TV Review: ‘Daredevil: Born Again Season Two’

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Review by James Lindorf

It has been a long journey for Marvel’s blind emissary of justice to reach this point. Daredevil’s first live-action appearance was in 1989’s “The Trial of the Incredible Hulk,” portrayed by Rex Smith, followed by a 14-year break before Ben Affleck took over the role. The success of that film led to a 12-year wait before Netflix blew our minds with 2015’s “Daredevil,” now starring Charlie Cox in the titular role. Saying it was a smooth ride after that would be an exaggeration. Cox is now in his 11th year playing Matt Murdock in products of varying quality, leading to starts and stops and necessary cameos to keep things alive. After the excitement of the character’s appearance in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Kevin Feige announced that “Daredevil: Born Again,” an 18-episode original series, would be coming to Disney+ in 2024. The production was famously plagued by indecision and rewrites, delaying the release until May of 2025, and instead of 18 episodes, only 9 made it to the streaming platform. However, the studio did not lose faith, and just 10 months later, the whole team is returning for a second season. If that isn’t proof enough as you read this, the filming for a third season is already underway. “Daredevil: Born Again” season two consists of 8 nearly hour-long TV-MA episodes, released weekly at 9 p.m. EST beginning Tuesday, March 24th.

All of the best (Matt, Foggy, and Bullseye) and worst (The Fisks and Heather) characters are back for another season of “Daredevil: Born Again.” This season picks up just a few months after the end of season one, with Mayor Wilson Fisk and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force crushing New York City underfoot as they hunt down the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) are on the run, and their devotion and morals will be tested in their darkest moments. If they are going to save New York and serve justice to Wilson (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), they will need all the help they can get from vigilantes and New York’s citizens. Returning members of the supporting cast include Michael Gandolfini (Daniel Blake), Nikki M. James (Kirsten McDuffie), Arty Froushan (Buck Cashman), Wilson Bethel (Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye), Genneya Walton (BB Urich), Zabryna Guevara (Sheila Rivera), Clark Johnson (Cherry), and Margarita Levieva (Heather Glenn). There will also be some new and familiar faces, including Lili Taylor (Governor McCaffrey), Matthew Lillard (Mr. Charles), and Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones).

Let’s all be honest with each other, the CGI in Season 1 was bad. The lack of time and/or funds was a disservice to the artists creating the CGI images, as well as to the stunt team and actors these images supported. Thankfully, the second time around, the quality has improved, while the quantity was greatly reduced. On the other hand, the action choreography remains excellent. This is shown not just in the martial arts fights but also in a boxing match that D’Onofrio trained for twice daily for six weeks. They really show off during a City Hall action scene that required over 300 extras and 35 stunt performers and took 4 days to film. This is all a great development because many actors are turning in great performances, and nothing should distract from them or the story.

Speaking of the story, this season is more of the same. Each episode has a plot point or two to push the story forward and a fight or two to keep our attention. Also, like last season, the pacing can drag if you aren’t deeply in love with these characters. Some of them go from one-dimensional to being 2-D, which is a noticeable improvement, but if their name isn’t Matt Murdock, don’t expect them to have much of an arc. While this could have been an excellent 3-hour movie, there are still moments and episodes to celebrate. There are two indisputable peaks in this season. The first is episode 4, which has a fantastic, prolonged opening sequence and the best cliffhanger in either season. The second standout episode is the 8th, which will send the series down one of two distinct paths. I know which one I am hoping for, and I can’t wait to discuss it with everyone when the episode premieres. Until then, you will have to enjoy the story as it unfolds while searching for some easter eggs. I will give you a clue: make sure you are paying attention to phone calls and whispers, and you may hear some familiar names mentioned.

I really enjoyed how the writing team turned current events on their head. It is a risk to so clearly call out aspects of a political group, but it can be ignored should one choose to do so. “Daredevil: Born Again” season 2 is a noticeable improvement over last year’s attempt, most likely due to the creative team’s consistency and the lack of course corrections and delays. “Daredevil: Born Again” season 2 slots in as my fifth favorite Disney+ MCU show behind “WandaVision,” “Wonder Man,” “Hawkeye,” and “Loki” Season 1, with a solid 4 out of 5 score behind the strength of Charlie Cox, D’Onofrio, and a fantastic Bullseye.

Network: Disney+
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Action, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date: March 24th, 2026
Executive Producer: Matt Corman, Chris Ord, Louis D’Esposito, Kevin Feige, Chris Gary, Brad Winderbaum