Daredevil: Born Again Reactions Have Everyone Saying The Same Thing

Marvel's Matt Murdock made his first appearance in live-action in the 1989 TV movie "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk" (you can read about it in our ranked list of non-MCU Marvel movies). Though that failed to lead to a spin-off TV series, the character got his own movie in 2003 with Ben Affleck in the lead role, a project that sorely disappointed fans who wanted Daredevil back on the screen. It wasn't until 2015 when Marvel finally got Daredevil right, with Charlie Cox playing Matt Murdock in Netflix's eponymously-titled series.

Sadly, after three seasons, Netflix and Marvel pulled the plug, with corporate politics being the real reason it was canceled. But now Matt Murdock is back in "Daredevil: Born Again" on Disney+, with Cox reprising the role. News of a reboot broke in 2022 — just months after Cox popped up for a scene-stealing cameo in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — and fans have been waiting eagerly to find out if the new show lives up to the Netflix series. Early reactions on social media are starting to pour in, so does "Daredevil: Born Again" deliver? 

"Daredevil: Born Again" will have a staggered release rather than all the episodes dropping at once, as Netflix was prone to do back when it was producing the prior series. So, in an apparent effort to avoid spoilers getting out, reviewers with early access were only handed the first pair of episodes, which will be available to stream on the same day: March 4, 2025. While early reviews don't have much to say on the season as a whole, they do paint a pretty impressive picture of the debut two-parter, with reactions all pointing to an intense — and brutal — opener.

"It kicks ass, moves quick, and takes no prisoners," said Phase Hero podcast host Brandon Davis. If Davis is to be believed, Marvel has made the wise choice not to waste time with fluff, opting instead to dive right into the story that fans have been waiting for — and with plenty of action, too. In fact, The Mary Sue assistant editor Rachel Leishman made it clear that Disney hasn't toned down the violence from the show's previous Netflix run, writing, "The fight sequences are just as violent as the original show and play with Matt's morality in such a poignant and beautiful way." 

If that doesn't convince you, other reactions have been equally effusive, with Adam Barnhardt of CBR calling the two-episode premiere "devastatingly dark." Eammon Jacobs of Business Insider agreed, describing the opener as "brutally gripping" and "a symphony of violence."

Much has been made of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's decline in quality over the last few years, both in terms of movies and television. From the widely-panned series "Secret Invasion" to the most recent feature length offering "Captain America: Brave New World," which dropped to worrying first reactions, many fans are concerned that the MCU may be collapsing. However, by all accounts, "Daredevil: Born Again" is a much-needed return to form for the franchise.

As Big Screen Leaks said in a post on X, the opening episodes "are an adrenaline rush unlike anything I've felt from the MCU in a long time." Reviewer Erik Davis concurred, telling his followers that the two-episode launch is "among the strongest starts for a Marvel Studios TV show to date," which is high praise considering the hot openings of shows like "WandaVision," "Loki," and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." Suffice to say, if it satisfies fans even half as much as it has early reviewers, Marvelites are sure to be happy.

From pre-release trailers and now early reactions, we know that "Daredevil: Born Again" doesn't hold back when it comes to violence and intensity. Thankfully, the higher-ups at Disney have made the decision to keep the show in line with the original Netflix series. But what about all the behind-the-scenes drama that saw large portions of the season reshot while supposedly rejigging the story to bring back more characters from the previous run? Well, if early reactions are to be believed, the changes successfully returned the show to its roots, providing a perfect continuation that feels both faithful and fresh.

"It's a TRUE continuation of the Netflix series," said Brandon Davis, while other reviewers like AJ Galiardi described the first episodes as accurately recapturing the "intensity and rage" of the show's early days. Eammon Jacobs raved about the way the opening episodes flow so effortlessly, writing that it's as if the Netflix version of Daredevil "never left our screens." The most common sentiment is in regard to the show's two leads, Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio. It would seem that the lengthy layoff hasn't dulled their chemistry, and they "slip into their roles again effortlessly," said Big Screen Leaks. Agents of Fandom's TJ Zwarych perhaps put it best, stating: "DAREDEVIL. IS. BACK."