Marvel’s “Daredevil: Born Again” swung back into action by releasing its episodes weekly to Disney+ on Mar. 16 and had its big finale on May 5. “Daredevil: Born Again” season two kept everything that made the first season great, like its intense action and great cinematography, while also improving on things like pacing.
The story focuses on how Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) continue to fight the physical battles and the legal battles necessary to be the heroes, even in a New York City now run by the corrupt mayor and long-time Daredevil villain Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), also known as Kingpin. Murdock has to work with his previous allies and new allies made in season two to try to stop Kingpin’s stranglehold on the city and shady dealings.
Since the show picks up almost immediately after season one of “Daredevil: Born Again,” I would definitely recommend watching season one before season two because it’s easy to get lost without knowing the story previously established. There is also the original “Daredevil” show, which was first on Netflix and is now on Disney+. I haven’t seen the original show, but as a Marvel fan, I have heard high praise for it. However, the original isn’t as necessary to watch because season one of “Daredevil: Born Again” does a great job of catching the viewer up to speed. Of course, the more the viewer knows about these Marvel characters and the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), the better.
With all of that out of the way, I think “Daredevil: Born Again” season two was amazing. I really enjoyed season one, but I think season two was overall even better. The greatest aspect of “Daredevil: Born Again” is its action and fights. They still have quite a bit of CGI, but they feel a lot more real than other fights in Marvel-related media. The main cause of this seemingly more realistic portrayal is that Daredevil, as a hero, is more street-level. He is often fighting gangsters, hitmen, people with little superpowers and a serial killer or two. In comparison to other Marvel heroes, these are probably the most normal adversaries he could have, which makes it feel more believable and real. The other aspect that makes the fights feel more real is the level of brutality in them. Daredevil specializes in hand-to-hand combat, so throughout the show, there are a bunch of times some bad guy gets his arm broken or blood goes flying. That’s also only considering Daredevil. A more violent character like Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), who can turn almost any object into a deadly projectile with pinpoint accuracy, which increases the brutality and bloodiness of fights almost exponentially. In my opinion, one of the most creative fights in all of Marvel came out of “Daredevil: Born Again” season two.
The production of season two as a whole was really well crafted. Other than Daredevil’s costume, which gets a sick black and red recolor, most of the other costumes are pretty basic and simplistic. However, the simplicity of the costumes fit into the story being told. “Daredevil: Born Again” is a grittier, more realistic show; it doesn’t need to have bright, stylized costumes like the ones seen in the Marvel show “Loki.” The cinematography was also very high quality compared to other Marvel shows. The almost constant slight movements of the camera, even in some of the stillest scenes, helped create the sense that action was always happening and the viewer was getting a true, raw perspective of the scene. Although season two had eight episodes, each being about 50 minutes long, the pacing stayed fast. The show got to jump straight into the action because most of the slower moments and exposition were covered in season one, which definitely limited season one in my eyes. Even small stylistic choices, like sometimes using atmospheric shots of New York City as transitions to other scenes. It helps remind the viewer that this isn’t just a show about superheroes, it’s almost a show about New York City that happens to have vigilantes and superpowered people.
Overall, “Daredevil Born Again” was one of the better things made by Marvel and has continued the recent streak of good shows and movies like “Fantastic Four First Steps” and “Wonder Man.” I would give “Daredevil: Born Again” a five out of five as a whole; however, because season one is so necessary to complete the full story, I have to hold back my rating of season two. Even then, season two is a well-produced show with a lot of good fights and twists.
“Daredevil: Born Again” season two: ★★★★☆
