Daredevil: Born Again - Returning Cast, Release Window, And More Info
I often lambast the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the "same old, same old" feeling of its movies and television — so I feel a little hypocritical calling the revival series "Daredevil: Born Again" my most anticipated Marvel project.
"Daredevil" ran for three seasons on Netflix from 2015-2018, but was canceled afterward. Like its sister shows ("Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage," "Iron Fist," and "The Punisher"), it was a casualty of Marvel and Netflix decoupling from their creative partnership. However, since it was the most consistently acclaimed of the Marvel/Netflix shows and the title character has the biggest built-in audience, "Daredevil" will be born again on Disney+.
As for why I'm excited? "Daredevil" was counterprogramming to the quippy fluff of the MCU movies, with a darker tone and more violence. Plus, what can I say, I'm a fan of the character. If you aren't familiar, Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer blessed with enhanced senses to compensate. At night, he patrols the streets of New York neighborhood Hell's Kitchen as the costumed hero Daredevil — a fitting moniker for someone who puts the fear of God in criminals.
If "Daredevil: Born Again" can recapture Daredevil's conflicted, Catholic guilt ethos to vigilantism, I'll be onboard for it. Here's everything we know about the series so far, from the returning "Daredevil" cast members to the talent behind the scenes.
When does Daredevil: Born Again premiere?
According to a filing with the U.S. Copyright Office, "Daredevil: Born Again" is expected to be released in early 2025, though an exact premiere date is not confirmed yet. "Born Again" was first announced for a Spring 2024 debut. However, due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and a creative overhaul of the series (more on that soon), production will be completed behind the original schedule. Thus, the release date has also been pushed back.
"Born Again" was announced with an 18-episode first season. However, in January 2024 The Hollywood Reporter said that this plan had changed during the production hiatus, and that the show "will be more in line with the original Netflix series model of lower episode counts." If the planned 2025 release window holds, "Born Again" will premiere 10 years after the original "Daredevil" dropped its first season on Netflix.
What is the plot of Daredevil: Born Again?
Let's talk about "Daredevil: Born Again" — the comic with that title, I mean. Published in 1986, it consists of "Daredevil" issues #227-233. It's the six-part finale to Frank Miller's defining run on the title (though he ceded art duties to David Mazzucchelli).
Here's the story: Karen Page, Matt's ex-girlfriend, sells his secret identity for a heroin fix. The knowledge makes its way up to Daredevil's nemesis, Wilson Fisk a.k.a. the Kingpin of Crime, who uses it to ruin Matt's life. He frames him for paying off a witness, leaving him disbarred and penniless, and then bombs Matt's apartment. Matt spends some time as a homeless vagrant, reuniting with (and forgiving) Karen and meeting a nun named Maggie who may be his biological mother. However, after Fisk recruits insane mercenary Nuke to destroy Hell's Kitchen, Matt suits up again as Daredevil — hence the title, "Born Again."
I don't think the TV series will be adapting this storyline. Why? Because season 3 of Netflix's "Daredevil" already did the basic beats of it: Kingpin learns Daredevil's secret identity, Matt spends the season as a drifter and is presumed dead, Sister Maggie is a supporting character, and Bullseye takes the place of Nuke. "Born Again" is just a fitting title for this reunion series.
What will "Daredevil: Born Again" be about? The end of "Echo" indicates that Kingpin will be running for Mayor of New York City. Whether "Born Again" will adapt the "Mayor Fisk" and "Devil's Reign" comics or just use their basic premise remains to be seen.
For what it's worth, Charlie Cox has also said he's a fan of the 2000s run of "Daredevil" by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev; that run has the same gritty tone as Frank Miller's "Daredevil" and the Netflix series.
Who are the directors of Daredevil: Born Again?
Well, there's an answer with some history.
For starters, none of the original succession of "Daredevil" showrunners (Drew Goddard, Steven DeKnight, Doug Petrie, Marco Ramirez, or Erik Oleson) is working on "Born Again.
Originally, Matt Corman and Chris Ord (creators of "Covert Affairs") were the head writers of "Born Again." "Dexter" alum Michael Cuesta was hired to direct at least the first episode, with Clark Johnson, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd also reportedly included in the directing line-up. However, in October 2023, Marvel Studios decided to change the course that the pair had charted. Corman & Ord will instead be credited as executive producers and some of what their team shot will reportedly still be used.
A couple of weeks later, the new creative team was confirmed. Dario Scardapane (who worked on "Daredevil" spin-off "The Punisher") was hired as the showrunner for "Born Again" and has reportedly written a new pilot script. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (who directed episodes of "Moon Knight" and "Loki") will be the directors.
Reportedly, Corman and Ord's take (which left Marvel Studios underwhelmed) was more of a legal procedural and light on superheroics. Scardapane's revised take will instead be closer to the Netflix series; Benson and Moorhead have confirmed they're doing their Daredevil homework too.
This move is also reportedly part of Marvel's pivot to a more traditional TV production strategy, with pilots, series bibles, showrunners, etc. Hey — if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it.
Which cast members are returning for Daredevil: Born Again?
Charlie Cox is back as Daredevil/Matt Murdock in "Daredevil: Born Again." Marvel has been teeing up his return for a while now; Matt (played by Cox) cameoed as the attorney to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," appeared as both his personas in "She-Hulk," and fought Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as Daredevil in episode 1 of "Echo."
Also returning are Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, who last featured as a villain in "Hawkeye" and "Echo," and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher (the character debuted in "Daredevil" season 2 before getting his own spin-off).
Initially, it was reported (via THR) that Cox's "Daredevil" co-stars Elden Henson (who played Matt's law partner and best friend Foggy Nelson) and Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page, Nelson & Murdock secretary and Matt's love interest) would not be returning. However, recent reporting (courtesy of Jeff Sneider) suggests this has been amended and both Foggy and Karen will indeed return in "Born Again." Assuming all this reporting lines up, it's likely that recruiting Henson and Woll is a sign of the series' creative overhaul.
Not reported to be returning yet are Elodie Yung as Elektra Natchios (Matt's lover turned foe) or Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye.
Who are the new cast members in Daredevil: Born Again?
Sandrine Holt will be playing Vanessa Fisk, the Kingpin's queen. Vanessa was previously played by Ayelet Zurer in Netflix's "Daredevil."
Matt Murdock has a prolific love life and "Born Again" will bring in some more of his comic book love interests. Margarita Levieva will play Heather Glenn (in the comics, a depressive industry heiress) and Nikki M. James will play Kirsten McDuffie, a bubbly lawyer whom Matt meets on the job.
Genneya Walton is playing BB Urich. In the comics, journalist Ben Urich is an ally of Daredevil; he even knows his secret identity. Vondie Curtis-Hall played Ben in Netflix's "Daredevil," but died by the end of season 1. Presumably, BB is a relation of the late Mr. Urich and possibly a stand-in for his usual comic role.
Arty Froushan will be playing Buck Cashman, aka minor supervillain Bullet. As for characters without comic counterparts, Michael Gandolfini is Daniel Blade (despite previous speculation he might be playing Richard Fisk, Wilson and Vanessa's son), Clark Johnson (the aforementioned director) is Cherry, and Zabryna Guevara is Sheila Rivera.
Harris Yulin, Michael Gaston, and Marc Gellar have been cast in as-yet unnamed roles — whether they will still be included with the series' overhaul remains unclarified.
What is Daredevil: Born Again rated?
Like its predecessor at Netflix, "Daredevil: Born Again" will reportedly be rated TV-MA (for "mature audience," equivalent to an R-rated movie) meaning the series can in theory get away with cursing, violence, and sexuality you wouldn't see in a usual Marvel Studios production. "Daredevil" used its TV-MA rating mostly for bloody action; Matt Murdock, son of boxer Battlin' Jack Murdock, fights criminals like a bare-knuckled brawler. It makes sense to keep the rating mature, since the title "Daredevil" carries the promise of bloody and hardcore action.
It's worth noting that the recent Marvel Disney+ series "Echo," a cousin of "Daredevil," was also rated TV-MA and that shows in its action scenes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will also be getting its first R-rated theatrical release in 2024, with "Deadpool 3" (though that movie is sure to be a black comedy, not a crime procedural like "Daredevil"). Look out, MCU: the not-so-family-friendly side of Marvel Comics is coming.