Charlie Cox and the cast of Daredevil: Born Again are suiting up once more, and their excitement is palpable.
For years, fans were left wondering if Marvel Studios would ever revive Daredevil after its Netflix run ended in 2018. Apparently, the cast had their doubts too.
“No, I was a cynic,” said Deborah Ann Woll, who plays lawyer Karen Page. “I was sure it was never coming back.”
But as the tagline promises, “The devil’s work is never done,” and the Marvel revival series is now a reality. The grand scale of its return was on full display at the New York premiere, held at Disney’s massive new headquarters in SoHo.
Originally, Daredevil: Born Again was conceived as a fresh take on the character, loosely tied to the Netflix series.
However, midway through production, Marvel reworked the project, bringing in The Punisher writer and producer Dario Scardapane to steer it back toward the darker, grittier tone fans loved.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a Season 4, but I would say it’s definitely a continuation,” Scardapane explained.
“We’re pulling [these characters] seven, eight years forward. It’s as much a different universe as it is when you grow up seven years, when we all go into the future. So it’s got all the DNA, all the history of the old show, but it’s taking us on a different ride.”
That DNA, of course, includes the series’ brutal action sequences. The original Daredevil gave fans unforgettable moments—like the one-shot hallway fight and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) using a car door in the most violent way possible. Cox teased that Born Again will keep that intensity alive.
“There’s a couple of scenes that Charlie did — and one scene in particular that I did — that I didn’t think were going to make it into the show,” D’Onofrio revealed. “But it’s in the show. The audience has a lot to look forward to.”
Michael Gandolfini, who plays a morally conflicted protégé of Kingpin, admitted he initially shared fans’ concerns about whether Disney would maintain the show’s darker elements.
“Ultimately, I was concerned like a lot of the fans,” Gandolfini said. “Like, ‘Okay, it’s a new era. It’s a new studio. Are they going to go as dark?’ And I can guarantee you that they do. Thank God. They go completely dark.”
The revival isn’t just bringing back Daredevil’s signature grit; it’s also reuniting some major players from the Marvel-Netflix era, including Jon Bernthal’s Punisher and Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye.
Scardapane even hinted that more familiar faces could appear in Season 2, which begins filming soon.
But Born Again isn’t confined to Hell’s Kitchen. The show will also incorporate elements from the broader MCU, like Hawkeye’s Swordsman, played by Tony Dalton.
“It’s grittier,” Dalton said. “Hawkeye was a little more for kids. This is definitely just two guys beating the shit out of each other. I love it.”
With filming for Avengers: Doomsday set to begin alongside Born Again’s second season, some are wondering if Daredevil might trade in his street-level brawls for a cosmic battle. The cast is divided.
“The space madness gives me anxiety,” joked Woll. “I already feel like the middle schooler at the high school play. I’d like to stay contained where I can fool myself into thinking that we’re just doing this little show.”
Cox and D’Onofrio, however, are all for it.
“I want to do it all, I love it all,” Cox said. “So as long as they’ll have me, I’m there.”
