Annlyel James 
Is Daredevil Born Again a hit or miss? Dive into the discussion on the film’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Is the success of Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again just a blip?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe-with its dozens of movies, a variety of television series, and several special presentations, has become the most profitable franchise in cinema history. But to say it still has the consistent quality of the Infinity Saga would be to ignore the hits and misses that have been more prevalent in the past few years. Now, for context, I am someone who thinks that the MCU was going in a far more enjoyable and creative direction in Phase 4 than the MCU’s first two phases, which consisted of a myriad of so-so films that nowadays would have far less favorability (The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3, and Ant-Man).
The remaining slate for this year has a chance of being truly special (specifically Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps). Still, this year’s entertainment has been anything but enjoyable.
BRAVE NEW WORLD
Captain America: Brave New World felt like a far less interesting attempt at recreating the Winter Soldier formula of the political thriller while offering us one of the worst MCU villains in recent memory with The Leader. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson was the undoubted standout of the movie, proving that he is the best choice for Captain America. Harrison Ford always finds a way to elevate whatever he’s in. Still, they couldn’t even save this forgettable superhero flick.
And so, everyone, including me, turned their attention to Daredevil: Born Again, the highly anticipated return of one of Marvel’s greatest heroes. After his tenure ended at Netflix nearly a decade ago, fans have been clamoring for Daredevil to return to the small screen, and the MCU responded by rewarding them with just that: a new series. The series, however, was plagued with production problems as they scrapped the pilot episode they had filmed after receiving dismal test screenings and decided to revamp the production team behind the show.
Since then, everything seemed to move smoothly, and now the show is here for all of us to enjoy. But was the wait worth it? Is it as impressive as I’d hoped it would be? Unfortunately, it has not been nearly as good as the Netflix series, and it’s been shocking.
THE DEVIL OF HELL’S KITCHEN
The first episode of Daredevil: Born Again was a whirlwind of scenarios. But, there was no buildup to it, thus lacking any emotional connection for the audience. As someone who loved the Netflix show years ago, I feel that the first fifteen minutes of Born Again felt like a punch to the gut, but not in a good way. The series begins with Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s best friend, getting shot by one of Daredevil’s arch nemeses, Bullseye. But the moment falls extremely flat because it happens right at the show’s beginning without giving audiences a chance to enjoy their friendship again.
From there on, Kingpin becomes the mayor of New York City within an episode, which feels rushed. Karen Page has now been written out of the show as a lawyer in San Francisco, which is unfortunate considering that she’s the only character besides Fisk; Matt Murdock seems to have any genuine chemistry. Speaking of chemistry, he doesn’t have any with his new psychiatrist girlfriend, played by The Acolyte’s Margarita Levieva, which is an aspect of the show that doesn’t meet the standards of the Netflix series. And the next two episodes are even more uninteresting.
GRITTY FAILURE?
Having recently watched a gritty, mature comic book series in The Penguin, this Daredevil show pales in comparison. And what’s even more frustrating is that this show doesn’t seem to have been made with a new audience in mind. As someone who’s seen the Netflix series, the show’s premiere left me confused, which left me unable to imagine how confused newcomers may be to a story that didn’t even afford them a recap of the original show.
With the fourth episode dropping this week, I’m hoping the show gets a whole lot better quickly and manages to change my mind about this series. Daredevil deserves a story that is way better executed in the MCU than the one he’s getting, and that’s a shame.
The first four episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are now streamed on Disney.
Do you share Annlyel’s concerns about Daredevil: Born Again? Sound off in the comments below.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
