Daredevil: Born Again is a bloody clash between vigilante heroism and systemic corruption

Daredevil nears 61 years of four-coloured existence, but beyond the pages of Marvel Comics, Charlie Cox’s blind vigilante has fought crime through three seasons of live-action TV and multiple cameos across crossover series, blockbuster movies and all-ages cartoons.

In the upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again, masked brawler/lawyer Matt Murdock and his nemesis, crime kingpin Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) have put their former lives and darker halves behind them, but violent circumstances put them on a collision course yet again.

How will this new Disney+ iteration renew characters who already have multiple seasons of TV and numerous cameos across media? Executive producer Sana Amanat tells us that part of the key is looking back at the wellspring of original material: the printed pages of comics publishing. 

“I mean, mirroring the things that get us excited about the comics is very, very important to us. And Dario knows I bother him all the time. I’m like, ‘This was in the comics. Can we do it?’ And I show him images and frames and panels from the actual comics to get cool moves for Daredevil, and make fun moments with our cameos. I think that’s what keeps audiences engaged and comics readers engaged.”

Daredevil: Born Again shares its name with the memorable storyline written by Frank Miller and renowned illustrator David Mazzuchelli. While it doesn’t share the hard-boiled plotline of the 1986 classic, series lead Charlie Cox offers that it retains the spirit of many Daredevil tales of rebirth and redemption.

“Yeah, it’s important we’re not doing the ‘born again’ story. The name of the show is really just a reference to coming back after so many years and of course, an homage to Frank Miller, an icon. Obviously, we’re trying to find the best version of the best Murdock, aka Daredevil. But in finding the best version, we also seek out the worst version.”

Showrunner Dario Scarpadane adds: “Daredevil is a character that has been picked up and worked on by an endless number of really fantastic writers and directors and actors. In this case, we’re really trying to take that tradition and extend the runway of what we can do with the character.”

On the surface, Daredevil exists in the shadow of Spider-Man and Batman: a grim urban avenger with acrobatic powers. But the Hell’s Kitchen lawyer’s real superpower is tragedy. Matt Murdock will always suffer great losses and calamities, something that the bigger icons in the comic book world avoid.

“I mean, one of the things that’s so fun about this particular character is that you want to knock him down because it’s so fun to see him get back up. And that’s kind of been the energy with Matt Murdock in Daredevil,” says Scarpadane. “Particularly in this season and next season, we’re looking at ways to create that rising from the ashes that’s always so satisfying. And, you know, the reason I think that people relate to Murdock and Daredevil is there’s a vulnerability there that a lot of superheroes don’t have.” ■

Daredevil : Born Again premiered with two episodes on March 4, with new episodes coming to Disney+ on Tuesdays

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