Helmed by Dario Scardapane, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 follows Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil (Charlie Cox), as a fugitive leading a resistance against Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who has implemented martial law and an Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) to hunt down vigilantes or anyone who dares go against him. Matt finds himself working alongside both old and new allies as he tries to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home, even if it means paying the ultimate price.
Almost five years ago we had Daredevil make his glorious return to the MCU after the sudden cancellation of his series on Netflix, which eventually led to the first season of his revival series fittingly titled Daredevil: Born Again. Now, despite what some so-called “fans”, Twitter users, and spiteful Internet personalities will have you believe, the first season turned out to be really damn good and served as a strong revival for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, even after enduring a major creative overhaul during its production. But now with a more consistent vision and a great story direction set up by the finale of the previous season, season 2 promised to be a grand continuation of the story that improves upon everything from before, as well as bring the Devil’s Reign-inspired story arc to an explosive conclusion.
And after watching all eight episodes of it, I can happily say that Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 lives up to all of its promises by delivering a masterful second season that beautifully continues the story established in the first season while further cementing Daredevil as one of Marvel’s best shows. This season raises the bar higher on everything, including the performances, the writing, the timely themes, the action, the visuals, and so much more that honestly sets it on par with the third season of the original series, which has always remained my favorite season of all Marvel television until now. And while I am someone who still fiercely defends the previous season, there is no denying that this second season was truly better in every way possible and proves that Daredevil is indeed in the best hands after becoming part of the larger MCU.
One thing you can always expect from a new season of Daredevil is phenomenal acting and character work from everyone involved, and the cast for this season is no exception as both the main and supporting cast members give their all to their respective characters and leave their own impactful mark in the story. Leading the charge of the season once again is our forever favorite hero/villain duo of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, reprised by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio respectively. The two of them will always be perfect performance-wise as these characters no matter what they are in, and yet they still somehow manage to be better every time they are given a new individual arc with an intertwined dynamic.
Matt has now fully embraced the role of being a symbol of hope and resistance for the people of New York City and he is determined to burn Fisk’s reign down to the ground at any price without crossing any moral lines. Despite fighting an extremely uphill battle that pushes him to all of his mental and physical limits, he refuses to stoop as low as his enemies and even renews his faith in true justice, retribution, and most importantly, mercy, even when fighting foes who will give him none of those things. He goes on a truly magnificent journey this season that is brought to life beautifully by Charlie Cox’s performance and remains consistently perfect from start to end. And on top of that, the new suit he wears for a majority of the season is easily the best Daredevil suit ever depicted in live action not just for how it looks but what it symbolically represents.
Wilson Fisk remains one of the best villains of the MCU that continues to evolve as his dictatorial rule over New York gets challenged by Daredevil, and bold directions are taken for his character in this season. He initially seems to have a firm hand on the city thanks to his corrupt task force and horrific actions against others, but as resistance begins to grow against him, his psyche begins to crumble, and we witness the true birth of the Kingpin come forth. Fisk believed himself to be completely untouchable by all who dared oppose him but he ends up facing insane consequences that result in him becoming the most dangerous he has ever been in his entire MCU run.
Vincent D’Onofrio manages to deliver so many complex and surprisingly compelling emotional layers to the character in his magnetic performance as he undergoes an unexpected journey this season that permanently changes the character forever. He’s a villain I can never get tired of no matter how many times he comes back, and the ever-evolving dynamic he and Daredevil share is always going to remain iconic for me for as long as the performances and writing for them remain solid.
Also delivering an incredible performance alongside him is his queen Vanessa Fisk, reprised by Ayelet Zurer, who continues to play a crucial part of Wilson’s journey in this season that had me very emotionally invested.
Deborah Ann Woll returns in full force as Karen Page, having a more major role in this season as Matt’s partner and a full-on rebel that is dedicated to bringing Fisk’s empire down through both physical and tactical means. It was so great to see Karen be such a powerhouse after such a long absence, and it was also fascinating to get a more in-depth look at her current mental state after the death of Foggy, and the built-up trauma she has collected over the years, caused mostly by Fisk. Despite her belief in Matt as a hero and mostly trusting his judgment, she doesn’t completely share the same mindset as him as she struggles with her own morals in the fight against Fisk. She begins to lean more towards Frank Castle’s violent perspective of eliminating evil permanently, which in turn causes her to be more violent in her actions against her enemies and make more reckless decisions. While this may seem annoying at first for her character to do, it actually makes complete sense. She is clearly at her limit after enduring hell multiple times at the hands of Fisk so it’s completely understandable why she acts the way she does in this season and Deborah Ann Woll does an amazing job showing all of the character’s rage that she held in for so long come out.
Returning for a smaller but still important role in the season is Heather Glenn, reprised by Margarita Levieva, who now serves as Fisk’s Mental Health Commissioner in his administration. After being horrifically attacked by the serial killer Muse last season, she is struggling with unchecked trauma that slowly poisons her over the course of this season while also being emotionally manipulated by Fisk into falsely imprisoning heroic vigilantes and innocent individuals unjustly arrested by the AVTF. Her mental spiral downward was honestly a very interesting arc to watch unfold as various events this season, combined with her refusal to seek help, begin to put her on a much darker path that I can’t wait to see further explored in season 3. Margarita Levieva deserves all the praise for her performance instead of all the unnecessary hate I’ve seen her get lately from troglodytes online.
There are two costumed vigilantes who join the resistance against Fisk in their own ways this season, and they are Angela del Toro, aka White Tiger, and Dex, aka Bullseye, reprised by Camila Rodriguez and Wilson Bethel respectively. Angela has now joined Murdock’s resistance and has taken on the mantle of White Tiger from her uncle Hector Ayala, who was assassinated by AVTF member Cole North in the first season. She uses the mystical Amulet of Power that belonged to her uncle to grant her superhuman abilities and allow her to fight alongside Daredevil to help the people of New York that she cares for deeply. I really love how the writers handled Hector’s legacy and Angela’s journey into becoming the White Tiger this season, proving through this character that anyone can make a difference if you choose to act instead of sit by and watch. Camila Rodriguez delivers a wonderful performance as a truly inspiring character that you can’t help but root for in her fight for justice.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the returning Bullseye, who is just as psychopathic as we remember and ends up really stealing the spotlight this season thanks to a joyfully menacing performance by Wilson Bethel and the unique journey he is given by the showmakers. He has his own way of fighting against Fisk’s reign by going on a killing spree against the AVTF that hunt him as they put themselves directly in his eagle-eyed crosshairs, leading to multiple bloodbath encounters that are disturbing yet highly entertaining. He’s not being treated as a hero in this season, but he’s not a complete villain either. Instead, he is someone who is seeking his own form of redemption and genuinely believes he’s doing good by killing the AVTF and targeting Fisk directly when in truth he’s only spiraling deeper into his madness. Having been manipulated by both Fisk and Vanessa into committing horrific crimes for them, including the assassination of Foggy, Bullseye deludedly wishes to balance the scales by finishing the job Matt won’t in trying to kill Fisk, which can be compared to Frank Castle’s ideology, except for the fact that Frank never murdered innocents.
Wilson Bethel truly put his heart and soul into Bullseye this season and it shows with just how amazing he turned out to be. Interestingly enough, by the end of this season he ends up being taken in an unexpected direction that is set to be explored in season 3, which not only opens the doors for multiple possibilities for the character in the continuing story of Daredevil but also possibilities regarding connection to the larger MCU.
Other supporting characters like Daniel Blake, Buck Cashman, BB Urich, Kirsten McDuffie, and Cherry all have their own great performances, arcs, and moments to shine that I genuinely cared about even more compared to the previous season. The most notable of them was definitely Daniel and Buck, reprised by Michael Gandolfini and Arty Froushan, respectively, who get a lot of development both individually and as an unexpectedly great pair. Michael Gandolfini once again delivers an excellent performance as the delusional Daniel Blake, whose loyalty and obsession with upholding Fisk’s mayoral rule over New York ends up pulling him in deeper into the true dark nature of Fisk’s empire. As a result, he’s beginning to feel conflicted and scared about his involvement as a cog in Fisk’s machine, which Buck notices and tries to steer him in the “right direction”.
I didn’t talk much about Buck last season, only because I thought he was just a decent character overall but not much more. However, in this season I thought he was way more interesting and threatening than before, with the arc he is given showing that he isn’t just some pointless lackey of Fisk but a truly sinister right-hand man that lives up to the role of James Wesley from the very first season of the original series. Arty Froushan’s performance gives the character a cold and calculating personality that is layered and disturbing, making him just as much of a terrifying figure as Fisk himself. This was an excellent upgrade for a character that I feel definitely needed one.
And then we have two special guest characters that play short but really fun roles within this season that really shine with their performances as well as set the stage for what is to come not only in the upcoming third season of the show but perhaps even more. The first guest is Krysten Ritter, who makes her official return to the MCU as Jessica Jones, and she picks up the role like she never left. She is still just as badass as ever while also being given a really interesting new direction that shows us what has changed since we last saw her. She may only be in the last three episodes of the season but she ends up being a great help to Matt’s resistance, and it was honestly great to see them work together again, sharing the same brilliant chemistry they once shared together in the Defenders miniseries. It’s clear there is more to come ahead for Jessica in the MCU after this season that may or may not involve the return of another hero or two.
The second guest is Matthew Lillard, who makes his official MCU debut as the mysterious Mr. Charles and is a wonderful addition to the cast. Mr. Charles is introduced as a CIA spook who supposedly works for a familiar MCU figure in the government and has a secretive but uneasy deal with Fisk that gets tested from a combination of Daredevil’s actions and Fisk’s loosening grip over New York. It’s made clear that he can control political power behind the scenes while simultaneously having a mysterious goal of seeking out “enhanced” individuals for special missions internationally. Matthew Lillard may not be in the season as much as some may want him to be, but he offers immediate presence every time he comes on screen, thanks mostly to Matthew Lillard’s perfect performance that borderlines between being darkly hilarious and unsettlingly creepy. There’s a lot more to this character that is subtly hinted at throughout the season, up to the end where it is clearly indicated that we haven’t seen the last of this enigmatic character in the MCU and is more than likely to return sooner than we think.
This season’s narrative is an extremely timely story that explores themes of rebellion, the pursuit of justice, political corruption, abuse of law enforcement, mental decay, redemption, retribution, mercy, and of course, the line between heroism and vigilantism that was all built up from the first season but gets further explored through every main and supporting character in this season. Much like all previous Daredevil seasons, this is a character-driven narrative first and foremost, with legal drama and superhero action elements woven in, but this season might be the most deeply affecting storyline not only for the bold directions it takes with characters but for the fact this season’s story perfectly captures the ongoing despair of today’s world.
From the very start of this season, we see a city that is under complete authoritarian control by Fisk using fear tactics and media manipulation to control everything, which in turn causes civil unrest and rebellion that is both told and shown in scarily realistic detail. When people show resistance or simple human decency, they end up having their rights stripped away by the AVTF, who proudly wear the Punisher skull like a badge of honor. But they aren’t honorable in the slightest as they abuse the authority they are given to do whatever they want to anyone, just like the corrupt group of inhumane pieces of shit that are currently running amok in the US. The parallel this season’s narrative shares with the current state of the world is as clear as day, and it will certainly feel impactful to all who watch it. But even more impactful and moving is seeing everyone rise up against this threat and see the true battle for the soul of New York City begin once the fuse of rebellion is lit by our favorite horned hero.
It all plays out like a large epic despite being a grounded street-level story and it all leads to a finale where we see Matt and Fisk’s rivalry come to an explosive climax that felt completely on par with the phenomenal finale in season 3 of the original series. Never did I think Daredevil would ever have another moment as powerful and masterfully built up as the “I beat you” scene, but the big scene in the finale of this season not only ended up being on the same level as that moment, but I personally believe exceeded it in some ways. And while this season’s finale does indeed conclude the main story thread that began in the previous season on a magnificent high note, it does also begin a completely new chapter for our characters moving forward that promises to be very different from what we had before, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the upcoming third season.
The technical elements of the first season were already mostly great, but this season hugely upgraded everything from the action to the cinematography to the editing to the effects. Every major fight sequence this season is viscerally brutal, masterfully choreographed and beautifully shot, feeling like a major step up from the action in season one, even though it was all mostly great. We get a new iconic one-shot sequence reminiscent of the iconic hallway action sequences of the original series that I absolutely loved witnessing in all its glory. We even get a lot of awesome bloody action sequences with Bullseye and his highly skilled marksmanship with any object he can get his hands on, with the most notable scene being the Diner sequence. One thing for certain is that you will never look at lobster claws the same way again.
All of Matt’s hyper senses are once again highly stylized and enhanced through masterful editing, cinematography, and sound design that feels way more consistent between episodes compared to the previous season and makes this show feel more like a classic Daredevil comic come to life, especially with the usage of symbolic colors like red, blue, and white.
The cinematography also manages to capture the grounded, grime-covered New York that has gone to hell as a result of Fisk’s reign before dialing things up to make it look and feel like a cinematic rebellion story while still maintaining the grounded aesthetic. As for the effects, this season leans more heavily into using practical effects for everything from the combat to the environments. CGI isn’t used as often as it was in the previous season, especially for Daredevil’s acrobatic sequences, which was a common but fair complaint some people had about the previous season, but this season fixes that completely. The only main occasion CGI is used is mostly for Bullseye’s projectiles in his action sequences, which makes sense given that he’s doing inhuman things with those projectiles that can’t be achieved practically, just like in season 3 of the original series. But it all looks fantastic with nothing looking off or undercooked in the slightest.
And lastly, we have the music that is once again brought to us by the Newton Brothers, who continue to deliver a score that is both ethereal and majestic, enhancing the season in all the best ways. Easily the best track was “Resist. Rebel. Rebuild.”, which is paired with one of the best action sequences of the season, making it feel even more thrilling and hellish in execution.
Season 2 is a masterful step up from the previous season that takes the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and his world in a very bold direction while also telling a timely and theme-filled story of rebellion against tyranny on a grounded level. It proves that Daredevil is in very great, passionate hands and that the character has a bright future ahead of him in the MCU, even when the universe is about to endure a major event with the two upcoming Avengers films. I truly can’t wait to see what season 3 has in store for us. I’m going to give Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 an A+ = 100.
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