Daredevil: Born Againreintroduces Matt Murdock to theMarvel Cinematic Universe, marking a new era for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen that will be heavily influenced by recent MCU series. Coming out in Phase 5,Born Againis revisiting one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise and bringing Charlie Cox back as the title character. Taking place several years afterthe end ofDaredevilseason 3, the new Disney+ drama has had quite a journey to get from development to screen.
AfterDaredevil: Born Again’screative overhaul, the mission was to connect the show to Netflix’s original series, bringing back characters like Foggy, Nelson, Frank Castle, and Karen Page, while still pushing the character into a new space. He will still face off against classic villain Wilson Fisk, who is running for mayor of NYC this time, but Matt will face new threats, too.
What’s the best season of Netflix’s Daredevil?
Though I think all three seasons of the original Daredevil series are excellent, the best has to be the first. The mutual build-up with Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk is executed perfectly, providing one of the most personal conflicts in superhero television. The only thing I’d say is missing is the suit!
While there are several familiar faces in front of the camera, the same applies to those behind the camera.Daredevil: Born Againrecruited several Marvel alumni. As they make their way back to the MCU,ScreenRant’sLiam Crowley spoke with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead about taking onDaredevil: Born Againas their latest Marvel Studios production.
“It was so cool to get to do a crime drama at this scope.”
ScreenRantopened up the conversation by looking at the duo’s incredible run in the MCU, fromdebuting Moon Knightin his own series to finishing Tom Hiddleston’s journey inLokiseason 2. When asked how the directors stay creatively fresh in their process, Benson and Moorhead discussed their MCU evolution.
“[We]didn’t know we wanted to do Moon Knight until it became a possibility. And at that time, the thing that was keeping us fresh, creatively, is we’re working on this project about this esoterical cult society called the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who just happened to use a lot of Egyptian iconography [and] magic that, no doubt, the original comic books were probably inspired by, to some extent, [with] some of those runes.”
Benson went on to say,“It was so weird to have that come our way. Those visual elements were something that we really wanted to explore.“Moorhead also spoke highly ofMoon Knight’sdirector, Mohammed Diab, who they got to know during the process. “[We]learned a lot from him because we became directors of Loki season 2. With that one, we actually stole a little bit of an idea from Loki season 2 and applied it to Daredevil. [The] one thing we talked about with Tom was that Loki knows his fate, the God of Time.”
“We have a character with [a] crisis of faith and somebody who’s a famously Catholic superhero and somebody who believes he’s no longer worthy of God’s grace because of the shocking event that I won’t spoil in episode one.
Moorhead stressed that"technically, some piece of him knows where he’s going to end up at the very end of the season. That’s why he has such a tragic performance, and we took this idea of what if you know what’s going to happen?”
There were a number of lessons that Moorhead and Benson took with them toDaredevil: Born AgainfromMoon Knight, with Moorhead explaining how they"applied it, weirdly, to the camera work in Daredevil.He continues,“We have a character with [a] crisis of faith and somebody who’s a famously Catholic superhero and somebody who believes he’s no longer worthy of God’s grace because of the shocking event that I won’t spoil in episode one. [laughs]”
Moorhead even says that this influenced how they filmed some action scenes:“That idea applied to our one-take-fight scene and beyond - what if the camera already knows what’s going to happen? That’s why it’s just moving at its own weird little pace. It’s a bit dispassionate, a bit removed, a bit like an angel or a demon. We always pull one thing into the next, into the next.”
How Much “MCU Homework” Do You Have To Do Before Daredevil: Born Again?
Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again continues Matt Murdock’s story, pulling from Netflix’s Daredevil and more MCU projects necessary to understand it.
Moorhead and Benson made sure to find levity while filming, even ifBorn Againcan be quite dark, as is common for stories about Daredevil. Moorhead says,“All of our sets, no matter if it’s as fantastical as something like Loki [or] something just gritty and complex and upsetting as Daredevil, [they] are always full of joy.”
He continues,“Coming from a place of humanity and joy is a very human instinct, so it’s fun to work on them. We enjoy working on them, and we always find a throughline that’s interesting. It’s not always us just in dark cowls and eyeshadow.”
Benson chimed in on the excitement about doing theDaredevil: Born AgainTV showand how it’s different than what they’ve done before in the MCU:“It was so cool to get to do a crime drama at this scope. It’s something we’d always talked about, but our first crime drama would’ve been some $200,000 feature that we’d be very proud of.”
“They Want To Make Sure That We Keep That Feeling Alive”
Season 1 has aspects that were inherited from the original versions ofBorn Againduring development, but with the newDaredevilpotentially airing for multiple seasons, it’s unclear how those elements will impact future episdoes.“Honestly, TBD,“Benson laughs,“I wish we knew. We’re definitely directing episodes.”
Moorhead went on to add,“One thing with season one [that] they liked, essentially, [was] a lot of the visual style, and they want to ensure we keep that feeling alive.“How it connects to the lineage of the Netflix series is also important, with Moorhead continuing,"[We] were just borrowing that feeling from the Netflix show, but also always evolving a few steps forward.”
Is Moon Knight Season 2 Possible At Marvel Studios?
“I would love to work with Oscar and Ethan again.”
After working onDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 and with season 2 coming up, we also wanted to check with the directors about the potential forMoon Knightseason 2. Oscar Isaac revealed that there had been some discussions about potentially continuing the series and the duo made it crystal clear that they would love the chance to continue on that side of the MCU.
Moorhead said,“I would love to work with Oscar and Ethan again,“before struggling to remember if Arthur Harrow died at the end ofMoon Knightseason 1. Despite his passing, he said enthusiastically,“Either way, let’s bring him back!”
When reminded that there is also a third personality out there that would beed to be developed, Moorhead revealed he is eager to tackle that.“I want Khonshu back,“he says.“I saw a great video of someone dressed as Khonshu at a rave the other day, and it made me very excited.”
Daredevil: Born Againpremieres with the first two episodes on Tuesday, March 4, followed by weekly releases only on Disney+.
Daredevil: Born Again
Cast
Daredevil: Born Again follows blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who uses his heightened abilities to pursue justice in New York. As he manages a bustling law firm, former mob boss Wilson Fisk navigates political ambitions, leading both men toward a confrontation as their pasts resurface.
