- Will be released next March
- Pseudo-sequel to Netflix's Daredevil TV series
- First trailer debuted exclusively at D23 Expo 2024
- Brief snippets of footage teased publicly
- Main cast set to reprise roles from Netflix's TV adaptation
- Other cast members reportedly revealed
- Few plot details publicly unveiled
- Season 2 will start filming "soon"
- Unclear how it'll impact the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe
The wait for Daredevil: Born Again won't be a much longer one. Indeed, after the forthcoming Marvel show's official release date was confirmed in mid-October, the countdown is well and truly on to The Devil of Hell's Kitchen's long overdue Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series.
As big fans of Netflix's massively popular Daredevil show, we can't wait for Matt Murdock to star in his own Disney Plus project – and we suspect you can't, either. So, while you wait for Born Again to arrive, there's no better time to learn what we know about the Marvel Phase 5 pseudo-sequel to Netflix's own TV adaptation. Below, we've rounded up everything worth knowing about it, including its launch date, cast, plot, and more.
Major spoilers follow for Netflix's Daredevil series. Potential Daredevil: Born Again spoilers are also on the way.
Daredevil: Born Again release date
The stars of Marvel Television’s #DaredevilBornAgain, Charlie Cox & Vincent D’Onofrio, surprised fans with a special sneak peek during the #NYCC “Marvel Fanfare” panel today.Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again starts streaming March 4, only on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/hiXGTezZOwOctober 19, 2024
As confirmed at New York Comic-Con 2024, Daredevil: Born Again will debut on March 4, 2025 (US) and March 5, 2025 (UK and Australia). That reveal comes a few months after Marvel confirmed its rebooted Daredevil series would launch next March, but it's nonetheless pleasing to learn about its official release date at long last – especially one that's just two weeks earlier than we initially predicted.
It's possible that Daredevil: Born Again could join Echo, one of three MCU projects Daredevil has appeared in, in being released in full. However, with Born Again set to comprise 12 episodes – seven more than Echo – it's highly unlikely they'll arrive on the same day. Instead, expect it to land a two-episode premiere and then receive new episodes weekly on Disney Plus, aka one of the world's best streaming services.
Daredevil: Born Again trailer: is there one?
No. A teaser was shown exclusively to D23 Expo 2024 attendees and, despite leaking online a couple of times, Marvel has opted not to release the trailer publicly yet. Instead, we've only received the briefest of glimpses of the series in a video celebrating Marvel's 85th anniversary, which included first looks at Daredevil: Born Again, Thunderbolts, and Ironheart.
With the show's release date now locked in, plus Marvel confirming they're attending Brazil Comic Con in early November, though, we suspect a teaser will be released in the next few weeks. We'll update this section when it is.
Daredevil: Born Again cast: confirmed and rumored
Potential spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again.
Here's the confirmed cast for Daredevil: Born Again so far:
- Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
- Elden Henson as Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson
- Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher
- Wilson Bethel as Benjamin 'Dex' Pointdexter/Bullseye
- Ayelut Zuhrer as Vanessa Fisk
- Genneya Walton as B.B. Urich
- Margarita Levieva as TBC
- Arty Froushan as TBC
- Michael Gandolfini as TBC
- Zabryna Guevara as TBC
- Nikki James as TBC
- Clark Johnson as TBC
Until late January, Cox and D'Onofrio were the only members of the aforementioned sextuplet who were expected to make the leap to Disney Plus. After all, they're the only actors from Netflix's Daredevil show who have appeared in the MCU so far.
However, when some Born Again images confirmed the return of two fan-favorite characters – Woll's Karen and Henson's Foggy – and, days later, Bernthal's Castle, thes trio were all but confirmed to feature. Bethel was also revealed to be returning in other leaked Born Again footage that had fans fearing for the fate of a beloved character in February.
📸 | Ayelet Zurer reprises her role as Vanessa Mariana alongside Vincent D'onofrio filming Daredevil: Born Againvia: stevesandsnyc pic.twitter.com/kkaRON5A2cApril 7, 2024
In a Disney press release, other supporting cast members – some from Netflix's Daredevil show, others being newcomers for Marvel Studios' TV adaptation – were also confirmed. Zurer reprises her role as Fisk's wife Vanessa, while Walton has been cast as B.B. Urich (character identity revealed by Deadline), the daughter of Ben Urich – he was murdered by Wilson Fisk in season 2 of Netflix's show – who's followed in her father's footsteps and become a journalist. Gandolfini, Froushan, and Leiveia's character identities remain a mystery.
Elsewhere, The Wrap claims Mohan Kapur's Yusuf Khan – yep, Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel's father – will cameo, which will mark his third MCU appearance after Ms Marvel and The Marvels. Industry insiders DanielRPK and MyTimeToShineHello suggest Tony Dalton's Jack Duquesne, aka Swordsman from Hawkeye, will have a guest role, too.
Other individuals expected to feature include Jeremy Earl as crooked police cop North Cole (per Inverse) and the late Kamar de los Reyes, who'll seemingly play one of Daredevil's fellow vigilantes named White Tiger (per Forbes). De los Reyes passed away last December from cancer, so this'll be his final acting role. Lastly, Born Again's D23 trailer appeared to confirm Muse, a silent serial killer and recent addition to Daredevil's rogues gallery in the comics, will be the series' primary antagonist. It's unclear which actor has been hired to portray them.
Daredevil: Born Again story synopsis and rumors
Full spoilers follow for Netflix's Daredevil series and Echo on Disney Plus. Possible spoilers also follow for Daredevil: Born Again.
Here's Daredevil: Born Again's story brief, courtesy of Disney/Marvel: "Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course."
That sounds very similar to Netflix's take on the blind superpowered vigilante – and that's deliberate. Indeed, Daredevil: Born Again is more than a spiritual successor to Netflix's TV series; it's one with big ties to its forebear, which wasn't always the case.
Initially, Marvel decided a clean slate – even with Cox and D'Onofrio's involvement – was necessary to bring Daredevil and Kingpin into the MCU. However, in October 2023, Daredevil: Born Again was said to be in serious trouble as Marvel looked to rework the entire show. Insiders suggested the Disney subsidiary was unhappy with its narrative direction and, with the 2023 Hollywood strikes in full force at the time, the comic giant took the chance to remodel large swathes of the show. That led to hiring a new head writer and directors that renewed our faith in Daredevil's reboot.
Daredevil: Born Again suits at NYCC! pic.twitter.com/15csnAXItkOctober 17, 2024
Elaborating on why the change was made, Marvel's Head of TV and Streaming Brad Winderbaum told the Official Marvel Podcast (as TechRadar reported at the time): "Daredevil [:Born Again] is incredible. It's similar in some ways to X-Men 97 because it's reviving something that fans love, but it's taking it in a new direction. These characters have matured [and] the universe is different than it was. Things have changed, society has changed, Matt [Murdock] and Wilson [Fisk] 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."
The decision to essentially turn Born Again into Daredevil season 4 (in all but name, anyway) is a sound one. After all, with She-Hulk episode 8 confirming Netflix's Daredevil series was canon in the MCU, fans were baffled by the prospect of an MCU Daredevil TV show not having any connective tissue – outside of Cox's Murdock and D'Onofrio's Fisk – to its predecessor. Thankfully, Born Again will now fully respect what's come before, pick up loose plot threads from its predecessor's third and final season, and go harder in the violence stakes than initially planned.
Speaking to TechRadar in December 2022 – 10 months before Daredevil: Born Again's creative overhaul – Cox revealed that Marvel's reboot wasn't going to be fully R-rated. However, in conversation with Rotten Tomatoes at D23 Expo 2024, D'Onofrio hinted that the ultraviolence "will go further" than the Netflix TV Original. With Winderbaum telling Entertainment Weekly (EW) that it'll feature "some of the most brutal action" Marvel Studios has ever made, plus Cox revealing (via Collider) that Murdock will say the f-word, it's little wonder that Disney's confirmed it'll carry a TV-MA rating in the US (18-plus in the UK and MA 15-plus in Australia).
Okay, so what will Born Again's story actually entail? For starters, D'Onofrio has insinuated (per PopVerse) it's been inspired by the 'Devil's Reign' storyline from the comics. Without spoiling too much from that graphic novel series, it's set after Fisk becomes Mayor of New York – a position that, based on Echo's post-credits scene, he'll be running for in Born Again. In Echo's final episode, the titular character uses her superpowers to try to cure her surrogate father's trauma and anger. Equal parts confused and enraged by what she'd done to him, the bewildered crime boss flees the scene before the police arrive. Later, in a mid-credits scene, we see a still shaken Fisk watching a news report – on his private jet – about a lack of genuine options for people to vote for ahead of the New York mayoral elections.
If Fisk wins the election – and, with the series' plot brief confirming he'll run for office, he's likely to do so – one of two things could happen. If he's really a changed man after the events of Echo, he may surprisingly start working with superhumans (Murdock/Daredevil included) to tackle the city's criminal enterprises. Alternatively, given what his adoptive daughter Maya did to him, he could use his hatred for superpowered individuals and vigilantes, plus his new governmental powers, to clamp down on, or even eradicate, self-appointed law enforcers like Daredevil and Frank Castle.
Whatever path Fisk walks, someone won't be happy. It could be crooked police officer North Cole, who starts using Castle/The Punisher's skull-based symbol to enact justice in his own manner. It might be Castle himself, who becomes infuriated by those cops using his symbol to serve justice without his consent. It may be Castle and Murdock if Fisk decides to use the police to crack down on vigilantism. Heck, it could even be Bullseye – you know, provided he fully recovers from spinal injuries inflicted by Daredevil in the Netflix show's season 3 finale. He knows the easiest way to hurt Murdock is to go after Page and/or Nelson, so we might see one of them get seriously injured or even die. As we mentioned in our cast section, Marvel fans are already worried about the duo's welfare, so don't bet against one of these outcomes.
There should be other references to Daredevil, as well as new storylines and personal arcs, that impact Born Again's characters. Unsurprisingly, the cast is reluctant to reveal too much for fear of spoiling anything significant. Speaking to EW, though, Bernthal teased: "[There are] enormous leaps [with the plot and development of our characters], and not in a spoon-fed, candy-ass way. If there were things that were much different, they wouldn’t just be different and you were sort of forced to accept that. It was done for a reason and very intentional. It wasn’t just huge jumps. I do continue to be blown away by how respectful this group [is] and how much these folks who lead this show demand that we’re respectful to the fans". If the frank (see what we did there?) Bernthal claims this is the case, we're inclined to believe him.
What to watch while you wait for Daredevil: Born Again
Looking to pass the time before Daredevil: Born Again arrives? Or want an idea of how Marvel will lean into one of the best Netflix shows' penchant for violence? Watch one of these adult oriented shows before next March:
Daredevil
Echo
Werewolf by Night
How will Daredevil: Born Again impact the MCU?
We're not sure yet. 16 years after it began with Iron Man, the MCU has become a sprawling, interwoven, and at-times unwieldy beast where one movie or TV show can affect the narrative in multiple future projects.
That was the case, anyway, until Marvel started to realize the MCU's biggest strength – its interconnectivity – had become a millstone around its neck. Indeed, with viewers originally being asked to watch numerous TV shows to understand what's going on in a forthcoming film – for instance, ahead of The Marvels, people needed to see Ms. Marvel, WandaVision, and Secret Invasion – the comic giant has begun tweaking its creative approach. To that end, Marvel now says that new Disney Plus shows will be easier to jump into, meaning fans can simply enjoy a show like Daredevil: Born Again without having to do homework by streaming other productions first. So, it's unclear how, or even if, Born Again will set up future non-Daredevil projects.
'Daredevil: Born Again' Trailer Shows Wilson Fisk & Matt Murdock Going Head-To-Head; Season 2 Shooting Soon - D23 https://t.co/j1kOlOE5YNAugust 10, 2024
Why do we say "non-Daredevil"? Because Born Again season 2 is already in the works. Rumors circulated online that a sophomore season was in development as early as March 2023, but it wasn't until D23 Expo 2024 that Marvel president Kevin Feige confirmed season 2 would start "shooting soon".
If Daredevil: Born Again is a success – and, given how beloved Netflix's adaptation is, there's no reason it won't be – it's possible it'll be the progenitor for a smaller, street-level corner of the MCU. Sure, the likes of Hawkeye and Echo have already somewhat established it, but Marvel's Daredevil reboot could truly ignite the fanbase's interest in a grittier, more hard-hitting portion of the MCU. And hey, if Marvel wants to bring this particular part of its sandbox to the big screen, we wouldn't say no to a Daredevil team-up with Tom Holland's Spider-Man as they bid to take down a common foe in Kingpin – something Cox (per Collider) is certainly open to. Make it happen, Marvel.
For more Marvel-based coverage, read our guides on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, the best Marvel movies, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Marvel Phase 6.
