Daredevil: Born Again: Premiere Date, Trailer, Cast and More

In the annals of Marvel Comics, the Daredevil story "Born Again" stands as a pivotal moment for the character. Penned by Frank Miller, with art by David Mazzucchelli and colors by Christie “Max” Scheele, it depicts Matt Murdoch's life unraveling after Wilson Fisk discovers his identity. This destruction ultimately fuels Matt's journey to new heights, solidifying the story's legendary status.

It's fitting, then, that Marvel Studios, now overseeing Daredevil, has adopted the title for their Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. But will the show mirror its source material, or will it primarily serve as an acknowledgment of the character's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, akin to Spider-Man: Homecoming? Let's examine what we know so far and assess whether Born Again will forge its own path or once again plunge the on-screen Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) into turmoil.

Back From The Ashes

One way Born Again will distinguish itself is through its utilization of the source material. Vincent D'Onofrio, upon his return as Fisk in Hawkeye, stated that he considers the events of the Netflix series canon until explicitly told otherwise, a sentiment many fans share.

The abrupt cancellation of Daredevil and its fellow Netflix series— Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher— felt like a "Blipping" moment. As it happens, a key plot point in Born Again is Fisk's shift towards city politics by running for mayor. While it remains unclear whether the Kingpin was "Blipped" or incarcerated after Daredevil's third season—the Echo miniseries suggests the latter—D'Onofrio portrayed his return in Hawkeye as if he had been absent for about five years. This "Blipping" of Fisk from the Netflix side of the MCU adds an interesting layer to his return to a slightly different MCU.

We also ponder if Matt will need his own rebirth after his own potential period of becoming dust. His appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law makes it unclear if he disappeared. Echo suggests that Matt did not "Blip," and his maturity in those appearances indicates that he lived through the five years Fisk was absent. In the trailer for Born Again, Matt tells the Kingpin that he gave up being a vigilante because "a line was crossed." This could be related to his time with Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) or, potentially, a larger MCU event.

Thankfully, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) are returning for Born Again, promising a feel reminiscent of the original Daredevil series. The show will depict them managing Nelson, Murdock, and Page. It remains to be seen how much MCU lore will be relevant, especially as Fisk's mayoral bid will force a truce between him and his old rivals or at least Matt.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had originally envisioned a more episodic structure, deviating from the serialized nature of shows like WandaVision. The plan was to emulate shows like Columbo, with each episode featuring a self-contained narrative. However, after a major behind-the-scenes overhaul, much of the completed footage was scrapped in favor of a tone and structure more aligned with the Netflix series. The program will now be more serialized than originally planned.

It is safe to assume that Born Again will not be as light as Matt's time in She-Hulk. His world is inherently darker, and the trailer suggests the show will be grittier than most other Disney+ offerings.

The Daredevil Of Gotham

Early rumors suggested Matt might relocate, but it has since been confirmed that he will remain in New York City.

The New York City in Born Again will be different from what we saw in Daredevil's third season. The city, still reeling from the Battle of New York, faced long recovery period. Fisk exploited this period to seize control of real estate and criminal organizations. Later, in The Defenders, a major rebuilding effort was destroyed. Yet, the mainstream MCU’s New York rebounded faster, with the devastation being a footnote in Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Any rebuilding in those projects was attributed to the Battle of Earth and the aftermath of the Blip.

Nevertheless, the political situation in the city provides Fisk with a chance to start a new life as a potential savior. But will the citizens really vote him into office?

Characters On The Docket

Cox and D'Onofrio return, reprising their roles from their appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, and Echo. At the 2022 D23 Expo, Cox expressed his emotional connection to returning to the character. In 2024 D23 event he was joined by D'Onofrio, Woll, Henson, and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle (The Punisher).

We still wonder if Frank was "Blipped", as that would intensify his anger and reset his status quo from The Punisher's second season. Additionally, the series will depict New York police officers wearing his skull logo.

The "Blip" status of Foggy and Karen is uncertain; they were not initially part of Born Again. However, they are now back, as set photos and their D23 appearance confirmed.

Also, Wilson Bethel will reprise his role as Benjamin Poindexter (aka Dex), and Mohan Kapur will appear as Yusuf Khan.

Ayelet Zurer returns as Vanessa, Fisk's wife, after being briefly replaced by Sandrine Holt. Will Vanessa be willing to give Fisk another chance after his latest actions and time away?

Other actors set to appear in the series include Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blade, Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie, Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera, Genneya Walton as BB Urich, Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman, Clark Johnson as Cherry, Jeremy Earl as Officer Cole North, and Margarita Levieva as Matt's new love interest, Heather Glenn. The late Kamar de los Reyes will portray Hector Ayala (White Tiger). Additionally, a character known as Muse was seemingly glimpsed in the trailer.

Behind the Mask

Matt Corman and Chris Ord were initially the executive producers and head writers, with Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Chris Gary also serving as EPs. However, Marvel later brought in Arrowverse veterans Grainne Godfree and Jill Blankenship to emphasize the episodic nature of the show. The initial writing team included Aisha Porter-Christie, David Feige, Devon Kliger, Thomas Wong, and Zachary Reiter. Michael Cuesta directed the first episode.

Production was paused during the 2023 Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes. During that time, Marvel reevaluated the existing footage and the overall series direction. Upon conclusion of the strikes, the company let go of Corman, Ord, the writing team, and the directors.

In their place, The Punisher veteran Dario Scardapane became showrunner, while Moon Knight veterans Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead became lead directors. Scardapane refocused the series to align more closely with the tone of the Netflix Daredevil. The original directors Jeffrey Nachmanoff and David Boyd are still credited for their prior work. Corman and Ord will share "created by" credit with Scardapane. Brad Winderbaum and Sana Amanat join the team as EPs.

Additional crew members include Rudd Simmons (producer), Heather Bellson and Jesse Wigutow (additional writers), Michael Shaw (production designer), Emily Gunshor (costume designer), Philip Silvera (stunt coordinator and second unit director), The Newton Brothers (music), and Hillary Fyfe Spera and Pedro Gómez Millán (directors of photography).

When Is Daredevil Born Again?

Daredevil: Born Again will debut on Disney+ on March 4. The initial release will be two episodes, followed by single episodes over seven weeks. A second season is already in development.