While promoting the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, series showrunner Dario Scardapane revealed that an integral part of his pitch to get the show back on track was bringing back Daredevil co-stars Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, both of whom were absent from Marvel’s original plans for the new series. “I was willing to lose a job over this one,” Scardapane told Empire, adding that pitching the returns of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page was “one of the first things I said to the bosses.“
You can’t do this show without Karen and Foggy. They’re Matt’s family. They’re the heart of his world. You can’t take them out without explaining why, and if that explanation doesn’t ring true, don’t take them out.
“Because Season 3 of the Netflix show ended with a dream, with the names on that napkin,” Scardapane explained, adding, “If you don’t pay that off, you’re not giving your characters context. You can’t ignore that dream.” And so, Episode 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, “Heaven’s Half Hour,” does indeed make good on that dream as Nelson, Murdock and Page emerge from their dream office for another of many nights on the town. And what follows is a bamboozling nightmare that might just prevent fans from ever trusting anyone at Marvel Studios again.
If bringing back Henson and Woll was meant to bring a preestablished order to Daredevil:Born Again, then the first 16 minutes of the first episode are the most entropic of a series built around chaos. Crafted by Scardapane after he and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead boarded the project, Episode 1 apparently exists to prove that you can indeed “do this show without Karen and Foggy.”
The death of Foggy Nelson at the hands of the deranged and somehow-still-alive-after-casually-being-thrown-off-a-roof-what-the-fuck Bullseye catapults Matt Murdock’s world into a state of such significant disorder that no further changes can take place within it. And so, Murdock is born again into an all-new, all-different world, one brighter and more hopeful than any the writers of the original Netflix series ever imagined.
Abashed the Devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is.
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
Bereft of his besties, Murdock locks the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen away and leans into lawyering and living, thriving in a shockingly satisfying new status quo. A new firm (Murdock & McDuffie), a new love interest (Margarita Levieva‘s fascinating Heather Glenn) and some new glasses set Matt up to move forward in a direction that the Netflix showrunners never knew existed. And just as that wonderful new world gains its own momentum, Wilson Fisk is born again.
Set sometime in 2025, the “current events” of Episode 1 of Daredevil: Born Again set the foundation for a fascinating first season of a four season series. A decidedly douchey Daniel Blake and a stunningly Sisyphean BB Urich aside, “Heaven’s Half Hour” does exactly what it needs to do by giving both Matt Murdock and the fans every reason to forget everything they’ve held dear about the original Netflix series. The lunch meeting between the series’ leads reveals that neither man can truly put his past behind him, establishing the inevitability of hostility even as Fisk’s pursuit of the mayorship of New York City would seem to make him untouchable.
Fisk’s role in the season is so large that, as one promotional poster seems to hint, the series could just as well be titled Kingpin: Born Again. As Matt learns to move forward without his heart and soul, Fisk seeks to close the gap that has grown between him and his wife, Vanessa, who ran the criminal empire while her husband was away (see Echo). Like Murdock, Fisk has chosen a new path forward and in doing so, claims to have locked away the Kingpin of Crime.
Of course, Marvel Studios didn’t revive this series and being back both Cox and D’Onofrio for what looks to be a total of 17 episodes for them to have tea. A showdown is looming and Episode 1, created by Scardapane following the creative overhaul, wonderfully put the two men on seemingly parallel paths that are somehow bound to intersect.
When Marvel Studios brought Dario Scardapane on to overhaul the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, the new showrunner’s first instinct was to bring back Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, both of whom were not originally part of the revival. His second instinct, apparently, was to have Henson’s Foggy murdered, throwing Matt Murdock’s life into chaos. Scardapane was so preoccupied with whether or not he could, he didn’t stop to think if they should.
But what’s done is done, of course, and such a catastrophic event should never be undone. And so Foggy, who was Murdock’s best friend and partner and, according to Scardapane, one part of the “heart and soul” of Daredevil, has gone to heaven, hopefully a half hour before the devil knew he was dead. However, Scardapane has also made it clear that he believes “you can’t do this show without Foggy and Karen, so as production begins on Season 2, he seems to have created a bit of a conundrum. But apparently he’s also already solved his own problem.
In a post-premiere interview, Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation, Brad Winderbaum addressed Foggy’s death and let slip a bit of information that is sure to cause fans of the show to head into a tizzy.
“Without going into spoiler territory, I will say that both Deborah and Elden are coming back for Season 2,” Winderbaum revealed to Phase Hero’s Brandon Davis. Woll‘s return was already confirmed but news of Henson‘s return will certainly cause a frenzy of wild theories and assorted nonsense.
In the world of comic books and in particular the world of Daredevil, deaths are routinely undone. In this case, it would seem an incredibly poor choice to undo Foggy’s death given it’s the catalyst for Murdock’s all-new, all-different life. Wild theories aside, Henson‘s return could easily–and probably more reasonably–be necessary for flashbacks to the good old days of Nelson, Murdock and Page because, you know, we never saw those days.
This is a type of new origin story for Matt. He’s the type of character that in just like all classic Marvel stories, they’re affected by some sort of tragedy.
-Dario Scardapane
For his part, Scardapane isn’t giving anything away. “Listen, he’s not gone forever. That’s all I can say – it’s not the last thing you’re gonna see of him,” he said of Foggy, while claiming that the creative team, who decided to kill Nelson, love him too. “So, I understand. We also understand the heartbreak, and we did not take this lightly. I get upset. We were upset on the day, we were upset watching it. All of these things are true.“
Perhaps Franklin has just been hanging out at the butcher shop all this time..
Daredevil has always dealt in duality. Even before Frank Miller redefined the character–and the city in which he spent his days and nights–by introducing a gritty, noir-inspired take on the hero, Matt Murdock still split his time fighting for justice in a courtroom while also dispensing justice as a vigilante. Though Miller‘s drastic reinvention of the character took him to far darker places as a lawyer-by-day, vigilante-by-night type of hero, the character has always been a fascinating study of psychological inconsistency and cognitive dissonance. And so as Marvel Studios relaunches one of the most beloved superhero shows ever made with the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, it is fitting that the new series is teeming with dichotomies.
For nearly one-third of the season, Daredevil: Born Again dares to tease the unthinkable for Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock. Following an audaciously aggressive reintroduction to the world of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen that shatters the comfort zone so carefully constructed over three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil, Marvel Television’s revival allows Murdock to feel how awful goodness is. But fear not, true believers, the studio could not resist the urge to drag Daredevil back into the darkness, once more choosing Frank Miller over the field.
Who fate gave the ability to hear and smell and touch better than anybody in the world can, which is a great way to catch all the misery of being alive
The first episode of Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again chaotically catabolizes everything that both Matt Murdock and the fans of Netflix’s Daredevil hold dear, abruptly and refreshingly changing the status quo for the beleaguered vigilante. Stripped bare, Murdock is born again into a brighter world full of new relationships, professionally and personally, and one that ironically holds hope for the hero. However, just when Matt thought he was out, they pull him back in!
Just as Matt seems to be free of his dark past, it comes rushing in to upset the shaky new scaffolding. As has been clear since the series was first announced in 2022, Daredevil: Born Again could just as well have been titled Kingpin: Born Again and the new and improved Wilson Fisk’s ambitions and love for New York City set the pair on a path that challenges each’s best intentions. A tense meeting over coffee in which both men swear they’ve left their alter egos behind them slowly devolves into a pissing match between the better angels of their natures; indeed, the next three episodes prove that neither man ever moved too far away from his true self and follows the co-leads as they slowly let their devils out of whatever cage they believed to have contained them, setting them on a path toward yet another inevitable confrontation.
Tonally divergent from the ethos of the Netflix series for the first seven episodes of the season, Daredevil: Born Again constructs a brighter world around a more devil-may-care Matt; unfortunately, both that world and Matt ultimately fall victim to the darkness of the city and its inhabitants as a serial killer throws the city into a frenzy. By the time the series heads into what will stream as a two-part finale, the replacement creative team of showrunner Dario Scardapane and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead put together what could only be described as “peak Netflix”, allowing both Daredevil and Kingpin to be “Born again.” Steering the show back in that direction is a frustrating decision, even if foreseeable; however, it’s not damaging to the quality of the series in any way and works to push the characters to a precipice that will have to wait to be resolved in Season 2.
Less bloated than any season of the Netflix series, Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again spins a tight, well-paced narrative that impressively stands strong despite the mid-stream change of creatives. Though the marketing for the series isn’t necessarily the most honest work Marvel Studios has ever done, the show does return to its gritty, noir roots despite spending a large chunk of time playing in the sun, delivering the “whole new deal” Cox once promised while also relishing in the edgey brutality of the old deal. A wonky VFX scene or two, a bit of overacting here and there and a few superfluous characters aren’t enough to tip the scales here: Daredevil: Born Again is, from start to finish, a fantastic series. With its hero and its villain equally saturated in blood and emotional trauma, the show examines the futility of pursuing sustainable change without addressing the deeply nested layers of human behavior.
Despite standing tall not only among Marvel Studios’ streaming series but also among the three original seasons of Daredevil, Daredevil: Born Again is also frustrating in its insistence on keeping Murdock’s story drenched in blood. While sanguinary and savage storytelling defined the Netflix era of The Man Without Fear, it’s not the defining trait of the character who has been a staple of Marvel Comics since the 1960s. While Miller‘s reinvention did elevate the character to new heights, it’s bizarre to see his dark and violent vision for Daredevil become THE vision for the character. Miller‘s Daredevil portfolio is hardly prolific (8 other writers have spent more time on Daredevil books than Miller) and perhaps the particular itch for wanton violence would be better scratched in the MCU by Punisher or Moon Knight. And so to see the series briefly flirt with a new direction inspired, it would seem, by Mark Waid‘s long run on the book only to retreat into darkness again begs the question: why do the writers hate Matt Murdock?
Given all the media hype that followed the news that Scardapane, Benson and Moorehead were brought on board, one would assume that the trio swooped in and saved the series from disaster. In reality, upon seeing the entire season, it hardly feels that way at all but rather feels that the new creatives were brought in because Daredevil: Born Again was not Netflixy-enough. To everyone’s credit, the blending of “new” and “old” is seamless throughout; if you didn’t know there was a creative overhaul on the series before you sat down to watch, nothing would alert you to it while watching the series. Episodes 2 and 3, which adapt Brian Michael Bendis‘ “Trial of the Century” arc from his early 2000s run on the book, deliver the best courtroom drama in the history of the series. The trial of Hector Ayala challenges Murdock and his new partner, Kirsten McDuffie, at every turn, creating true tension that will be palpable to viewers. High profile and high stakes, the trial puts Matt in the spotlight and, unfortunately, in a position where a win can’t just be a win.
Following Ayala’s trial, what would seem to have been the original outline for the show looked to be headed to some dark enough places. Cleverly written with a narrative throughline that continually pulled Murdock further away from the new life he believed he had established, Episodes 2 through 7 are incredibly engaging and if this show were a binge release, fans would have a hard time walking away as Hector’s trial bleeds into the search for a serial killer who unknowingly has put himself right in the middle of Murdock’s life. We may never know where the first season was originally going to land and where the original team meant to go next; however, it’s safe to say that Scardpane‘s Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, which should hit D+ in 2026, might just as well be titled Daredevil Season 4.
No matter which material they worked with, Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio delivered top-tier performances, especially in their brief time together. Jon Bernthal‘s return as Frank Castle comes complete with all the squealing brutality one might expect from The Punisher while also serving as a wonderfully necessary foil for Murdock. The late Kamar de los Reyes stands out as Hector Ayala, whose legacy is left to be explored should the powers that be choose to do so; Margarita Levieva‘s subdued Heather Glenn ends up a much more interesting character than her comic book counterpart; and Ayelet Zurer‘s Vanessa works as a driving force behind the central plot. The Fisks’ relationship works as an interesting parallel to that of Matt and Heather and the intersection of the two ultimately leads to the season’s biggest surprise.
For nearly a year, Marvel Studios has been operating according to a new strategy behind the scenes as shifting priorities have led them to focus on developing series that can premiere annually. It’s clear that the studios intends for Daredevil: Born Again to be both the canary in the coal mine in that regard but that they also have enough faith in it that they’ve already established it as the flagship of the new era of Marvel Television. To that end, each new season must entice viewers to return for subsequent seasons while also being able to stand alone not only as a season but with weekly episodes that drive conversation and interest. Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again accomplishes that mission. Its weekly releases will have people buzzing (I’m looking forward to the response to the series St. Patrick’s Day-set bottle episode) and the response to the season finale may actually trigger Richter scales. Grace and retribution. Reward and punishment. Hopes and fears. Daredevil: Born Again‘s return to the streets of New York City is frustratingly incongruous in its treatment of its Guardian Devil and a contradiction in itself but I’ll be damned if it isn’t an incredible season of TV.
While filming in the streets of New York City, the first season of Daredevil: Born Again certainly did just that as photos from the set revealed the returns of Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Betheland Jon Bernthal as well as some pretty major spoilers. Now, as the debut first season of the new series draws near and production on Season 2 prepares to get underway, a trade report has kickstarted the the hype engine.
According to Deadline, 90s icon Matthew Lillard, best known for his roles as Shaggy in 2002’s Scooby Doo and Stu Macher in Scream, has joined the cast of Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again.
Lillard‘s role is unknown at the time though the actor’s résumé calls to mind a certain type of character and many fans are already debating which member of Daredevil’s extensive rogues gallery he’ll be portraying. The plot of Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again is being kept under wraps but it is expected that Wilson Fisk, played once more by a returning Vincent D’Onofrio, will continue to serve as the primary antagonist to Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock.
The first two-episodes of Daredevil: Born Again will debut on Disney Plus at 9 PM ET on Disney Plus.
After being delayed by roughly one year, Marvel Studios most highly-anticipated streaming series to date, Daredevil: Born Again, will finally debut on Disney Plus on March 4th. Like most, if not all, of Marvel’s streaming projects, the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led revival of Netflix’s Daredevil will open up with a two-episode premier; however, according to a new press release, that won’t be the only time fans will be able double dip.
As part of its coverage of D+’s March release schedule, What’s On Disney Plus revealed that in addition to the two-episode opener, a pair of episodes of Daredevil: Born Again (Episodes 5 and 6) will stream on March 25th.
Current 'DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN' Release Schedule (Eps 1-6):
Episodes 1-2: March 4 Episode 3: March 11 Episode 4: March 18 Episodes 5-6: March 25 pic.twitter.com/AXzRQRDfUn
In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
-Official Synopsis, Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again
The final three episodes of the nine-eposode first season won’t roll out until April, so it’s not yet clear if the series will also wrap with a two-episode finale. Whatever the case, Daredevil: Born Again joins Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man as projects that have bucked the trend of releasing individual episodes following the series debut.
The decision by Marvel Studios to canonize Netflix’s Daredevil series as part of the creative overhaul on Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again meant that the adventures of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen weren’t the only stories retconned into MCU continuity. Indeed all of Netflix’s series made the jump because of the interconnected nature of their stories and the shared experiences of the title characters in The Defenders. So while Matt Murdock, Wilson Fisk, Frank Castle, Benjamin Pointdexter and others will share the screen again in Daredevil: Born Again, Jessica Jones, Colleen Wing, Danny Rand, Misty Knight and Luke Cage are out and about somewhere in New York City. And while fans of those characters wait to learn what’s next for them, the first trailer for the new series acknowledges another one of the Defenders for the first time.
As can be seen around 28 seconds into the trailer, during a New Year’s Eve gathering in Times Square in which Wilson Fisk is seen giving a speech, one of the billboards just above the advertisement for Rogers: The Musical serves as an advertisement for Harlem’s Paradise.
Founded in the 1960s by Buggy Stokes and Quincy McIver, Harlem’s Paradise served as headquarters for the Stokes Crime Family and was a key location in both seasons of Luke Cage. As of the series finale, ownership of the club had been passed on to Cage following the death of Mariah Dillard.
Harlem’s Paradise is the place where hip-hop, funk, jazz & rock and roll all come back to the mothership. It’s a party, y’all.
Though the billboard is advertising the club through a quote, the lettering on the sign is unclear. However, the nod to the location is an easy way to incorporate one of the key settings of the Defenders-verse into the MCU without making any major changes to the world previously created or painting themselves into a corner.
Daredevil: Born Again debuts on Disney Plus on March 4th.
During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, “Look, this is how we’ve got to do it now.” So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that’s a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. So we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we’re all talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now.
-Vincent D’Onofrio
While that decision reportedly resulted in very positive changes to the quality of Daredevil: Born Again, it also greatly added to the required reading fans might choose to do if they’re not intimately familiar with Daredevil and its cast of characters. And if 39 hour-long episodes of that series aren’t enough, an important chapter in Matt Murdock ‘s Netflix story was told in The Defenders and Jon Bernthal‘s Frank Castle, who debuted in Daredevil Season 2 before starting in two seasons of The Punisher, will also be featured in Daredevil: Born Again...and that’s just the Netflix stuff!
Though it might seem overwhelming, it’s only because it truly is. However, as you’ve no doubt come to expect, we’ve got you covered with an incredibly detailed Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Daredevil: Born Again!
Tier One
Preparing yourself for Daredevil: Born Again will be no small task. With the decision to canonize the entirety of Netflix’s Defenders-verse series, the required reading for Daredevil: Born Again will take just under 2 days worth of time…you better get started.
Netflix’s 2013 deal with Marvel Television changed the landscape of comic book content. In 2015, Daredevil blazed a bloody path into homes, delivering an unprecedented brand of superhero TV. Charlie Cox cemented himself as THE Matt Murdock/Daredevil and found an incredible equal and opposite force of nature in Vincent D’Onofrio‘s unforgettable turn as Wilson Fisk. Though 13 hours of any season of television will have its faults, Season 1 of Daredevil remains the highpoint of Marvel TV entertainment 10 years later.
This deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel’s brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. This serialized epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in what’s sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure.
-Alan Fine, President of Marvel Entertainment, 2013
Marvel Studios’ decision to rework Daredevil: Born Again into essentially a fourth season of Daredevil means that all the foundation built in Season 1, for both Daredevil and Kingpin, will indeed matter to full enjoy the new season. Matt’s relationships with Karen and Foggy and Wilson’s relationship with Vanessa will be key elements in the next arcs for each of them.
Though it was not as highly regarded as Season 1, the second season of Daredevil is a must watch for fans as they prepare for Daredevil: Born Again. Not only does it introduce Frank Castle into Hell’s Kitchen, but Season 2 also delivers some key Daredevil mythology by exploring the Hand and Matt’s relationship with Elektra.
If possible, Season 2 may be more violent than its predecessor, thanks almost entirely to Jon Bernthal‘s murderous Castle. It’s also likely that Frank’s relationship with Karen Page, the exploration of which extended into The Punisher, will factor into Daredevil: Born Again.
The Defenders (2017)
🍅 78%
Netflix’s crossover event brought together the stars of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist but ultimately fell a little flat. It feels a lot more like another season of Daredevil and does some real heavy lifting for Season 3.
After sidelining Fisk for a good portion of Season 2, the third and final season brings him back into the spotlight and face-to-face with Matt. It also introduces Wilson Bethel‘s Bullseye who joined the cast of Daredevil: Born Again and looks to be even more dangerous this time around.
Tier Two
These three projects should be the mustard and relish to your Daredevil hot dog. You don’t need to watch any of these to consume Daredevil: Born Again; however, you’ll find yourself enjoying it more thanks to the extra boost.
Unfortunately, neither season of The Punisher is must see TV, not for enjoying Daredevil: Born Again or even in general terms. It’s unclear just how large of a role Frank Castle is set to play in the news series, especially after the creative overhaul, but it’s definitely more than a cameo and he WILL be working with “Red” for at least the better part of one episode. If you’ve never seen the Netflix series and want a little background on this particular version of The Punisher, knock yourself out and squeeze in 26 hours of madness; if not, you’ll still know everything you really need to know from watching Daredevil and from exposition in Daredevil: Born Again.
Hawkeye (2021)
🍅 92%
If Daredevil: Born Again was JUST a Daredevil show, Hawkeye would not be on the list; however, Wilson Fisk’s story is just as much a part of the MCU’s Daredevil lore as Matt Murdock’s and a chapter of it is told here. If you’re short on time, you can watch Episodes 5 and 6, which are the only two in which Fisk physically appears, but Hawkeye is good enough that it’s worth the watch if you have the time.
Echo (2024)
🍅 70%
Though Fisk is a major player in Echo, the project’s identity as a Marvel Spotlight series should mean that any ground covered in it that’s relevant to Daredevil: Born Again will likely be explained within the framework of the new series.
No. I don’t think that she would like that idea. I think it’s a terrible idea. He’s such a dirty crook. He’s got a lot of things going on. I don’t think him running for a position of political power would be a good idea.
-Alaqua Cox
While Fisk does play a major role in the body of the series, it’s his appearance in a credit scenes that ties directly to Daredevil: Born Again. And though it could be argued that alone should make Echo a Tier One project, it’s probably going to be covered in some sort of pre-Episode 1 highlight reel.
Tier Three
Here only for those of you who want to be fully prepared for anything that could happen in Daredevil: Born Again and to be able to say you’ve watched every MCU-set project in which Daredevil has appeared, two Tier Three projects are just fun visits with an otherwise very serious character while another will lay the foundation for a character appearance.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
🍅 93%
He’s a really good lawyer.
As revealed by our own Charles Villanueva in 2020, Cox made the jump into the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home. While it was only a cameo, it generated a lot of excitement and was the first step toward fully integrating Daredevil into the MCU. While Spidey and other NYC heroes will be mentioned during Daredevil: Born Again, it’s only worth remembering that the Murdock served as Peter’s legal counsel. Since Doctor Strange’s spell would ensure that he does not know who Peter Parker is, this is essentially a dead end.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
🍅 98%
Though the full extent of his role in the series is not clear, promotional materials for the series have revealed that Kamala Khan’s father, Yusuf, will appear in Daredevil: Born Again. Ms. Marvel is one of Marvel Studios’ best streaming efforts so if you haven’t seen it in a while—or at all–give it a look.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
🍅 79%
Episodes 8 and 9 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law marked the MCU debut of Daredevil. While some fans bristled at the more carefree vibe Cox brought to the role in his appearance, it certainly fit the tone of the series, as head writer Jessica Gao explained. “They get to take a little bit of a comedy vacation,” said Gao of guest starring heroes like Cox’s Man Without Fear. “Of course, after our show, they get to go back to save the world, saving the universe, very serious, intense story…“
I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge fan of Tatiana’s and the fun we had on She-Hulk was some of the best fun I’ve had as that character. I thought she was amazing as Jennifer Walters and I would be a huge… certainly an advocate of her showing up in our show if she’s free and available and willing and all of those things. So I would love for that to happen. I have no idea if that is possible.
-Charlie Cox
While Cox admittedly had a blast portraying a different side of the character and expressed a desire to work with She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany again, it’s unlikely that his appearance on the show will impact Daredevil: Born Again in any significant way.
About Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal.
In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
-Official synopsis for Daredevil: Born Again
Dario Scardapane is showrunner. Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Chris Ord & Matt Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.
Daredevil: Born Again launches on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.
It’s all connected. For a decade, that tagline defined the MCU to the extent that it used as the subtitle for the first Marvel Cinema Universe Guidebook. Fans fawned over every fragment of connectivity, theorizing which character might show up where and how each post-credit scene might set up the next big thing. However, as Marvel Studios moved into the Multiverse Saga and a new era of streaming their own series on Disney Plus, comfort turned into confusion with the rapid expansion of projects and characters.
There was a lot of pressure post-Avengers: Endgame on the public to feel obligated to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything. Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand. Some will be more comedic, some will be more dramatic, some will be animated, some will be live-action. Marvel is more than just one thing — it is actually many different genres that just happened to coexist in a single narrative.
Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, on the studio’s rebranding, May 2024
Now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.
-Brad Winderbaum
And while Winderbaum gave his stamp of approval to the canonicity of the Netflix series, he dodged, ducked, dipped, dove and dodged the issue of another fan-favorite series from the mid-2010s: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “I want to go down this road with you, you know I do, but we’re just gonna take a deep breath for a second,” said Winderbaum in an August 2024 interview with Screen Rant. Hardly a strong show of support for Phil Coulson and crew.
As one might expect, Winderbaum‘s comments weren’t warmly received by AoS fans; however, given his position at Marvel, he would certainly be the one to know…and four months later, it seems nothing has changed.
In a new interview with Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeier, Winderbaum was pressed once more about the canonicity of Marvel TV’s ABC shows and he hasn’t budged on his stance. When asked by Deckelmeier if Marvel TV’s Agent Carter, which ran for two seasons on ABC, was considered MCU canon, not only did Winderbaum refuse to confirm that it was but he also lumped it in with all of Marvel’s ABC shows.
“Well, I’ll tell you this, and put it to you like this. It’s exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon,” said Winderbaum, indicating that while he has thought about how to canonize Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and Inhumans, he hasn’t figured out how to do so just yet.”That, to me, if you know me and the way my brain works, that is fun territory to imagine,” confirming that for now, imagination is the only place in which those series should be considered canon.
While that’s made quite clear on Disney Plus, where those shows, along with a few others, can be found in an “Agents and Inhumans” category rather than in the “Complete MCU Timeline” category, fans of the series still find plenty of ways to make the events of the shows tie into the ongoing story of MCU. And at the end of the day, that’s just fine and what being a fan is all about.
So, I can say that up until this point, we’ve been a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not. That was born, frankly, out of a period at the studio where we were like “we have to stick the landing with Avengers.” It was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff; we were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but it was a lot.. it was a lot to balance anyway. But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.
Wilson Bethel was among the key contributors to the Netflix series who was brought back into the fold to reprise his role as Benjamin Pointdexter, aka Bullseye. From the looks of photos from the New York City set of Daredevil: Born Again, the all-new, all-different Bullseye will cause chaos at some point in the first season of the Marvel TV streaming series. Perhaps taking a page from his character, Bethel recently caused quite a stir with comments about the amount of time that will have passed in the MCU between the final season of Daredevil and Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again.
In an interview with Collider, Bethel discussed the challenges of picking back up with a character five years after last inhabiting him. As he continued on, he also claimed that the same five-year gap will apply to the series, meaning Daredevil: Born Again would begin five years after the conclusion of Season 3 of Daredevil.
“So there’s kind of like this funny thing stepping back after five years where Born Again will pick up with that amount of time having transpired. The show doesn’t pick up the day after we last saw it. It picks up five years later. And so in theory, these are characters who have all lived five years of life and all of the twists and turns that you take in the meantime. So whether or not even those stories are necessarily on screen, there’s just that little extra bit of life in there, which I think is… as an actor, it gives you an opportunity to bring whatever your own journey has been in that time and they get sort of a little longer in the tooth.”
-Wilson Bethel
That claim by Bethel has proven problematic for hardcore fans. Though the events of Netflix’s Daredevil series were not included in the MCU Official Timeline book, the best approximation is that they took place in universe in 2017. A five-year jump forward from then would set Daredevil: Born Again, or at least part of it, in 2022. Setting it in 2022 would mean that part of the series would take place during the Blip, which is a theory that has been discussed before. With Charlie Cox‘s first MCU appearance as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home was set in 2024 and his appearance as Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law was set in 2025, it is possible that the studio set portions of Daredevil: Born Again between 2017 and 2024. However, it’s also clear that part of the new Marvel Television series takes place after the events of Echo which is clearly set after Hawkeye which was set definitively in 2024. Chaos.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that Bethel misspoke or was mistaken; however, it’s certainly worth considering that Daredevil: Born Again may cover quite a bit of territory and not be set solely in the MCU’s present day. With the March 4, 2025 release date creeping up on us, it won’t be long until we know for sure!
The changes made behind the scenes of Daredevil: Born Again have been well-documented. Following a hiatus from filming while Hollywood workers went on strike, Marvel Studios brought in a new creative team to overhaul the series. In doing so, the studio totally changed gears by tying the first season of the D+ project directly into the Netflix series, canonizing not only all three seasons of Daredevil but also the other Defenders-verse series.
But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.
Brad Winderbaum
Accompanying the release of Echo, the studio’s first Marvel Spotlight production and its first TV-MA offering, the studio made massive changes to the Timeline Order subsection of the Marvel Studios channel on Disney Plus. Though it’s not yet updated in all regions, the studio retroactively placed all 161 episodes of the Netflix series in the Infinity Saga. Doing so required some changes in the script of the series while allowing for Netflix stars like Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll and more to join the fray. However, despite trade reports of his inclusion and set photos showing his character on the set, one MAJOR Daredevil villain was left off the cast list.
While Netflix Daredevil vets like Jon Bernthal and Ayelet Zurer were included, Season 3 star Wilson Bethel, who played psycho assassin Bullseye, was nowhere to be found on the casting list.
The good news here is that the lack of inclusion of Bethel could simply mean the studio is making somewhat of an effort to take some focus off of not only his character’s appearance in the series but also his actions, which certainly seem to change the course of Matt Murdock’s life. Of course, the bad news would sound an awfully lot like Bethel’s Bullseye being cut from the project entirely but that hardly seems likely given the extent of his role in the series following the overhaul and the fact that he’s been spotted in the leaked trailer.
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