Review: Daredevil Reborn The Devil Cult
Daredevil proves again why he is the window to the world of Marvel street heroes and why the future of the MCU needs to continue there
The Hell’s Kitchen devil rises again, this time officially under the MCU and Disney umbrella.
In two words run to watch.
Daredevil proves again why he is the window to the world of Marvel street heroes and why the future of the MCU needs to continue there.
Justice is with us
Like many fans, I started to suffer from an overflow of superheroes, and after the Infinity Saga nothing managed to make me say wow.
I did not complete much of the new content and even skipped one or two films in theaters.
Did I fall every time Disney did clickbait (ahem Wandavision and She Hulk) and I ran to complete the content just to be disappointed?
Yes. So believe me I can understand why you might think this is another Disney attempt to revive the brand using old nostalgic actors and characters.
Daredevil is a breath of fresh air that will give oxygen to the future of Marvel for many years if they know how to leverage it properly.
Its current incarnation seemed like a distant fantasy to Marvel fans in 2018, when Disney announced they were launching a streaming platform and ending the successful collaboration with Netflix.
The voice of the Save Daredevil movement seemed ridiculous to some in the industry, mostly those used to fans’ screams when superheroes’ toys are taken away.
But unlike them, the series was not canceled because of low ratings or weak story, it died for political reasons only.
For more reflections, see the opinion column I wrote almost a year ago, but the bottom line I told you. Daredevil Reborn returns power to street heroes and stops with the word multiverse, at least until the Fantastic Four.
In previous Daredevil episodes
The first episode opens almost as if it is a post credit scene from season 3.
We dive straight into the plot as if seven years have not passed since we last saw Matt, Foggy, and Karen on screen.
This opening shot takes a stance this is a direct continuation of the Netflix and Disney+ series.
If you haven’t seen them? You are in trouble, and we are not apologizing for it.
One of Disney and Marvel’s problems since the end of the Infinity Saga is their anxiety about how much content someone “living under a rock” needs to catch up on to watch their new content.
This all in gamble pays off massively for Daredevil.
It allows the series to develop without wasting time on unnecessary exposition.
All the content you need is on Disney+.
And if you are still confused or thinking that by the time you catch up Spider Man: Beyond the Spider Verse will be out, here is a short summary: the last time we saw Matt Murdock he appeared in a cameo on She Hulk, but recent statements by Dario Scardafena, creator of the new series, clarified that the series will ignore this short (and unnecessary) cameo.
At the end of season 3, Matt embraces the Daredevil identity, reveals his true identity to Fisk in an epic battle, and defeats Ben Poindexter, Bullseye.
Matt, Foggy, and Karen establish Nelson Murdock & Page and justice returns to the world.
It was Fisk who enjoyed an early resurgence in Hawkeye and Echo.
There we learned that the Blip reduced his power and he tries to rebuild his empire. In Echo, he asks Maya Lopez to join his crime empire and is rejected, leading to a confrontation where she forces him to face his past trauma.
At the end of the series, we learn he plans to return to New York and run for mayor.
The Devil in the Room
Those who watched the original series will feel in the opening episodes as if they entered their teenage room and nothing changed.
The series returned the actors, high paced action scenes, and even the soundtrack, which helps the transition from Netflix to Disney+ feel smooth.
What was not inherited? The opening, considered one of the best openings of a TV series in the previous decade, and the episode release model.
On Netflix, the season dropped in one day, so a weak episode was swallowed by the sequence.
On Disney+, episodes are released weekly, requiring the series pace to stay high throughout the two months it airs.
To write this review I binge watched many episodes almost continuously.
While some kept me on the edge of the seat, some did not make me eagerly wait for the next week. Filler episodes in a nine episode season are less forgivable.
The biggest fear of most fans in this transition was violence.
How would Disney+ as a family platform, especially for children, handle the high level set by Daredevil on Netflix? If that concern makes you hesitate to watch this version of Daredevil,
you can breathe easy.
The violence in the series is brutal, powerful, and even surpasses the old version,
even if it is not in every episode.
Matt presents a more experienced Daredevil, grayer and less self righteous, still keeping the delicate line that is the basis of Matt Murdock the dual belief of Christianity in grace and punishment.
On the other hand, Wilson Fisk tries to whitewash his power and influence into a straight path, but the crime world does not let the Kingpin go easily.
The new Daredevil is more sophisticated than its predecessor in directing and editing choices. Correct use of aspect ratio makes me crave to watch episodes on the biggest screen possible and adds a layer of tension, interest, and pace.
Transition segments as vlogs with New York residents feel authentic, especially given the real world geopolitical reality.
These videos help advance the plot through the eyes of the “ordinary citizen.”
I do not remember the last time I was this excited about Easter eggs or name dropping.
Maybe in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Daredevil walks the fine line between noticeable cameos and witty references that place it in the MCU, without needing the Baxter Building or Stark Tower in the iconic New York skyline to stamp belonging like the Netflix series struggled to.
And speaking of New York, the city plays an important role here.
Daredevil’s DNA is woven into it, it is not just an iconic skyline, but a key character, with Matt and Fisk needing to protect it from others.
Fisk tries to impose order by his sense of justice while Matt fights himself using every tool he has to clean the city,
In courtroom suits and other outfits.
Some new characters fit smoothly into the existing world, like Hector Ayala who provides a connection to his personal story and is one of the central plotlines.
Another standout new star is Michael Golpini, one of Fisk’s aides. His role is flattering and interesting to see develop over the episodes.
On the other hand, some supporting characters fade into the background with uninteresting stories and lack charisma compared to the original cast.
While the Defenders universe had strong female characters like Jessica Jones and Claire Temple, here the female characters are more like flat sketches barely serving the plot.
The plot of this Daredevil season is a pressure cooker ready to explode, and in each episode the risk rises and surfaces.
Does it explode too late? As a fan of the series from the first season, I was ready to wait for the inevitable explosion knowing the characters and potential we saw before.
Was I disappointed by screen time some characters received? Yes.
Mainly because we are not in the Netflix microcosm of the Defenders, where characters popped in for an episode or two.
But these are just the birth pains of what I hope will be the renewed street hero universe of the MCU, allowing characters to move smoothly between series and even films without feeling gimmicky.
What is needed for this to happen? Kevin Feige, beloved system head and mastermind behind the MCU, needs to believe in Marvel’s small screen project, and convince Disney executives.
Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television, can build an impressive setup, but some characters from the wider Marvel world need to be influenced by the small screen plot and not just jump to the big league and disappear.
Daredevil can create this bridge between mediums.
Due to its long established comic history with iconic Daredevil Spider Man crossovers, and other characters.
Also, Wilson Fisk is considered one of the best villains in any Marvel media and can easily bring the series’ consequences to the big screen while exploring separate events on the small screen, like a broad comic event.
Bottom Line
The excellent Daredevil: Reborn season has potential consequences for the entire MCU in the near future.
It will be interesting to see if Marvel goes all in and allows a TV series to influence upcoming films, or chooses the more cautious path and confines one of Marvel’s most interesting recent plotlines within Disney+.
A masterpiece series.