Summary
While fans can’t wait to be reunited with Matt Murdock inDaredevil: Born Again,one of the upcoming show’s most prominent characters has highlighted a facet of the NetflixDaredevilformula that the Marvel CInematic Universe’s revival project couldn’t work without.
Daredevil: Born Againcame as answered prayers for a lot of fans of the character who had enjoyed Netflix’sDaredevil,an adaptation of the Marvel character brought to life by Charlie Cox and set alongside many other Marvel shows in an Arrowverse-style connected universe. When the TV rights for the character returned to the mainline Marvel brand, the show was canceled and Disney was contractually prohibited from using the character and related others in any new projects for a while. Once that period elapsed, Marvel Studios would announceDaredevil: Born Again,with Cox returning to reprise his lead role and a few MCU cameos to sweeten the deal. Additionally, Cox would be joined by Vincent D’Onofrio, who was one of thebest Marvel villains from Netflix’sDaredevilin his role as Wilson Fisk, the New York City-based crime lord better known to fans as the Kingpin. While the KKingpin has gone head to head with several heroes, his main foil has always been Daredevil.
D’Onofrio has been an outspoken part of the show’s promotion since he was attached to it, includinggiving fans an important story clue forDaredevil: Born Again,and he once again spoke candidly on one important part of the show at a recent event.Popversereports that at the recent Dragon Con event, D’Onofrio was on hand to speak to fans and gave a very interesting nod to one undersung hero of the Netflix era that was making the jump to Daredevil: Born Again: the city of New York. “It’s definitely a New York story,” D’Onofrio expressed when discussingDaredevil: Born Again. “I’m a New Yorker, I still live in New York. As a New Yorker I know immediately when they’re shooting in Canada and pretending it’s New York. The city has a very distinct feel about it and it does help.”
Fans of the Netflix era show were interested to learn thatDaredevil: Born Againwould be filming in New York City, as the originalDaredevilshow and all its spinoffs had been filmed on location as well. This was a first for the MCU, as previous projects in the franchise featuring New York City had been filmed elsewhere, including many parts of the mainlineAvengersfilms. D’Onofrio went further to comment on the myriad ways that shooting the New York story that isDaredevilin the city itself enhanced the process in the past and on the current revival show. “It helps the writers and the showrunners write better. It helps them use the city as a character,” the Kingpin actor explained. “It helps the art direction. It helps in so many ways to bring the tone and the feel of New York, and making it an actual character in Daredevil. We do the same thing in Daredevil: Born Again. It’s a spectacular place to shoot. And these characters are New York characters….Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock. It helps a lot.”
Considering the setting of the series as a character in its own right is a solid approach to the sort of storytelling fans expect from the show, and D’Onofrio demonstrates a solid understanding of this. Taking the setting seriously is doubly important for the reboot becauseDaredevil needs to remain a street-level hero in the MCU, a fact that’s even more important in light of the franchise’s new focus on some less high-stakes stories with the more grounded entries ofCaptain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*.With less immeasurable CGI collateral damage and more story-driven excitement, there’s no doubt thatDaredevil: Born Againcould show the way for this new wave of films and Disney+ content and actually do it all in the city that made the character.
Daredevil: Born Againis currently set to release for streaming on Disney+ in March 2025.
Daredevil: Born Again
After Charlie Cox’s cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and supporting role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Daredevil: Born Again gives Matt Murdock his first show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil: Born Again continues the story that started in Netflix’s three-season Daredevil series and sees Wilson Fisk ascend to mayor of New York City.
