NOW ENTERTAINMENT March002 -- 00, 8, 2025 Month 2023
Your Weekly TV Entertainment Brought To You By Olean Times Herald & The Bradford Era
Matthew Murdoch, a.k.a. Daredevil (Charlie Cox, “The Theory of Everything,” 2014), returns to vigilantism in “Daredevil: Born Again,” premiering Tuesday, March 4, on Disney+. Charlie Cox stars in “Daredevil: Born Again”
Cover Story ‘Born Again’ vigilantism: Daredevil returns to political change on Disney+ By Dana Simpson The world needs heroes. Whether that means saving kittens from a burning building or working a double shift to put food on the table for your family, heroism looks different to everyone. But when it comes to superheroes — a genre beloved by people of all ages the world over — few do double duty better than Daredevil. First introduced to the Marvel Universe by Stan Lee in April 1964, the blind, redclad vigilante has been fighting crime day and night in books, in film and on television ever since. Now, six and a half years after the Netflix series “Daredevil” ended, the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe launches a brand-new installment. “Daredevil: Born Again” premieres Tuesday, March 4, on Disney+.
Reappearing at a time when many need him the most, Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox, “The Theory of Everything,” 2014), is back in action after “a line was crossed,” leaving him little choice but to take a necessary hiatus from vigilante crime fighting. While those familiar with Netflix’s “Daredevil” may remember the incident alluded to in the “Born Again” trailer, let’s just say — for the sake of providing some context while avoiding gratuitous spoilers — that the masked man of the people may have let his impulse get the better of him, leading to unnecessary brutality and, quite possibly, the death of an innocent or two. One thing that is clear from the “Born Again” trailer regardless of the viewer’s level of context, however, is that Murdock is inextricably
linked to Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Full Metal Jacket,” 1987), who is now the mayor of New York City, for better or for worse. While he insists he is “serving his city,” Fisk is known for strong-arming his way into deals, pressuring his opponents into submission and eliminating his problems through less-than-legal means. Now that Kingpin is more powerful than ever, Murdock is likely to have plenty of work on his plate — either at his day job as a criminal attorney or as his highly tuned, nocturnal counterpart. Either way, “Daredevil: Born Again” is slated to feature oodles of violence and rumored to bring about a few highly anticipated “fixes” to the 2015-18 Netflix series. “The earlier show, at its best, was fantastic,” showrunner Dario Scardapane
(“The Punisher”) told SFX Magazine. “At its worst, it was two characters in a room talking about what a hero is.” As for how “Born Again” compares to Netflix’s series on a stylistic level, Scardapane says the new series is “more New York crime story” than “noir.” “It has elements of ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘King Of New York’ [1990]. ... They were very dark, cinematically, not necessarily story-wise, although there were some dark elements.” He then added, “We’re much darker.” “Daredevil: Born Again” co-stars Wilson Bethel (“Hart of Dixie”), Jon Bernthal (“The Bear”), Elden Henson (“Idle Hands,” 1999), Deborah Ann Woll (“True Blood”) and Genneya Walton (“Candy Cane Lane,” 2023). Catch the premiere Tuesday, March 4, on Disney+.