Daredevil: Born Again - Release date speculation, cast and news
Daredevil is back – and it's dark and gritty as ever!
It's been a long road back for Charlie Cox's Daredevil, but the character's rebooted solo series is finally taking shape.
Disney shared a trailer for Daredevil: Born Again with attendees of its fan expo D23, and it received a warm reaction indeed, convincing many that the dark tone of the original Netflix series will be retained.
It comes after fears that Marvel would significantly lighten the character (in accordance with his She-Hulk: Attorney at Law appearance) or throw out much of the continuity established by the earlier series.
Indeed, it seems that was the initial plan, but a creative overhaul course corrected to a pitch "much closer" in style to the previous iteration, bringing back stars Jon Bernthal, Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson to boot.
Read on for everything we know so far about Daredevil: Born Again on Disney Plus.
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Daredevil: Born Again release date window confirmed
Daredevil: Born Again will premiere at some point in March 2025, but a specific release date has yet to be confirmed.
The series was initially targeting a spring 2024 release, but was thrown severely off course when it underwent a creative overhaul midway through production, and then took a further hiatus for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Addressing the behind-the-scenes turmoil, Cox told TVLine that the characters in Born Again are now "much closer" to the versions from the Netflix series.
Vincent D’Onofrio added: "It’s hard to comment because I want to say so much about... the change that happened, but in the end, the last few months of work that we did was quite intense and written beautifully and directed beautifully, so we can only hope for the best.
"Personally, I think it’s as intense as we’ve ever been."
In April 2024, filming wrapped on the first season of Daredevil: Born Again, which will consist of nine episodes (rather than the initially reported 18) and be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Five.
At D23, producer Kevin Feige confirmed that a second season would commence production soon, which will likely bring the show back up to the originally stated number of episodes.
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Daredevil: Born Again cast
Good news! After some early worries, it has now been confirmed that several major cast members from Netflix's Daredevil series will be back for follow-up Born Again.
Those include the following:
- Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin/Wilson Fisk
- Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
- Jon Bernthal as the Punisher/Frank Castle
- Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye
- Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk
- Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan
- Nikki James as TBC
- Margarita Levieva as TBC
- Michael Gandolfini as TBC
- Arty Froushan as TBC
- Lou Taylor Pucci as TBC
It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 that Charlie Cox would return as the lead character after his turns in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Most recently, Cox and D'Onofrio were both featured in recent Marvel Spotlight series Echo on Disney Plus.
Later, it was confirmed that Jon Bernthal would be returning as the Punisher. He last played the role in the character's gritty, self-titled Netflix series, which ran from 2017 to 2019.
The original showrunners did not intend to feature Daredevil stars Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll as Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, but those plans were significantly reworked and now both are reprising their roles.
Cox said that working with Henson and Woll again was "pretty emotional", adding that "they are such a heartbeat of this show, and they always have been, and so to have them involved meant the world to us, and I think elevates the show tremendously".
Another return made possible by the overhaul is Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk. It was reported that Sandrine Holt would be taking over this role, but Zurer was later confirmed to be coming back instead.
D’Onofrio called Zurer "extremely talented" and teased that we will meet Wilson and Vanessa at "an interesting time".
In an unexpected tie-in, footage shown at D23 revealed that Daredevil: Born Again will feature Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan, father to Kamala Khan (aka Ms Marvel). It's as-yet-unclear what will bring him to the door of Murdock & Nelson.
Michael Gandolfini, Nikki James, Margarita Levieva and Lou Taylor Pucci are all playing as-yet-unconfirmed characters, while Carnival Row star Arty Froushan has also been spotted on set.
Daredevil: Born Again plot speculation
A clip shown at D23 made quite clear that the rivalry between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk will be more bitter than ever, with the lawyer-turned-vigilante warning that he'll be there the moment that the mobster steps out of line.
In a recent interview with the Official Marvel Podcast, producer Brad Winderbaum described Born Again as "incredible" and compared it to recent hit revival X-Men '97.
He explained: "It’s reviving something that the fans love, but it is taking it in a new direction. These characters have matured. The universe is different than it was. Things have changed. Society’s changed.
"Matt and Wilson have changed, and their characters are going to collide in ways we've never seen before. It’s no longer enough to try and murder each other. There’s a whole game of politics at play."
That last line seems to confirm what the Echo post-credits scene suggested: Wilson Fisk will be running to be the mayor of New York City.
How did Daredevil season 3 end on Netflix?
The third season of Daredevil that was released on Netflix ended with Wilson Fisk being brought down by the likes of Matt Murdock, Karen Page and more.
Fisk agreed to return to prison in return for Matt not exposing Fisk's beloved wife Vanessa and her involvement in the death of a federal agent.
Meanwhile, the psychopathic former federal agent Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter turned on his master Wilson Fisk, but was left paralysed in a fight with the Kingpin.
However, in the final scene, we saw Dex undergoing an experimental treatment to mend his spine - suggesting he will return for revenge on Murdock and Fisk.
Finally, Murdock reunited with former flame Karen Page and best friend and fellow lawyer Foggy Nelson, and made clear he would like to work with them again.
It remains to be seen just how much of the Daredevil series will remain canon.
When did we last see Wilson Fisk?
Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, last appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Echo on Disney Plus, with his adoptive niece Maya seeking bloody revenge for the death of her father.
Miraculously, he survived a shot to the head from Maya, with D'Onofrio ominously telling TVLine: "If you’re a fan of Kingpin and Daredevil - the old comics - you know that Kingpin never dies."
Crucially, the mid-credits scene shows Kingpin deciding to run for mayor of New York City, setting up a major storyline in Daredevil: Born Again.
Said scene shows Kingpin back on his plane, as he tells his aide: "I want a meeting with all the other heads. We need to stabilise the situation before it spirals out of control."
Looking at the TV, he notices a debate about the race for for mayor of New York City – and how there's no clear frontrunner yet – before clearly deciding he's the man for the job.
Before then, he appeared in the series Hawkeye on Disney Plus when he was revealed in the penultimate episode to be the chief antagonist of the show.
Fisk was shown to be in league with Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga), whose late husband owed him money. When Bishop tried to end their partnership, Fisk tried to kill her but was stopped by her daughter Kate (Hailee Steinfeld).
The series also introduced Fisk's surrogate niece and protégée Maya Lopez, who commands the gang known as the Tracksuit Mafia for her uncle.
Lopez wanted revenge on the assassin Ronin – the former alias of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) – for the murder of her father William Lopez (Zahn McClarnon).
Barton revealed to Lopez that he was hired by an informant in the Tracksuit Mafia to kill her father, causing her to suspect her lieutenant and best friend Kazimierz "Kazi" Kazimierczak (Fra Free).
After a confrontation that saw her kill Kazi, Lopez is armed with the knowledge that her "uncle" Fisk orchestrated her father's death.
Following his escape from the authorities after his encounter with the Bishops, Fisk came face to face with Lopez who confronted him at gunpoint before a shot rang out.
This storyline was picked up by 2024 miniseries Echo on Disney Plus, as outlined above.
When did we last see Matt Murdock?
We also last saw Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, in the Disney Plus series Echo. In a brief appearance, teased in a clip released before the show aired, Daredevil came face to face with Maya.
Before then, Daredevil was seen in She Hulk: Attorney at Law. Cox appeared alongside Tatiana Maslany in the finale episode of the series, taking on a mission with Jennifer Walters.
He told EW at the time: "I think I'm still coming to terms with it. It still feels too good to be true. I really had put this to bed emotionally; I didn't think that this was going to happen. I literally don't have the words to describe it. I feel incredibly grateful."
It came after his surprise appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Daredevil: Born Again is coming to Disney Plus in March 2025. Stream Daredevil seasons 1-3 now. Sign up to Disney+ for £4.99 a month or £79.90 a year.
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