How 'Daredevil: Born Again' Honors The Legacy Of The Netflix Series

Marvel

Jun 2

Fans felt crushed when Daredevil ended its run on Netflix. The gritty, dark show portrayed realistic themes through well-developed characters that never gave in to the witty one-liners of other comic book characters. When Disney bought the character rights and announced the intention to take the show in a new direction, people felt like the company was writing off the incredible storylines from the original show. Now that Daredevil: Born Again is here, it’s clear that the team loved the Netflix version almost as much as the fans.

Matt And Fisk Remain Virtually Unchanged

When people tuned into the Netflix version of Daredevil, they stayed for Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk. They were perfect foils for each other. Matt processed his inner rage at their broken society through law, vigilante justice, and pushing himself to grow alongside some Catholic reasoning. Fisk never let his rage drop below a simmer, always one eye-twitch away from causing mayhem he deemed justice.

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What's Next For 'Daredevil: Born Again'?

With Americans already paying an average of $61 per month for streaming services, it’s a big ask from viewers to jump from the original Netflix series to the new Disney+ follow-up. However, their identities, goals, and values remained unchanged in the Disney+ show. Although you could argue that Matt’s energy is a bit lighter at times— more like his appearance in She-Hulk than anything else — the season’s storyline still depends on their character arcs rather than plot points.

The Fight Choreography Is Nearly Identical

When you think about Daredevil’s choreography, it’s almost impossible not to remember the iconic hallway scene in the second-ever episode. The single-take, practical stunts and creative fighting maneuvers blew everyone’s minds. If the character stayed the same but fought differently, Daredevil: Born Again wouldn’t work.

Fans were thrilled to see that the new show creators understood that. The first episode shows Daredevil fighting Bullseye through his favorite bar and up a stairwell, which was a nice nod to the tight corners of the hallway scene. You might also appreciate Daredevil’s stunning moves while fighting Irish bank robbers in episode 5.

Don’t worry about Fisk’s fight choreography, either. In Daredevil: Born Again, Fisk kills an adversary by squeezing his head until it explodes on camera. The scene is similar to the moment in the Netflix series when Fisk bashes a guy’s head in with his car door. The infamous Kingpin also has more fights than his scenes in Echo, which you might have been missing after so long without seeing Fisk in Hell’s Kitchen.

Daredvil and Punisher — Image Source: IMDb

Fan-Favorite Characters Return

Matt and Fisk are great characters, but they weren’t the only people fans were heartbroken to see leave in the Netflix universe. After a creative shakeup at Disney, showrunner Dario Scardapane said he would walk away from Daredevil: Born Again if Karen Page and Foggy Nelson weren’t part of the new season. If you haven’t seen the show yet, you won’t have to wait long to reunite with the Nelson and Murdock gang.

Fans are split about how the writer wove those characters into the storyline, but the consensus is that the first season is stronger for including them. A Daredevil story wouldn’t be complete without Karen and Foggy at the heart of Matt’s arc.

You’ll see older fan favorites like Bullseye, who pops up to push the season forward. Frank Castle appears later in the first season, which is only a taste of what’s to come. He’s also getting a Punisher show that premieres sometime in 2026. Frank provides some rough-around-the-edges heart in Daredevil: Born Again and ends up in a potentially interesting place for his show to pick up.

Netflix fans will recognize Vanessa Fisk as well. She’s been running the Fisk empire since Wilson had his Echo and Hawkeye storylines. When Wilson returns with the dream of running for mayor, the ensuing marital conflict spills into Hell’s Kitchen.

Last but not least, Yusuf Khan appears in the bank robbery episode halfway through season one. Ms. Marvel’s father arrives to get a loan, gushes about how his daughter is out in California after having her own adventure, and helps Daredevil defeat the robbers. His heart and wit are arguably the best part of the episode, grounding viewers in the multiverse of it all.

The Intro Uses A Similar Art Style

The Netflix Daredevil show set new standards for opening credits. The haunted piano sounds, quickening pace, and dripping red liquid creating Hell’s Kitchen were one of a kind. While the Disney+ show doesn’t have the exact same sequence, it honors the original with crumbled concrete.

While that may not sound impressive, the imagery shows the concrete tumbling back into place as it rebuilds the city, Daredevil, and Kingpin. The artistic nod to a series rebuilding itself from nearly scratch is a seamless intro with eerie music similar to the original show.

'Daredevil: Born Again' Impresses the Biggest Fans

Catch up on the first season while you can — the second season is already filming, and set photos have begun infiltrating the internet. The show may have shocked fans with how true it stayed to the core of the Netflix show, but it still defines itself as its own universe by breaking boundaries people never saw coming.

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