Reel Thoughts: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ delivers profound messages but misleads its audience

Illustration by Danny O’Grady

“Daredevil: Born Again” is centered on the battle of wills between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk as each tries to save New York City in very different ways.

Danny O’Grady, Multimedia Managing Editor

April 15, 2025

The statue Lady Justice is a famous piece of imagery based on the Roman god Justitia. With many variations, the exact details of the statue depend on the individual artists’ depiction — but there are three details usually present.

The lady is blindfolded, holding in one hand a set of scales and in the other a sword.

The symbolism of Lady Justice is a recurring theme in Daredevil media and that is no different in “Daredevil: Born Again.” (Illustration by Danny O’Grady )

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), better known as the Marvel superhero Daredevil, is the personification of Lady Justice. Although not a lady, the devout Catholic is a blind defense attorney by day and a masked vigilante at night, dispensing justice in different ways. Given this unique premise, there is a complexity and depth to his character that is completely unmatched in superhero media.

While the original Netflix “Daredevil” show was canceled in 2018 after three seasons, it was rebooted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the form of the new Disney+ show “Daredevil: Born Again.” Much like the Netflix original, the reboot is not without its flaws. But, its greatest strength remains its ability to carry deep messages about justice and the law.

Most pieces of superhero media are content to deliver flashy fight scenes and over-the-top drama without much of a point at the end of the day. “Daredevil: Born Again” comes in stark contrast to this standard, as the trials and tribulations of Murdock portray ways in which the legal system is broken and whether or not it’s justified to take the law into one’s hands.

One key example of this comes from the juxtaposition between the strict criminal prosecution of the vigilante White Tiger with the election of crime kingpin Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) to mayor of New York City. The law is supposed to be impartial and objective as seen through Lady Justice. However, it sometimes fails to upkeep these values which forces Murdock to enforce the law.

The reboot goes about spreading these messages in a manner that stays true to the original. This choice can be seen from the very start of the series, as the main theme song is a riff on that of the original show’s. Additionally, the story is a direct continuation of the original and several key characters return.

However, in some ways the reboot could be classified as a bait and switch as two of the main protagonists from the original show, Foggy (Elden Henson) and Karen (Deborah Ann Woll), are written off after only one episode. It is understandable that this show wants to differentiate itself from the previous one, but it feels misleading to tout these returning characters only for them to have so little impact on the plot.

Arguably the most egregious case of this misdirection is how the return of Jon Bernthal as The Punisher was heavily marketed, as he was a fan favorite character from the original and received his own excellent Netflix show. Unfortunately, The Punisher is only in the reboot for just over five and a half minutes before the season finale, which is not enough to leave an impact on the story and feels like he was included just for marketing purposes.

This misdirection is disappointing, but, luckily, it is compensated for by just how thrilling the plot is. It packs plenty of genuinely shocking twists and turns, as Murdock and Fisk are locked in a battle of wills that will determine the fate of New York City.

Sure, there are some issues that viewers can nitpick, like how the first half of the story is stronger than the second, but those do not matter in the grand scheme of things as the show remains exhilarating throughout.

After over six years collecting dust, Daredevil is back and remains as thought-provoking and captivating as ever. Although it misleads fans in terms of the amount of screentime certain returning characters get, the show does not get bogged down in MCU bloat and rises above other superhero media. A second season has already been greenlit, so Cox will remain like the Lady Justice, upholding the law with impartiality and, if need be, violence.

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