PremiumDaredevil: Born Again Review – The very good lawyer is back, and he’s bringing prestige TV energy to the MCU
Last Updated: 10.34 AM, Apr 16, 2025
Daredevil: Born Again Review – Story: The Very Good Lawyer, Matthew Murdock (Charlie Cox), has limited himself to being a lawyer after he lost Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), his best friend, to a vigilante attack when Bull's Eye (Wilson Bethel) attacked them. However, that doesn't mean the world is any better. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) is now the Mayor of New York City and has returned as a changed man from his unknown retreat. He now wants to clear New York of vigilantes legally and will go to any extent for that. Add his distressed relationship with Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer); he has a lot of mess to bring order to. But there is also Muse (Hunter Doohan), creating problems for everyone and needing to be tamed. Will Daredevil have to return from his hiatus? Does he want to? When will he? Watch the show on JioHotstar.
Daredevil: Born Again - Review
Who would have thought that Daredevil would not just get a revival but an entire show to himself after Charlie Cox hung the costume deep inside the wardrobe seven years ago after the third season of the Netflix show? It has taken almost a decade and many scrapped ideas to bring him back and respect his legacy, which has now culminated in a show called Daredevil: Born Again. While everyone has a different opinion about the latest Marvel crop, one can agree that it all felt like cookies cut from the same cutter and an entire ecosystem living in the same bubble film after film. Meanwhile, you can watch Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across The Spider- Verse with your OTTplay Premium Subscription on SonyLIV.
However, the shows were flourishing in a completely different direction. Born Again entered that ecosystem and has shown the entire universe what it feels like to be outside the bubble as an audience, as creators, and as a studio, and maybe the bosses needed to smell the tea for a longer time so it hits that well and for a long while.
Created by Matt Corman and Chris Ord with a team of seven writers including Dario Scardapane, Jill Blankenship, Jesse Wigutow, Heather Bellson, David Feige, Grainne Godfree, and Thomas Wong, the first thing that Daredevil: Born Again does is to disassociate itself from the larger scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has grown into an umbrella that needs repair. The show doesn't want to be the one that repairs it, and that is the best approach. It decides to take that umbrella out for a walk and show the people what it looks like to be varied. The writing in Born Again is not the world looking at a superhero but a superhero looking at the world.
People are not just extras on a set and then taken out when the main characters want to converse. They are an integral part, as they get to talk about what's happening. A vigilante among them is as much their problem as it is the Mayor's, and the show makes sure it takes enough opinions into account. New York comes alive in Daredevil: Born Again, and that brings so much realism to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we haven't seen in a very long time. Of course, Daredevil is more street than any other existing IP, but that doesn't change the fact that the show brings out some very fine possibilities for future projects.
The conflict is, of course, Kingpin/Wilson Fisk wanting to end the masked vigilantes, no matter what side of the spectrum they are on. However, the writing makes sure that is not the only purpose of the show. It is written in layers where a vigilante on break is living in grief and regret, a Mayor has a dark past he cannot leave behind, his wife had a fling in his absence which now haunts them both, not letting them gel well, and there is police brutality that is now fully supported by the Mayor. Trauma, mental health, and so many layers make this show so much more lucrative.
For instance, at no point does Daredevil: Born Again run towards the climax of any situation. It marinates those characters, makes them go through the horrors of the event, and then finally gets to the final point. The fact that Daredevil bleeds and doesn't have a magical power gives his world another edge. He is not immortal; he is just good at being a vigilante, and that means every cut and punch actually drains him, and there is no magical way to recharge him. The world of Daredevil is delicious, and there is so much to be explored in here.
The characters are written with attention to detail. So much is given to every character, making it feel and look pivotal to the storyline. Charlie Cox can play Daredevil for a century, and you would still not find even a single mistake in his performance. Same with Vincent D'Onofrio, who has managed to embody Kingpin in such a good way that it is difficult now to differentiate him from it. The rest of the cast plays their parts to perfection. Daredevil: Born Again is a very good example of what it feels like to have a perfect script that matches a perfect set of actors.
However, a couple of things did not land well. The first is Matthew kicking back right after getting hit by a bullet close to his heart. Second, he figures out that Muse has sketched Heather Glenn by feeling the sketch. Meanwhile, the finale is a winner because the makers do not give it a momentary climax; they leave it hanging for the next season to come soon.
Daredevil: Born Again Review - Final Verdict
The Marvel Cinematic Universe needed to bounce out of its own bubble and smell the fine tea. Born Again makes it do exactly that. It is not a show that must be branded as a part of some universe; it stands the test of being singularly powerful and robust enough to stand without a backing. This is what TV and fans deserve.
All the episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are now streaming on JioHotstar in India. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.