In 2018 fans mourned the loss of what was arguably one of the best television adaptations to ever come out of the Marvel vault. Following the adventures of the lawyer by day, vigilante by night, Matt Murdock, Netflix’s Daredevil was a gritty and grounded take on the character that quickly earned itself a legion of fans and great deal of critical acclaim. Not only would the series last for three seasons, it would also be responsible for spawning a slate of interconnected Marvel shows that ultimately led into The Defenders crossover event.
However, with Disney’s plans for its own streaming platform on the way and Marvel Studios looking to create a collection of new television series directly connected to the big screen MCU, Netflix cancelled the series just over a month after the third season premiered. Fans were quick to respond and called for a series revival via an alternate network or provider immediately began flooding social media. As it would turn out, however, the original rights deal Marvel had signed with Netflix prevented them from doing anything further with the character for another two years.
Then in late 2021, Daredevil fans were sent into a frenzy when series regular Vincent D’Onofrio reprised his role as the villainous Wilson Fisk AKA Kingpin in the Hawkeye series. Days later Charlie Cox himself would also cameo as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The message was clear, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen was back, and his character was destined to become a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.
More recently, at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel boss Kevin Feige officially revealed the shape in which fans would be properly reunited with Cox’s Daredevil. Aside from planned cameo appearances in both She-Hulk and the upcoming Echo series, Cox and D’Onofrio would reunite for a brand-new 18-episode series dubbed Daredevil: Born Again. Currently slated for an early 2024 release, the new series has tapped Covert Affairs creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord to serve as head writers and executive producers.
Will Born Again Follow On From The Netflix Series?
One of the biggest questions Marvel fans have is what relationship Born Again will have with events depicted in the original Netflix series. While the original Daredevil indirectly referenced certain events from the MCU, it was never made explicitly clear whether the show existed within the same continuity. Prior to the release of WandaVision, Marvel Studios had a very different relationship with Marvel’s television arm and the shows that were being produced were all largely thought of as independent entities.
Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin in ‘Hawkeye’
When D’Onofrio and Cox made their triumphant returns in late 2021, fans immediately began wondering whether they were seeing the same characters they were used to or some form of multiversal variant played by the same actors. Subtle changes made to both D’Onofrio’s character in Hawkeye, and Cox’s character in She-Hulk would further the idea that the MCU’s Daredevil and Kingpin were not the same men that audiences had met previously.
Cox himself has even weighed in on the issue, describing Born Again as “a whole new thing”. He also suggested that he thinks that “is the way to go. If you are going to do it again, do it differently”. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Born Again will completely ignore the legacy of the original series, and Marvel has the luxury of picking and choosing which aspects they would like to continue with. Any potential discrepancies between the two could handily be explained away as part of the MCU’s continued exploration of the multiverse.
Which Characters Will Appear?
Currently the only characters officially confirmed to appear in Born Again are Cox’s Matt Murdock and D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk. However, rumours abound that the series will potentially see the return of another Netflix Marvel character, namely Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle AKA The Punisher. Initial insider reports hinted that Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones was also slated to make an appearance, but due to scheduling conflicts her role was rewritten with Bernthal in mind. It is important to remember, however, that these reports are not officially confirmed and should be treated with a customary grain of salt.
Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in ‘Hawkeye’. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick
Other Marvel characters likely to show up at some point throughout the series include Alaqua Cox’s Echo and Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk. However, the characters most fans are eager to see are Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson and Supanova alumna Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page from the original series. Woll has even expressed her own enthusiasm about a potential return, “I would come back because I want to play with Matt Murdock again… I want to play with Frank Castle again. I want to see these characters again.”
What About the Suit?
The story behind Daredevil’s super suit played an important role in the original series, with the entire first season building up to its reveal in the finale. When Cox made his appearance in this year’s She-Hulk, he was treated to a costume upgrade featuring the red and gold colour scheme taken from the character’s early years in the comics. According to She-Hulk showrunner Jessica Gao, Marvel Studios had very specific ideas about what Daredevil’s suit should look like in the series, and she had no direct control over his costume design. As such fans can probably expect the same suit to appear in Born Again, and Marvel likely has a very good reason behind his updated look.
At moment fans still have a long wait before Daredevil: Born Again begins streaming in 2024, but as the time draws ever closer to the series’ release date, they are likely to be treated to much more information. Until then fans can relive all the hard-hitting action of the original Daredevil series via its new home on Disney+.
Lead image: Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk/Jennifer “Jen” Walters in Marvel Studios’ ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’
