Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Review

Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again is Marvel’s first television masterpiece and a worthy continuation of the hit Netflix series.

In a sense, Daredevil: Born Again’s second season is a potent mirror to the America of today, where New York Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio, of Caught Stealing) enacts the Safer Streets Act and allows the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) to imprison anyone they accuse of being a vigilante. The ICE parallels write themselves. Lawless arrests, assassination attempts, protests that turn into bloody riots (by way of the AVTF fomenting violence), show trials, and corrupt police officers bending the rules to perpetuate total control over a population and prevent them from “rebelling.” Man, what does this remind me of? I can’t quite put it together… 

On a more serious note, Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane holds nothing back in presenting how easy it is for a society to fall under totalitarianism and distills it into the grand tradition of comic-book archetypal storytelling. In this case, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a flawed hero with benevolent intentions, must assemble a team of courageous individuals to defeat the great evil whose plans are to corrupt a society’s very nature, under the guise of “making New York safe again.”

It’s a big ask for audiences who might have been mixed on how topical the first season of Daredevil: Born Again felt, because season two dials its political messaging even further. That said, comic books have always been political and have never been afraid to reflect the society in which contemporary audiences live. It’s thus no surprise that season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again begins with propaganda videos of a city that has been “Born Again” through the leadership of Wilson Fisk. Idealized images shot by BB Urich (Genneya Walton, of Candy Cane Lane) of a New York in total harmony with its citizens and the law are immediately flipped on their head, as the city develops an urge to “resist” and “rebel.”

Leading this resistance are Murdock and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, of The Man in the White Van), who are still fighting the good fight against Fisk’s reign of terror, despite every civil servant serving his needs – and his needs only. The judges are on his payroll. Psychiatric evaluations are conducted by Dr. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva, of Task), who, in the last season, was appointed as a direct liaison to Fisk’s administration. Citizens who dare speak out are arrested and never seen again. Heroes operate in the shadows. Everyone is afraid to step out and even say something, especially with a nightly curfew and Marvel’s version of ICE patrolling the streets of New York. This climate is unsustainable. Who will stand up and fight?

This question is at the heart of Daredevil: Born Again’s second season and is thrillingly explored across eight morally and politically cogent episodes, where Matt and Fisk face mental and physical challenges they’ve never faced before, at least not with such brutality. Scardapane takes this classic good-versus-evil story in consistently unexpected directions after acclimating its audience to a relatively safe structure in the first couple of episodes. The political context, however, was reaching a boiling point. Opposition begins to grow within the powers-that-be outside the mayor’s office, including Governor Marge McCaffrey (Lili Taylor, of Fear Street: Prom Queen), who plans to be a thorn in his despotic agenda.

Keeping details to a minimum, things take a sharp, dark turn at the season’s halfway point, leading both characters into extremely vulnerable territory. The Netflix series has always portrayed both Matt and Fisk as flawed humans first, and heroes and villains second, which Scardapane specifically takes to heart as he fleshes out these characters at their most broken and helpless.

In that regard, Vincent D’Onofrio might give the best portrayal of the Kingpin he’s ever given, still discovering new layers to the character even eleven years removed from the original Netflix season. There’s an aching melancholy to his very being that gets exposed as his empire crumbles and Daredevil’s resistance against his fascist forces takes an upper hand. One might even perceive the character differently by the season’s end, which was the most surprising part of season 2 for me.

One of the most underrated aspects of his portrayal is how funny he is, and there are scenes in which D’Onofrio balances out (perfectly, mind you) the mordant side of his Fisk with his darker, unhinged nature. This nature is, of course, always put in contrast with the morally torturous figure of Daredevil, whose “no kill” code is once again pushed to his limits when Fisk becomes an even bigger monster than he already was. Scardapane leans much further into the Netflix series than the previous season of Born Again, but it still doesn’t stop him from tying it to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton, of The Last of Us) plays a significant role in this season, and a shadowy operative, Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard, of Scream), has deep connections to an important MCU character. 

However, Scardapane makes it clear that the Netflix iteration has precedence and draws on the characters’ pasts for season 2, such as the complicated rivalry between Daredevil and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel, always excellent) and the textured relationship Matt has with Karen.

Cox remains in top form as the show’s protagonist and, just like D’Onofrio, finds new territories to add even more layers of anguish to his character, especially when he visits a church for the first time in a long time. The catholic guilt is in full force, but one will not expect the sharp turn his performance takes in its final episodes, which sees the actor at his most theatrical and extravagant. Yet, he never forgets the idea that Matt’s fight against Fisk is far more internal than external. Saying more would reveal spoilers, but know this: Cox continues to impress, and his portrayal of Daredevil is the best comic-book casting ever. These are strong words, but I can’t imagine anyone else playing him, especially not after this season.

When Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) returns to Hell’s Kitchen, the connections to the Netflix universe take on an even larger significance, and Ritter’s presence is more than welcome. When Matt and Jessica spring into action for the first time, it’s even more exciting than their Netflix counterparts, because the budget is significantly larger than that of the prior series. It allows for even more sophisticated filmmaking and action direction. With Philip Silvera spearheading the show’s bracingly exhilarating action scenes and cinematographers Hillary Fyfe Spera and Jeffrey Waldron continually playing with form, especially regarding the protagonist’s sensory abilities, it’s a match made in heaven. 

Going anamorphic might have been a risky bet for Daredevil: Born Again, given the Netflix series’ distinct look and feel. However, Spera and Waldron’s striking use of vivid colors, timed aspect ratio shifts, and intricate shot compositions gives the series its own distinct visual flavor. Some otherworldly sequences boldly recall German expressionism, while other images possess a tangible spiritual dimension, whether in dimly lit (blood-red) chapels or in the use of specific hues to imbue ethereal frames with intense meaning. Even something as simple as a Dutch tilt has tangible, dramatic tension and weight. It’s the most aesthetically compelling series Marvel has ever crafted on Disney+, and might as well be the best thing they’ve released in the MCU for the streaming service. 

Again, strong words, but I would, without hesitation, put season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again on the same pedestal as the third season of its Netflix counterpart. There’s a specific movement halfway through the show that drastically shifts the season’s mood and challenges each preconception about the characters. It helps keep the series fresh and exciting, even when the topic at hand is terrifyingly realistic. There may never be an MCU title that engages with this meaningfully in its political backdrop than Daredevil: Born Again, which is especially important after Captain America: Brave New World copped out of what they were presenting on screen. Unlike this aforementioned film, Scardapane has something to say and hopes you’ll listen to his urgent warning, because hope is always possible, even when it doesn’t seem like it…

Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again will be available to stream globally on Disney Plus from March 24, 2026. New episodes will be released weekly, with the finale airing on May 12, 2026.