Marvel’s The Man Without Fear has always been a survivor, both in and out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). From Daredevil’s gritty debut on Netflix in 2015 to its abrupt cancellation in 2018 after three hit seasons, Matt Murdock has been placed through the wringer as the show that once set the gold standard for street-level superhero storytelling on TV found itself caught in a corporate power struggle as Marvel Studios absorbed Marvel Television, and for a while, fans thought that the Netflix shows were no longer considered part of the MCU.
But the voice and demand of fans have had its place and after years of uncertainty and a handful of brief appearances across the MCU that included brief or extended cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), and Echo (2024), the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is back in his own show, but not without complications.
Production on Daredevil: Born Again was far from smooth, even though the series was announced with much fanfare, promising to bring Charlie Cox’s (Stardust) Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio’s (Full Metal Jacket) Wilson Fisk back into the fold. But by mid-2023, the show faced a complete overhaul as the original showrunners, Matt Corman (Containment) and Chris Ord (Covert Affairs), were dismissed, and Marvel Studios decided to rework the series from the ground up, a rare move that signaled just how troubled the production had become.
What was initially planned as a legal procedural with a slow-burn approach to Daredevil’s return was deemed too far from what audiences expected and a more familiar tone, one in line with the original Netflix series, became the new priority. In a bizarre twist of fate, the strikes and pause forced Marvel to rethink its approach, ultimately leading to a version of Daredevil: Born Again that feels more in line with what longtime fans hoped for.
“We were incredibly mindful, and it was a conversation all the time of how to take that old, beloved show and bring it into the now and not lose too much of what made that so special,” says showrunner Dario Scardapane (himself a veteran of Marvel Television after helming 2017’s The Punisher for Netflix) in a separate exclusive interview with Geek Culture.
“When we speak to fans, when we have that interaction, there is a thirst for a quality and identity, a fabric of the show that we’ve had in the past,” noted Cox in a Daredevil: Born Again press conference that Geek Culture attended.
“You can’t necessarily articulate it or put your finger on it. Every now and again I meet a fan, and they go, ‘Is the show as dark?’ And when I hear that, I smile, because I’m like, ‘Yeah. You’re gonna be okay. We got ya,’” explained the 42-year-old, who has embodied the character since 2015.
Dark, brutal action has always been a defining element of Daredevil, and Daredevil: Born Again is no exception. Daredevil’s fight sequences set a high bar during its Netflix run, with the infamous hallway fights becoming a signature of the series, so much so that Marvel also brought back stunt co-ordinator [Philip J] Silvera (Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), who worked on the original series, to ensure Daredevil: Born Again maintains that unflinching, brutal style.
Executive producer Sana Amanat (Ms. Marvel) jokes, “We brought Phil back as our second unit director, and I’ll give him notes like, ‘We need more spinny kicks’, But we just hope people really will appreciate how hard we worked on it this season, how hard they worked on it this season. And if you can get the same joy, we’ll be very happy.”
Another defining element is how grounded the show feels, and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (The Endless), known for their work on Disney+ series Loki (2021 – 2023) and Moon Knight (2022), approach Daredevil: Born Again with a focus on realism.
“Daredevil is a show that often deals in institutions. Politics and also the law, because he’s a lawyer, and gangsters. A lot of our locations are things like courthouses and police stations. For those kinds of things, it makes you start to feel like you are there with them rather than being presented in a movie,” Benson explains.
“I wanted to make it feel like it was a New York you recognised, not movie New York. And so, Fisk being within these institutions, we would use a very static camera, extremely formal things, so you think of statues, monoliths, all of that. Things that are unmovable and permanent. And it makes it more frightening in that way. That’s how we developed the visual language that mirrored the locations of the show.”
Even with all the grounded action, the heart of Daredevil has always been its characters, especially the ones that Murdock cares about the most. Originally absent in its earliest conception, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson, The Mighty Ducks) and Karen Page’s (Deborah Ann Woll, True Blood) have now returned to play a crucial role in Murdock’s journey.
“It was important to start the show with a feeling of how these characters have evolved since we last saw them,” Moorhead says. “Because when the big thing happens, in contrast to that big, warm hug, you feel the tragedy even more. And you feel that event as something that would shake the faith of Murdock/Daredevil in such a way that you would question everything about his place in the universe. And that that grief would ripple out season long.”
“Certainly, [Nelson and Page] are all there, in Murdock’s hearts and minds, and they influence the story in major ways,” Amanat adds.
The story picks up some time after Netflix’s Daredevil final and third season, with Murdock having stepped away from vigilantism following a personal tragedy. Fisk, now positioning himself for political power, re-enters his orbit, setting up another inevitable collision between the two. Their rivalry has always been one of Daredevil’s strongest elements, and D’Onofrio teases a new angle.
“We’re trying to live in the daylight, the two of us,” he explains. “We have that in common. We’re broken men. He’s got his thing and I’ve got my plan, and you can’t put us together in the same scene a lot ‘cause it’s not as powerful if you do that.”
“But it’s so good when you do. It’s great for the story because it always means something. It’s always either at the beginning or the end of something. So, it’s intense. And that’s what it’s like now.”
Make no mistake – Fisk’s ambitions stretch far beyond redemption. The road to power is paved with blood, and Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t shy away from showing just how dangerous his influence can be.
“He’s on a mission,” D’Onofrio says. “He’s the same guy he was in the Netflix show, but he’s got a new plan. First thing he’s gotta do is sort things out with his wife, ‘cause he’s been gone for a while. That turns into something extremely exciting. And then there’s the other side, which is that he has a plan. His plan is to stretch his reach.”
Decisions to retool the show means audiences are getting a version of Daredevil: Born Again that’s also more of a reinvention than just a revival. The creative team, led by showrunner Scardapane, has drawn from multiple Daredevil comic arcs, including Charles Soule’s Daredevil: Mayor Fisk (2025) storyline. But as Scardapane himself clarifies, “We bring in kind of a mashup. There’s the Charles Soule’s Mayor Fisk run. There’s stuff from [Brian Michael] Bendis (who wrote Daredevil issues from 2001 – 2006). There’s stuff from [Ed] Brubaker (who took over Bendis when he left).”
“We’re not doing the Born Again story [by Frank Miller]. The name of the show is really just a reference to coming back after so many years,” Cox said and while there are nods to Miller’s legendary 1986 run, this series stands on its own.
“And obviously, yes, we’re always trying to find the best version of Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, but in finding the best version, we also seek out the worst version. I think that’s what makes him such a compelling character, and so relatable, actually.”
And speaking of bringing out the bad versions of Murdock, Jon Bernthal’s (The Walking Dead) Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher seems to bring out some of his worst.
“Often when I’m in a scene as Daredevil with Frank, he pulls me closer to a Daredevil that I’m frightened of and excited by,” Cox admits. “We’re very different people in some ways, but Daredevil and Frank are more similar to one another. It’s written and baked in the material as well. I get excited for [Bernthal] and see what he’s gonna do. And hopefully we can keep having him pop up.”
“He has a couple of really great scenes,” Cox teases. “Potentially iconic moments. They’re an absolute joy to shoot.”
But Daredevil: Born Again isn’t just about familiar faces, but also about pushing these characters into new, uncharted territory and Scardapane acknowledges the weight of expectation but assures fans that this is no simple retread.
“Frank Miller came to set on our last day of shooting,” he reveals. “Sitting at the monitor while we had the holy trinity of the show was one of the most amazing experiences in my creative life. We’re always trying to live up to what came before, and sometimes arrogantly trying to beat it just a little bit.”
The action, the drama, the moral dilemmas… Daredevil: Born Again is shaping up to be the Daredevil story fans have been waiting for after years of uncertainty. “I just hope they’re as excited about it as we are and that it’s totally entertaining for them,” D’Onofrio admits.
“We all worked really hard on it. We all believed in the fans, and we worked towards what we felt they wanted the whole time.”
Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Sylus from Love and Deepspace.
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