] Gandolfini,[108] and Froushan were soon reaffirmed to be part of the cast through set photos,[109] as was Bernthal.[25] He said Scardapane and the new creative team were more open to being collaborative about how best to portray Castle.[26] Set photos also revealed that Jeremy Isaiah Earl had been cast asCole North,[110][35] and that Zurer would now be reprising her role as Vanessa;[21] she was disappointed with the initial recasting and was pleasantly surprised when she was asked to return following the overhaul.[18] A new character, Adam, was originally written to be a "big hulking bodyguard". Benson and Moorhead decided to castLou Taylor Pucci, who does not match that description, after working with him on their filmSpring (2014). They said there was ametanarrative to theBorn Again casting because they cast Pucci forSpring due to him playing D'Onofrio's son in the filmThumbsucker (2005) and him living with D'Onofrio during production on that film.[54] In August 2024, de los Reyes was reaffirmed to be appearing in the series, portraying the character Hector Ayala / White Tiger.[111] Camila Rodriguez portrays his niece,Angela del Toro.[41]
Also in August 2024,Mohan Kapur was revealed to be reprising his role asYusuf Khan from the MCU seriesMs. Marvel (2022) and its follow-up filmThe Marvels (2023).[112] Winderbaum said bringing a character fromMs. Marvel into the more serious world ofBorn Again was similar tocrossovers between comic books with different tones.[8] Cox teased the inclusion of additional MCU characters inBorn Again for cameo appearances that he described as "fun, small moments of collision, but nothing major".[113] Scardapane teased the appearance of a surprising character who naturally fit into the story due to it being set in the MCU's New York City.[9] In February 2025,Tony Dalton was revealed to be reprising his role asJack Duquesne / Swordsman from the Disney+ seriesHawkeye (2021), reportedly for two episodes ofBorn Again.[30]
Emily Gunshor was the costume designer for the series and Michael Shaw was the production designer.[10]: 2 Marvel Studios' head of visual development,Ryan Meinerding, once again designed the Daredevil suit forBorn Again after doing so for the Netflix series.[114] The suit inBorn Again has a darker tone of red to reflect Murdock's evolution, along with black detailing and added texture which was described as less "shiny" than the suit in the Netflix series.[114][10]: 8 At least five different Daredevil cowls are seen in the season, including an all-white version based on the one first seen inDaredevil vol. 8 (2023), the yellow cowl used inShe-Hulk, a black cowl, and two red cowls.[111][114][115] Dex's costume features black rings around the neck and shoulders as an homage to the character's "target" emblem in the comics.[22] Comic book artistDavid Mack provided the art for Muse's murals.[31][116]
Principal photography began on March 6, 2023, in the state ofNew York,[117] under theworking titleOut the Kitchen.[118] Filming took place inYonkers outside the city mayor's office from March 7 through March 10.[119] The production then moved to New York City, filming inHarlem on March 13 and 14,[120][121] and inWilliamsburg, Brooklyn, and at theManhattan Municipal Building on March 15;[122][123] Williamsburg was also used as a shooting location forDaredevil.[122] Filming took place at theNew York County Courthouse on March 17.[124] Cox described New York City as "number one on the call sheet and the big star here". Shaw said it was important to film in the city because "on the real city streets and locations, you capture the energy of New York and that bleeds into the fabric of the series". The production wanted to explore parts of the city that had not been seen on film before.[10]: 4–6 Filming occurred at20 Exchange Place in theFinancial District for the bottle episode bank heist, which was the same location used for the bank featured in the filmInside Man (2006).[125]: 3:24–3:35
Soundstage work occurred atSilvercup Studios East inQueens.[128] The series' art department built detailed recreations of rooms fromGracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York City; Shaw said there was something "slightly uncomfortable" about seeing Fisk in rooms that feel like "somebody's grandmother's house". Another set was Muse's lair which Shaw said was "a bit heightened" and very dark.[10]: 6–7 Filming was set to take place at Silvercup on May 8, whenpicketers participating in the2023 Writers Guild of America strike prevented filming from occurring. Production was planned to resume the following day. Because of the strike, Corman and Ord were unable to be on set.[128] After further picketing on May 10 at the series' set in Brooklyn once again shut down filming, production was paused for the remainder of the week.[126] Additional filming shutdowns because of picketing occurred in early June at Silvercup,[129][130] before production was suspended on June 14 until after the strike's conclusion.[127] Filming was originally expected to last for eight months.[128] The last scene filmed before the shutdown was Castle's introduction. Cox was told that this scene was well received by executives and was one of the reasons that they decided to overhaul the series. He was grateful to Bernthal, who wrote much of the scene and moved it in a direction that was closer to the original series, for "potentially leading us back on track".[131]: 1:37–2:48
Six episodes were largely filmed before the shutdown,[57] with Cuesta directing the first two episodes, Nachmanoff directing the third and fourth, and Boyd directing the fifth and sixth.[62][54][10]: 17–18 Hillary Fyfe Spera and Pedro Gómez Millán were the cinematographers.[10]: 2 The series was shot onArri Alexa 35 cameras withPanavision G-seriesanamorphic lenses. Spera said they wanted to portray New York as "textured and grimy but also beautiful", taking inspiration from 1970s films such asThe French Connection (1971),Klute (1971),Mean Streets (1973), andTaxi Driver (1976), as well as photographersSaul Leiter andRobert Frank.[132] The third episode was conceived as a "day in the life" episode with no time jumps between scenes. Transitions were designed to show each scene happening straight after the previous one. Nachmanoff compared this to the filmBirdman (2014), although unlike that film the episode was not intended to look like it was filmed in asingle take.[19]: 15:06–16:02 Following the creative overhaul, the directors for the remainder of the series were let go.[56] Johnson had been hired to direct two of those episodes.[55] Benson and Moorhead were set to direct the new episodes,[58] with Nachmanoff and Boyd returning to assist them.[54] Philip Silvera, a stunt coordinator on the Netflix series, was hired as stunt coordinator and second unit director for the new episodes,[133] with Dave Macomber also taking on those roles for the series.[10]: 2
Filming resumed on January 22, 2024,[133] with Spera serving as cinematographer on the new pilot episode.[134] Spera was credited for all of the episodes except the fourth and fifth, with Millán the credited cinematographer for those.[132] Benson and Moorhead felt the visual style of the material already shot "dovetailed with our instincts pretty well" and they did not have to deviate from their preferred style to match with the existing material.[54] Nachmanoff felt Benson and Moorhead's visuals for the pilot matched the style of comic book frames seen in Frank Miller's work.[54][19]: 5:01–5:16 Silvera conceived a single take fight scene for the new first episode,[91] which had been a feature ofDaredevil,[135] and which Cox called "challenging for new and different reasons", largely because of added visual effect elements. The scene is not a "true" single take, employing cuts and other editing tricks similar to the single take sequence in thesecond season ofDaredevil (2016).[91] Winderbaum believed the series had Marvel Studios' "most brutal [visceral] action", saying it "packs a lot of power".[136] Some scenes were shot twice with a less violent alternative, but Cox said they never used the less violent versions.[137] Set photos at the end of January saw Cox, Henson, and Woll filming scenes,[138] and revealed the involvement of White Tiger and Muse, the latter through on-setgraffiti.[139][140][111] Props from the Netflix series were brought back for a scene where the characters reminisce about their pasts.[79] Benson and Moorhead suggested the inclusion ofThe BB Reportman on the street segments, which were shot by independent documentary filmmakers Sean Dunne and Cass Marie Greener of Very Ape Productions and overseen by Nachmanoff. A script was written for the segments but most of them ended up being unscripted. Nachmanoff called this shooting "run and gun" like students do in film school, and felt it was "a really fun way to integrate the real streets of New York in the Marvel universe".[54]
Benson and Moorhead chose to use a handheld camera for Murdock and characters close to him, and locked-down cameras with little movement for Fisk and characters close to him.[8] Spera said wide lenses in close ups of Murdock made viewers feel "very with the character" while shots of Fisk from below the eye line were meant to "make him [and his institution] feel big and oppressive".[132] Spera used more naturalistic lighting, such as from windows, for Murdock and had more white light or overhead sources for Fisk.[132] Benson and Moorhead used stylistic lighting for characters based on their comics-associated color: blue light from overhead for Bullseye, white light from below for Fisk, and flashing red light for Daredevil.[141]: 3:58–5:30 To depict Murdock's heightened senses, Benson and Moorhead wanted to primarily use analog, optical effects. They made a rig with three cameras that captured 180 degrees, which was combined with adolly zoom, spherical lenses—rather than the standard anamorphic lenses—and a change in aspect ratio during post-production. Moorhead said they wanted the audience to "feel like [they] are Matt Murdock where you can hear every sound in the whole world". The use of a zoom and changing aspect ratio reveals what Murdock is honing in on, and is reminiscent of comic book frames.[142]
In mid-February 2024, Nachmanoff re-filmed the death of White Tiger inCrown Heights, Brooklyn, and also filmed the scene where Murdock goes to find the bullet casing at the same location.[54] Nachmanoff directed new scenes with Zurer and D'Onofrio for the original first two episodes as well as his original two episodes.[19]: 14:29–14:36 [54] He staged the Fisks' therapy sessions like aplay, hoping to stay out of the way of the performances and create a "static, very strong unbalanced" composition with the larger Fisk on one side of the couch and the smaller Vanessa on the other side.[19]: 10:41–11:26 Boyd returned toreshoot his episodes, re-filming what he believed was around half of the episodes to adjust them for the creative overhaul.[143]: 10:17–10:43 To shoot Muse, Spera suggested using a handheld camera to have "liveness" in the shots, with wider lenses and a shallower focus used closer to the actor to "be present with them". Boyd said the handheld camera created an unsettling feeling for the viewer when Muse is seen.[143]: 12:14–13:16 In early April, Bernthal and Cox filmed scenes in Brooklyn,[25] ahead of a filmingwrap party on April 5.[144] Zurer and D'Onofrio filmed scenes in New York City shortly after.[145] In mid-May, Cox and D'Onofrio said filming was completed three or four weeks earlier and nine episodes had been filmed.[63][146]
Editors for the season included Cedric Nairn-Smith,[147] Melissa Lawson Cheung,[148] and Stephanie Filo.[149] Nairn-Smith previously worked onMoon Knight and the Marvel Studios seriesIronheart (2025),[147] while Cheung worked on the Marvel Studios seriesSecret Invasion (2023) as well asThe Marvels.[148] Following the creative overhaul, some of the episodes filmed before had "some rejiggering, and [new] framing, and bookends" added, and some scenes were moved to different episodes, but some of the original episodes were left "100% intact".[62][19]: 22:59–24:25 For example, Castle's introduction in the new fourth episode was originally filmed by Boyd before the overhaul to appear in the original fifth or sixth episode. The new creative team decided to move it to the earlier episode.[54][19]: 22:59–24:25 Bernthal was not available to reshoot the scene so Nachmanoff filmed some additional material with Cox that was used to rework the scene for its new position.[19]: 22:59–24:25 Nachmanoff believed the fifth episode, the bottle episode bank heist, was the only one kept fully intact.[125]: 2:19–2:40 He praised the editors for making the season feel "seamless" when combining material that was filmed before and after the creative overhaul.[19]: 14:29–16:02 The completed fourth episode, which was originally intended to be the third, no longer has the "day in the life" style that it was initially conceived with but does retain some of the unique transitions between scenes.[19]: 14:29–16:02 The second episode begins with a dedication to de los Reyes.[92][22]
Gong Myung Lee is the series' visual effects supervisor, with visual effects provided byRise FX, FOLKS, Phosphene, Powerhouse VFX, Ghost VFX, Soho VFX,Cantina Creative, Anibrain,Base FX, SDFX, andThe Third Floor, Inc.[150]
In July 2024,the Newton Brothers were revealed to be composing music for the series.[151] Their main theme incorporates theDaredevil theme byJohn Paesano and Braden Kimball, and was released as a digital single byHollywood Records andMarvel Music on March 4, 2025.[152] The composers seemingly acknowledged a similarity between a musical idea in the finale and the main theme of theMCUSpider-Man films in a social media post that they later deleted. Scardapane was surprised by the potentialSpider-Man connection and was uncertain about any intentions Marvel Studios had regarding it.[88] The season's score was released digitally by Hollywood Records and Marvel Music in two volumes: music from the first four episodes was released on March 28,[153] and music for the other five episodes was released on April 18.[154]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again Main Theme" | 1:50 |
| 2. | "Brick & Blood" | 2:05 |
| 3. | "Bullseye" | 1:30 |
| 4. | "No Holds Barred" | 1:47 |
| 5. | "Remorse" | 1:54 |
| 6. | "Fisk" | 1:28 |
| 7. | "Where There's Smoke" | 1:07 |
| 8. | "No Room for Redemption" | 3:20 |
| 9. | "I Love NY" | 4:38 |
| 10. | "The Hollow Crown" | 1:49 |
| 11. | "Shadows We Fear" | 0:36 |
| 12. | "City Cadence" | 2:08 |
| 13. | "How I Feel" | 1:13 |
| 14. | "Singing Frog" | 0:52 |
| 15. | "Bloody Knuckles" | 1:21 |
| 16. | "Passing Information" | 1:51 |
| 17. | "Closing Statement" | 2:45 |
| 18. | "Sentencing" | 1:33 |
| 19. | "Trying to Live" | 1:21 |
| 20. | "A Broken Castle" | 2:34 |
| Total length: | 33:42 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hands in the Air" | 1:30 |
| 2. | "The Devil You Know" | 2:04 |
| 3. | "Muse" | 1:49 |
| 4. | "Reflection" | 1:30 |
| 5. | "Act Like Animals" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Pick Your Fight" | 2:26 |
| 7. | "Team Suspicion" | 2:47 |
| 8. | "Fear No Evil" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Chaotic Mess" | 2:50 |
| 10. | "No Pictures" | 1:18 |
| 11. | "When and Where" | 1:13 |
| 12. | "Survive" | 2:11 |
| 13. | "Love & Power" | 3:57 |
| 14. | "Femoral Head Midnight" | 2:17 |
| 15. | "The Lord Near My Shadows" | 1:17 |
| 16. | "Mrs. K" | 2:27 |
| 17. | "Suffering & Justice" | 4:04 |
| 18. | "Six Judgements, Six Miracles, Six Snares" | 1:46 |
| 19. | "Faith x Fury: The Daredevil Suite" | 4:33 |
| Total length: | 44:14 | |
Cox and D'Onofrio promoted the series at Disney's May 2024upfront presentation, where the release month was announced and the first trailer was shown.[155][156] The pair again promoted the series and showed a trailer at Disney'sD23 convention that August, alongside Feige, Bernthal, Woll, and Henson.[64] Writers atDeadline Hollywood andTheWrap all felt the D23 trailer was more cinematic than the Netflix series and more mature than most Disney+ series. They also compared a confrontation between Murdock and Fisk in the trailer to the crime filmHeat (1995).[64][112] Following online leaks of the D23 footage, Marvel released an official look at Daredevil in his red costume within their video celebrating the company's 85th anniversary.[157] In October 2024, Marvel Comics announced a new publishing line titledMarvel Premier Collection, which consists of new paperback editions of popular comic book runs that are considered to be good starting points for new readers. A reprint of the "Born Again" comic was set to be released in February 2025, with a newforeword from Miller and anafterword by Cox.[158]
A teaser trailer was released on January 15, 2025.[68] It was originally scheduled to be released two days earlier, but was postponed because of the2025 Southern California wildfires.[68][159] Commentary on the trailer focused on the return of characters from the Netflix series and on its brutal, violent action.[160] Andy Behbakht atScreen Rant said the dark and violent action sequences quelled some concerns that the series would not retain those elements from the Netflix series in its move to Disney+. He also highlighted the reveal that Murdock is no longer a vigilante at the start of the new series.[161]
The first season ofDaredevil: Born Again premiered on Disney+ on March 4, 2025, with its first two episodes.[162][163] The other seven episodes were released through April 15.[65][164] The series was originally scheduled to debut in early 2024,[52] but was removed from Marvel Studios' release schedule in September 2023 after filming was suspended by the2023 Hollywood labor disputes.[165] The next month, a copyright filing for the first episode indicated an approximate release in January 2025.[103] The March 2025 debut was announced in May 2024.[166] A red carpet premiere event was held on February 24 at theHudson Theater in New York City, where the first two episodes were screened.[167][168] The season is part ofPhase Five of the MCU,[52] and was released under Marvel Studios' "Marvel Television" label.[69]
The two-episode premiere received 7.5 million views on Disney+ in its first five days according to Disney; the company defines a view as total stream time divided by runtime. This was the biggest debut on Disney+ for 2025 at that point, and was compared to the two-episode debut of fellow MCU Disney+ seriesAgatha All Along (2024) which had 9.3 million views within its first seven days of streaming.[169]Luminate, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs in the U.S., announced thatBorn Again recorded 136 million minutes of watch time on its first day.[170]Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated thatBorn Again drew 5.8 million U.S. viewers in its first 35 days, making it one of the most popular shows of the 2024–2025 season.[171] Nielsen's multiplatform figures account for 35 days of viewing across linear television and streaming; however, sinceBorn Again premiered on March 4, it had significantly less time to accumulate viewership before the report's early April cutoff date.[172]
Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users of itsTV Time app, said it secured a spot in the top three most-streamed original series in the U.S. for the week ending March 9–23. It later reached the first place from the week ending April 13–20.[173] The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks real-time data from 20 million U.S. users for original and acquired content across SVOD and AVOD services, reported thatBorn Again was one of the ten most-streamed shows in the U.S. from March 5 to April 23.[174]JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 45 million users around the world, stated that it was among the top ten most-streamed series in the U.S. from March 3 to April 20.[175]Born Again was also one of the ten most-streamed shows in Canada from March 3–9, according to JustWatch.[176]
Screen Engine/ASI, which tracks the top ten most-mentioned entertainment options through a survey of over 1,000 consumers, reported thatDaredevil: Born Again was the fourth most-mentioned title from March 1–7 with 1.9% of all mentions.[177] According to market research company Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, it experienced high demand in Canada following its premiere on Disney+ in early March. The series was 44.4 times more in demand than the average TV series in Canada during the week of March 3–9. This performance placed it at No. 2 on the digital originals chart, behind Prime Video'sInvincible. The demand forDaredevil: Born Again was also higher than that of the originalMarvel's Daredevil series, which ranked No. 5 with a demand average of 35.3.[178] Screen Engine/ASI later announced that the series was the sixth most-mentioned title from March 8–14 with 1.7% of all mentions.[179]
According to Cox, "With Interest" was one of the highest-rated episodes ever on Disney+ based on Disney's internal ratings.[80]
Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported an 87% approval score with an average rating of 7.75/10, based on 211 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Resurrecting Charlie Cox's Daredevil with his virtues intact—namely Vincent D'Onofrio as his terrifying adversary—Born Again is an ambitious and at times ungainly crime saga that marks a mature tonal shift for the MCU."[180]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[181] Critics overall found the season to have exceeded expectations and highlighted the character-driven storytelling and performances, particularly those of Cox and D'Onofrio. Some were unsure whether it was better or worse than the originalDaredevil series,[182] which received more positive reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes.[183]
Aramide Tinubu atVariety called the season "a brilliantly detailed continuation" ofDaredevil and "wonderfully complex" that "takes a sledgehammer to its former Netflix world, allowing the titular character and those orbiting him to transform under the weight and pain of time". Tinubu enjoyed the season's exploration of how fast corruption spreads within political institutions and concluded that the season was "a breathtaking example of what it means to revisit a known hero while offering him new reasons to fight for justice".[16] Amon Warmann writing forEmpire feltBorn Again "retains much of what was great about that Netflix run[...] and adds in just enough fresh elements to keep things interesting". He praised Cox and D'Onofrio, calling them "two of the best casting decisions in Marvel history", and enjoyed Murdock's courtroom scenes as well as Fisk's marital issues storyline, noting it was an unexpected one for a series likeBorn Again. The season's focus on the people of New York was also a highlight, as was the action sequences and the audio and visual techniques used to portray Murdock's heightened senses, which were "incredibly effective". Warmann gave the season 4 out of 5 stars.[184]
The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han said, "The adherence to formula that makesBorn Again so satisfying at its best is also what ultimately keeps it feeling trapped in amber." She praised the performances of Cox and D'Onofrio and enjoyed some of the new cast who had "strong impressions right off the bat" but ultimately grew "less fleshed-out" as the season progressed, and also enjoyed the inclusion of MCU characters, whose appearances served as a "reminder of how expansive this cinematic universe can be, not how oppressively interconnected it's become". Han believed the action sequences lacked "novelty", but offered a sense of nostalgia, and some storylines such asThe BB Report segments and the corruption "[came] off more like self-conscious affectations meant to giveBorn Again a grown-and-gritty sheen rather than serious attempts to engage with larger themes", ultimately leading to few surprises and missed opportunities in the season.[185] Reviewing the season forRogerEbert.com, Cristina Escobar enjoyed the season as a courtroom drama and its "layering of moral complexity" elevated the season. She also liked the use of the various villains besides Fisk, as it created a "less predictable" season, making it "hard to guess where an individual plotline [were] going". Escobar had issues with the pacing of the season, noting it took "a lot of time getting to its central premise", and was disappointed in the writing for Glenn as Murdock's love interest, which made her come across "an easily manipulated nag rather than an intelligent actor in her own right". She concluded that the "real allure" of the season was its "call to arms against tyranny" working as "an imperfect interrogation of our current moment".[186]
In his 2.5 out of 5 star review forTotal Film, Bradley Russell felt the season was "a huge disappointment" given it lackedDaredevil's "warm supporting cast and bone-crunching action". He enjoyed the performances from Cox, D'Onofrio, Bernthal, and the set up for the second season. However, speaking to the season's creative overhaul, Russell believed the additions from Scardapane were not enough to move the season away from its original plan to start fresh from the Netflix series, calling the season "a noticeably Frankensteined project [... with] an awkward patchwork of occasionally good repairs stapled over the top of a pretty bad series", pointing to the lack of Nelson and Page in the season as was originally intended. Russell was also disappointed with the use of Muse as a villain and the "constant interrupting" ofThe BB Report segments using exposition to tell viewers how they should feel.[187] In a more critical review,Alan Sepinwall fromRolling Stone called the season "a Frankenstein monster [...] with various parts stitched together in ungainly fashion". He felt like the season was "lurching back and forth between its competing creative visions, with Scardapane having to work around the story ideas and new characters he inherited from his predecessors". Sepinwall did not enjoy the legal drama storylines, as various parts of the case were "raced through" and believed new characters McDuffie, Glenn, and Cherry were "awfully thin", though Blake was "one of the more effective cast additions". Praise was given to the performances of Cox, D'Onofrio, and Bernthal, as well as Fisk running for mayor and the season's midpoint when Murdock helps stop a bank robbery. That episode was "nimble and fun" and a "self-contained hour that so many of these Marvel shows — both in the Netflix era and the Disney+ one — have desperately needed to do, but have rarely attempted".[188]
Bob Strauss ofTheWrap noted the political nature of the season, pointing to the "endless parallels" to thefirst 100 days of the second Donald Trump presidency, which was "as disturbing as any point-blank execution or real-time skull crushing"; called Fisk "one bigDonald Trump analog"; believedThe BB Report segments were "echo[ing] familiarMAGA, as well as more thoughtful but not necessarily accurate, attitudes"; noted the parallels of Vanessa Fisk rarely appearing with Wilson in public toMelania Trump; and felt Blake had "the naïveté, enthusiasm and careerism we might associate with youngRepublicans".[189] Sepinwall was also aware of the "echoes" to the political climate the season released in.[188]
D'Onofrio and Woll were named as honorable mentions forTVLine's "Performer of the Week", respectively for the season premiere and the season finale. Matt Webb Mitovich highlighted D'Onofrio's performance in the premiere's meeting between Fisk and Murdock, saying he "slipp[ed] back into the Fisk voice and composure he crafted 10 years ago", as well as Woll's different performances opposite Cox and Bernthal in the finale.[190][191]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astra TV Awards | June 10, 2025 | Best Drama Series | Daredevil: Born Again | Nominated | [192] |
| Best Actor in a Drama Series | Charlie Cox | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Vincent D'Onofrio | Nominated | |||
| Black Reel TV Awards | August 18, 2025 | Outstanding Editing | Stephanie Filo (for "Isle of Joy") | Won | [193] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | August 7, 2025 | Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie | Charlie Cox | Nominated | [194] |
| Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie | Vincent D'Onofrio | Nominated |
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