Our kind of March madness is all about the maddening anticipation for Daredevil: Born Again season 2 — and all of the madness that’ll surely happen in the show. Getting to see Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil is more than enough reason to be excited for the Marvel series to return. But that’s just the start.
From a new suit to seeing beloved characters again, the second season of Daredevil: Born Again offers plenty to look forward to.
The Return of Jessica Jones
One of the best parts of The Defenders was the dynamic between Matt Murdock and Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones. Whether Matt was being Jessica’s lawyer or Daredevil was fighting alongside Jessica, they would exchange sarcastic remarks and banter that highlighted their natural chemistry. But they worked well together regardless of the bickering.
It’ll be interesting to see how exactly Jessica is brought into the narrative. Presumably, Matt wants her help stopping Wilson Fisk and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. But how will it play out? The last time the two interacted was before Matt’s presumed death at the end of The Defenders. So does Matt reach out? Have the two kept in touch? Is Alias Investigations still up and running?
Karen Page Actually Being Part of the Story
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 won’t be the first time we see Karen since the end of the original Daredevil series that debuted on Netflix, but it might as well be. Karen’s appearances in season 1 of the Disney+ show felt more like cameos, because she wasn’t integrated into the story well.
Karen’s role felt more like that of a special guest star instead of the regular part she plays in Matt’s life. But she’s back in season 2 and looks to be a primary part of the show now. Trailers and other looks have shown her in the heart of the story, working alongside Matt. Her character will seemingly get to be used to her full potential just as she deserves to be.
Daredevil’s New Suit in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
Matt’s new Daredevil suit is far from a secret, and neither is the excitement for his new look. Superheroes getting a new suit is always fun, and the black suit with the classic double-D logo reminiscent of the Shadowland comics look is an awesome way to embrace the history behind the character and story.
From the black ninja suit to the all-red suit to the red-and-yellow suit, Daredevil looks have been a key storytelling element for the character. The attire he wears is telling of how Matt is doing and what his relationship with his Daredevil persona is like. Matt getting that first Daredevil suit was also important to the narrative. His suit was made by Melvin Potter, the same man who created and provided Wilson Fisk with protective gear. In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, however, Matt gets a suit from Luke Jacobson.
So while the black suit with the double-Ds brings about fanfare, it raises a lot of questions. How does the logo come to be in the show? Who makes the suit — is Melvin back in Matt’s life? Does the anti-vigilante sentiment prompt Matt to adopt the all-black look?
Ben Poindexter is Back in Action as Bullseye
Wilson Bethel’s Ben “Dex” Poindexter is one of the reasons why Daredevil season 3 was so good. Learning about his backstory and seeing him be an antagonist to Matt was compelling. But he didn’t feel like a proper Bullseye back then. Dex was a Daredevil imposter in Daredevil season 3 and never donned his own look.
In Daredevil: Born Again, Dex gets his own suit. It helps make it feel like the first time he’s truly Bullseye. To the dismay of some fans, it doesn’t have Bullseye’s own logo (fittingly, a bullseye), unlike Matt’s new suit. Nevertheless, it’ll be exciting to see how he continues to evolve.
Dex in action is thrilling but scary, impressive but frightening. He already tried to kill Kingpin and Vanessa, but how will Bullseye’s violence escalate moving forward? What will he be up to in the midst of Mayor Fisk’s New York City and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force occupation?
Seeing Other Familiar Faces in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
Fans of the Daredevil series that originally debuted on Netflix will remember that Nelson and Murdock regularly worked with the New York City Police Department. Or rather, they worked a lot with one police officer in particular: Brett Mahoney. When Daredevil: Born Again debuted, Mahoney was noticeably absent, but the police presence in the lawyers’ lives wasn’t.
In the premiere episode, Foggy’s death happens during the retirement party for the NYPD’s Detective Cherry. He goes on to be Matt’s private investigator, but fans never warmed up to the character. They just wanted Mahoney back, and now he will be in Daredevil: Born Again season 2. In one trailer, Mahoney is seen alongside Cherry and another NYPD detective, Angie Kim.
In that same trailer, many people believe it also features another character from the beloved original show: James Wesley, Fisk’s right-hand man who was killed by Karen. Coming back from the dead is far from a foreign concept in comic book media and in Daredevil especially (Elektra, anyone?). But even fans aren’t expecting Wesley to somehow be alive. Rather, it’s likely that the scene that seemingly features Wesley will be a flashback. It’d be smart, too, as it would help better connect Daredevil: Born Again to its predecessor.
Learning About Matthew Lillard’s Character
Having live-action adaptations of pre-existing comic book characters and storylines is great, but some originality is necessary. Marvel has proven that original characters can not only be well-written but also become fan favorites. Phil Coulson, for example, became such a beloved original character that he was brought back to life to lead Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a show that ultimately paved the way for Marvel’s Disney+ shows. Coulson was even introduced in the comic books.
That’s not to say Mr. Charles, the original character Matthew Lillard plays, will go on to have the same legacy. But the unknowns behind the character are part of what makes him all the more intriguing. People can’t just pick up a comic book and see how the source material could influence the live-action version of the character.
“He is somebody who bends the ear of very powerful people around the world,” Lillard said of Mr. Charles in an Entertainment Weekly article. “So he’s not really interested in Gotham politics. He’s interested in world politics.
“So when he is dealing and trifling with someone like Kingpin, he’s not that impressed. That’s all I can say, you know? There’s this Cheshire Cat sort of energy about him.”
One Creative Team, One Direction
To put it simply, a lot of the aforementioned reasons to be excited for Daredevil: Born Again season 2 have to do with the show’s creative overhaul. Season 1 is an amalgamation of pre- and post-overhaul content, and that disjointed nature is obvious at times. That’s why Karen isn’t as involved in the show initially, because she wasn’t even supposed to be in it.
Season 2, however, is all under the vision of showrunner Dario Scardapane, who replaced head writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord after the SAG-AFTRA and WAG labor strikes in 2023. The redirection paved the way for Daredevil and other Defenders Saga shows to be deemed MCU canon. It embraced what made fans love the original Daredevil show in the first place. That said, season 2 should feel like a more cohesive story instead of a puzzle whose pieces sometimes have to be forced to fit together.
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 premieres on Disney+ on March 24.
