I don’t know about you, but recently, my Tuesdays have been filled with anticipation as I wait to consume a new episode of my current favorite show, DareDevil: Born Again.
A reprise of the original show Daredevil, the series is set six years after its original conclusion in 2018. It follows our beloved lawyer by day and vigilante by night—Matt Murdock, played by none other than Charlie Cox. The show additionally brings back some of the main cast including Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Eldon Henson as Foggy Nelson, and Vincent D’Onofrio as kingpin Wilson Fisk. The new season consists of 9 episodes, dropped weekly, with the anticipated season finale to air on Disney plus, April 15th. Â
Daredevil has been one of my favorite shows since I discovered its existence. Seriously, one of Marvel’s hidden gems. The show is packed with action, heartfelt moments, and semi-morally grey main characters. It doesn’t shy away from the complexity that is acts of vigilantism vs. ones of justice, the brutal reality of combat/highly detailed fight scenes, and depictions of violence revolving around the show’s main location, Hell’s Kitchen in New York. Additionally, the actor’s performances are also phenomenal, really bringing the characters to life and making their struggles raw, real, and impactful.
With that being said, you can understand how ecstatic I was to learn that one of my favorite shows was being continued and brought to life once more. Not only would I step into the Daredevil universe again, but I would be able to do so by watching the original cast perform and reprise their roles. A detail which is not always observed when it comes to reboots.
A lot of people criticize reboots as being unable to live up to the original, lacking in depth, detail, and sometimes even damaging the original shows image. In the case of Disney reboots, some people have dubbed this phenomenon “disneyfication,” where a show or movie is modified to fit a more “PG” audience. In this particular case, less intense and graphic content.
While I’m not one to deny the existence of this phenomenon, I feel like it’s hard to judge a show that’s still airing episodes. Personally, I can’t help but love the content merely because of the show’s existence. That’s not to say that I think this new reboot is bad, because I actually believe quite the opposite—I think it’s really good.
So far, I’m loving the show’s ability to build off of the original series, its expansion into the characters’ personalities and their responses to emotional and complex situations, and the mini breadcrumbs they throw at us teasing other characters in the MCU universe. I won’t spoil it, but even within the original Daredevil series, there were many references to other prominent characters, including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, and other “superheroes.”
Overall, while I get people’s hesitation to blindly enjoy and support reboots of their favorite shows, I think it’s important to enjoy them while they happen. There have been many instances where shows that I loved got canceled, discontinued (*cough cough* Moon Knight), or never even mentioned again in their respective universes.
We have to cherish the new content, edits being made, and the continuation of our favorite characters’ storylines. Especially when the show seems to be scoring well amongst Marvel watchers, or Daredevil fans like myself. For me, Tuesdays are the highlight of my week, and I’m always available for some late-night streaming.