Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Here’s what Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ show could look like

Following a massive San Diego Comic-Con, one of the many bombshells that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios dropped was the cleverly named Daredevil: Born Again series, with several possibilities on what this could mean for the titular hero. The original show was prematurely cut short following Netflix giving it the ax shortly after Daredevil‘s euphoric third season, and this long-awaited announcement is surely justice to many fans.

While concrete timeline status is a bit murky, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Born Again be a sort of soft reboot. The show could maintain the same general continuity of its predecessor’s story while taking place far enough later that it functions as its own starting point — like a new comic book run. Even still, there are still potential characters and storylines — partly based on the first show — that could drive the plot of this astonishingly longer 18-episode season.

Recommended Videos

The return of the Defenders

Jessica Jones sitting in her office at Alias Investigations.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Daredevil arguably made up the best of the former Netflix shows’ stories, but there are other characters from the Defenders Saga that are worth bringing back into the fold. One of the understandable criticisms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been focusing on teeing up other stories and cramming fan-service cameos rather than focusing on the tale at hand, but Born Again‘s surprisingly ambitious (for the studio and streamer’s standards, at least) 18-episode season could justify some extra faces.

Jessica Jones is the first of the Defenders that should come to many fans’ minds, as Krysten Ritter’s portrayal of her was a compelling rendition of writer Brian Michael Bendis’ (also of Daredevil fame) work in her comics. That quality adaptation translated well into Charlie Cox’s now-definitive live-action incarnation of Matt Murdock, as they easily had the best on-screen dynamic.

The two had irresistible chemistry and a back-and-forth relationship filled with sarcastic and condescending jabs that made for some of the most genuine, organic uses of humor in the wider MCU. That’s on top of Jessica Jones’ seamless street-level toughness that fit into Daredevil’s corner of the world.

A jaded, cynical, colorful superhero turned gritty private investigator is practically a must if Kevin Feige and company insist on effectively fleshing out the street-level part of Marvel’s dense mythos.

Welcome back, Frank

Released production still of Daredevil and Punisher in their rooftop scene
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s hard to ignore the Frank Castle-sized hole that fans want to be filled again, as the Punisher is probably the primary character (outside of the Defenders) people want to see opposite the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. The love for the Punisher is due largely to Jon Bernthal’s portrayal, as he expertly fits the dangerous and troubled boots of the antihero.

Right now, it’s hard to imagine how Marvel Studios reworks a character like him front and center on Disney+, given the company’s strict adherence to a “family-friendly” image. And unlike Daredevil, the Punisher becomes nearly impossible to transition into a PG-13 world, especially the often sanitized landscape Marvel insists on in their cinematic and streaming ventures.

Nonetheless, Bernthal’s take on the Punisher was one of the most celebrated aspects of Daredevil, with his interactions with the titular superhero the highlight of season 2. A special shoutout goes toward Bernthal’s brief encounter with Vincent D’Onofrio’s menacing Kingpin, which emphasized the essential brutal nature of both of their characters.

While the Punisher isn’t a supervillain, his and Daredevil’s ideologies on life and justice are still worlds apart, and that dichotomy made for the most engrossing personal conflicts in the original Daredevil‘s sophomore season. Having the two meet again on a somewhat more stable level could still be exciting to see.

Tying up Bullseye’s biggest loose end

Split image of Bullseye and Daredevil in Daredevil.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As unceremonious as Daredevil‘s end came at the hands of corporate indifference, the series thankfully managed to wrap up its third season on a tidy note. It was an immensely satisfying character arc for Matt Murdock and his supporting cast, and most of the season’s conflicts were neatly resolved.

However, the one clear cliffhanger was the fate of Wilson Bethel’s Ben Poindexter/Bullseye. The Kingpin is reasonably seen as the bane of Daredevil’s existence, but if Bullseye isn’t the hero’s main arch-nemesis, he’s at least working with others to bring Daredevil down.

Ben Poindexter's teased return with a bullseye in his eye in Daredevil season 3.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bethel’s Bullseye was thoroughly ominous and an excellent supporting villain, making him an equal parts fascinating and unsettling character throughout the season. After that cathartic free-for-all brawl between him, Daredevil, and Kingpin following Bullseye’s turning on his former boss, his spine was left shattered.

But the last eerie scene of the villain having his spine operated on before suddenly waking painfully teased something greater to come. Bullseye is responsible for much of the misery in Matt’s life in the comics, and that final shot poised him to fully come into his supervillain persona outside of Fisk’s looming shadow.

Rekindling an old flame with Elektra

Elektra suddenly appearing in Matt's apartment in Daredevil season 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Like DC’s Catwoman to Batman, Daredevil’s complicated (and dangerous) romance with Elektra Natchios deserves a second lease on life. Season 2 was solid overall, but it was held back from excellence in part by being saddled with the responsibility of setting up The Defenders miniseries with “The Hand” story arc.

Aside from Punisher being relegated too much on the supporting end because of this, Elodie Yung’s portrayal of Elektra was also partly hampered. Yung’s performance in general, though, fit like a glove in terms of her comic book counterpart’s personality.

Part of that was thanks to her electric dynamic with Cox’s Murdock, with the two constantly exuding an air of romantic tension.

Elektra and Matt unmasked with each other in Daredevil season 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The finale of the aforementioned miniseries gave her and Daredevil a somber fate with Elektra presumed dead. However, for better and worse, comic books have taught veteran fans that if there isn’t a body, then they’re likely not dead. Even if there is a body, they’re still not guaranteed kaput.

Like Bullseye, a soft reboot with Daredevil: Born Again could slip her back into the MCU without newcomers feeling bewildered or feeling cheap to longtime fans.

Mayor Fisk?

Kingpin wearing his white suit in Hawkeye.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Despite the double meaning behind the upcoming show’s title, it’s unlikely that it’ll take a page from Frank Miller’s landmark comic book arc of the same name. Season 3 of the original already used that as the core inspiration behind its plot and Daredevil’s state of mind, but D’Onofrio’s Kingpin still has plenty of nefarious storylines to be the center of.

It’s part of an arc from Charles Soule’s run on the Daredevil comic, with Kingpin taking advantage of a precarious climate to run for mayor of Hell’s Kitchen. This seems to be one of the rumors circulating online for Daredevil: Born Again already, and it would be a solid pick since Feige clearly recognizes that there needs to be more of the spotlight cast on Cox and D’Onofrio’s palpably vitriolic relationship.

Daredevil screaming after beating Kingpin bloody in season 3.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It might seem ridiculous that somehow a villain as cunning and exposed as Wilson Fisk could successfully run for mayor but, aside from meta examples, writing a story about his public rebranding and assistance during a disastrous event could justify this premise.

A certain big purple alien wiping half of all life would probably do just fine, and that could also build him up to be the MCU’s widely threatening villain across the entirety of the universe’s street-level stories and characters.

Marvel’s original Daredevil series is available to stream now on Disney+, while the studio’s Daredevil: Born Again premieres in spring 2024.

Guillermo Kurten
Freelance Writer, Entertainment
A University of Houston graduate in Print Media Journalism, Guillermo has covered sports entertainment and practically all…
10 years ago, Disney released the most underrated Marvel superhero movie ever
A blimp soars above the clouds in Big Hero 6.

The superhero genre has become remarkably overcrowded over the last 15 years. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Christopher Nolan-led redefining of the genre in the late 2000s and early 2010s paved the way for an era of Hollywood dominated by movie characters in capes and villains with world-ending plans. Whether that era is still going is up for debate, but it led to a few years there — roughly 2014-2023 — where superhero movies and TV shows genuinely felt like they were everywhere, and sometimes to a suffocating degree. That doesn't mean, however, that certain superhero films haven't fallen through the cracks here and there over the past 10 years.

Disney's Big Hero 6 - Official US Trailer 1

Read more
Marvel reveals 2025 Disney+ TV slate, including Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, and Wonder Man
Matt Murdock walks and stares while wearing glasses.

Marvel Studios unveiled its upcoming 2025 TV slate on Disney+ in a new look-ahead teaser that aired during the Agatha All Along finale. The footage included the first looks at Marvel's three live-action series in 2025: Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, and Wonder Man. 

First up is Daredevil: Born Again, which premieres on March 4, 2025. The series features the returns of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. Cox and D'Onofrio played the same roles in Netflix's Daredevil from 2015-2018. Also returning for Born Again are Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson, Wilson Bethel as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter, and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher.

Read more
What’s next for Marvel films after Venom: The Last Dance?
Venom talks to Eddie in Venom: The Last Dance.

Now that Venom: The Last Dance has premiered in theaters, Sony revealed more of its plans for the Lethal Protector and its cinematic universe in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This threequel saw the symbiote god Knull send an army of his alien minions to Earth to harness Venom's power so Knull could break free from his cosmic prison.

Though The Last Dance was billed as Eddie Brock and Venom's last adventure together, the way the film sets up future stories involving Knull and the symbiotes implies that their story is far from over. And since Venom has yet to meet Spider-Man, it's unlikely Sony will let that hype and buildup be for nothing. Now that The Last Dance is finally in cinemas, here's everything that's on the horizon for Venom and the rest of these Marvel films.
Venom and Spider-Man

Read more