Few TV series revivals happen and when they do, they are expected to set a bar that the original show sets. The original “Marvel’s Daredevil” (2015) set a high bar after having three incredible seasons. Its revival, “Daredevil: Born Again” (2025), again rated TV-MA, meets the original’s expectations.
Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the dark and gritty tone of the original is still felt in the revival and Marvel does a great job at fully connecting these old characters to their cinematic universe.
Season 1 reintroduces us to Daredevil, once again played by Charlie Cox, who slips back into the suit and role like he never left. His portrayal balances Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer by day, and the crime fighting catholic vigilante Daredevil by night. We see the conflict of his faith pushed to the edge to set the tone for this revival due to the psychotic villain Bullseye (Wilson Bethel). He fights the corrupt system in New York City set up by crime boss couple Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer) and her husband, the newly elected Mayor Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio).
Daredevil battles a new deranged serial killer named Muse (Hunter Doohan), who uses his victim’s blood to turn into paintings. Fisk is back to his corrupt ways and sets up an antivigilante taskforce catching the attention of the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) an anti-hero who wages war on crime, due to them using his symbol and their idolization of him forcing Daredevil and the Punisher to reunite and team up against Fisk and his newly assembled antivigilante task force and attempt to end the corruption in New York City.
The portrayals of these characters make it feel like they never left with flawless performances across the board. The synergy these characters have interacting with one another is just amazing. It feels like you truly are experiencing Daredevil, The Punisher and Kingpin from the comics in front of your own eyes.
Standout performances of this first season streaming on Hulu and Disney+ are Cox’s Daredevil and D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, as well as Bernthal’s Punisher. They bring the characters from the comics to life once again.
Grade: B
Season 2 brings back everyone from the previous season except for Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. Vincent D’Onofrio returns as Wilson Fisk also known as the Kingpin, delivering a performance that’s terrifying yet human. He’s still mayor and his position of power being the biggest crime boss in New York and Mayor is felt throughout the season.
Wilson Bethel reprises his role as Bullseye, and his portrayal is just chilling and fantastic easily the best in this season. Unlike Fisk’s calculated control, Bullseye is chaotic and precise, deadly, and unstable. He has the abilities to turn anything into a lethal weapon with his pinpoint perfect accuracy. His dynamic with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil pushes Matt to his limits, both physically and mentally.
Season 2 leans darker while also teaching us the lesson of forgiveness. Although Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is absent due to his appearance and adventure in the upcoming summer blockbuster “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (2026) his presence is still felt due to the task force still being active, and now Daredevil and Bullseye must team up as they’re being hunted by Fisk’s taskforce meanwhile Bullseye seeks redemption and repentance for his actions as a deranged villain.
With Wilson Fisk still running the show as mayor of New York they must team up to stop him with familiar faces returning from other marvel projects like Jessica Jones played by Krysten Ritter and new antagonists like Matthew Lillards character Mr. Charles, a corrupt CIA agent who works with the Kingpin in illegal dealings.
This second season surpasses the first as it is darker and more well put together than the last. Wilson Bethels Bullseye steals the show here cementing himself as a top (MCU) villain and character overall with his sadistic insane portrayal of the character brining the comic book character right out of the pages. Of course, Charlie Cox performance as Daredevil and D’Onofrio’s kingpin is spectacular as always.
This show is a must watch for fans of Marvel and it shows that streel level stories work and can be on par if not better than blockbuster team up films with the right crew and story regardless of being now 100% set in the most popular cinematic universe it can hang with Marvel’s biggest projects.
Grade: A
