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Daredevil: Born Again will not be lighthearted like the character’s portrayal on Disney Plus’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. The amount of fake news and rage-bait media reports surrounding this series continue to pile on.
Certainly, the anti-Disney crowd have found another House of Mouse IP to bash on after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny tanked.
The noise is deafening and annoying, but not as loud as the ringing of cash registers from Disney-slamming profit.
Fans of the Charlie Cox-led Netflix series, Daredevil, have been clamoring for more of his character since the series came to an end after three successful seasons in 2018. Marvel TV’s Daredevil was an acclaimed Netflix series created by Drew Goddard. Upon the cancellation of the Netflix drama in 2018, many wondered if Marvel Studios would fully adopt the show and possibly continue it on Disney Plus.
However, per the original deal between Disney and Netflix, the characters cannot appear in any non-Netflix series or films for at least two years following the cancellation of Daredevil. Finally, in December 2020, the waiting period came to an end and Charlie Cox was called to reprise the Matt Murdock role (Daredevil’s alter ego) in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Daredevil Reboot Won’t Be Lighthearted Like She-Hulk
Image: Disney
Fans rejoiced.
More of the Man Without Fear was on the way. First, Vincent D’Onofrio’s villainous Kingpin returned on the Disney Plus MCU program Hawkeye. Reports of both Cox and D’Onofrio appearing in the upcoming MCU series Echo excited followers even more.
All signs pointed to the ultimate revival and continuation of the uber popular Daredevil. Development of the series began by March 2022. In fact, there would be a whopping 18 episodes for Season One. All seemed to be on the right track for this beloved character in terms of PR.
For casual viewers, though, the arrival of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law concerned them about Daredevil’s future in the MCU. They were not aware that She-Hulk, in the comic books, was a comedic superhero a la Deadpool. In fact, she broke the fourth wall (talking directly to the audience) years prior to Deadpool.
Under the guidance of writer/artist John Byrne and later writer Dan Slott, She-Hulk starred in some of the funniest comics ever published.
After several weeks of Disney Plus’ She-Hulk teasing the Daredevil appearance, his suit, and a random episode ending with Megan Thee Stallion twerking, Cox returned in full Daredevil costume.
However, some were puzzled by the comic-accurate yellow Daredevil suit (his first outfit in his debut) and the less grim tone of Cox’s portrayal. Disney haters pounced, creating feelings of anxiety and fear to generate additional ad revenue. The truth is a somber Daredevil wouldn’t have fit She-Hulk‘s legal comedy format. (Critics largely praised She-Hulk with an 80% average on Rotten Tomatoes). This was followed by unclear quotes from Marvel Studios execs and Daredevil cast actors seeming to signify a new direction for Daredevil: Born Again.
What really would this new season be? Marvel Studios kept the secrets of Daredevil: Born Again under wraps.
Then veteran studio stuntman Chris Brewster (who has stunt-doubled previously for Cox in previous Daredevil seasons) suggested the future didn’t look bright during an appearance on a podcast. According to Brewster, Daredevil: Born Again will be totally different from Netflix’ version.
Daredevil: Born Again Won’t Be Lighthearted Like She-Hulk
Image: Disney
Speaking about Daredevil: Born Again, Brewster claimed:
Marvel has told every person working on that show that they don’t want Born Again to look anything like the Netflix Daredevil series…I think that, now that the MCU has taken over the character, they are really, really hurting it.
For the record, this does not tell us its quality or the level of execution. Beyond that, there are several issues with his statement.
First of all, Brewster wasn’t hired for Born Again. Thus, he loses revenue; given that, there has to be some bias in his accusations.
Secondly, being different doesn’t mean Daredevil will be twerking with the Kingpin. According to insiders, Born Again will also be influenced by writer Mark Waid’s critically praised run on the Daredevil comic. Waid returned the charm and wit of Silver Age Daredevil while retaining its darker undertow.
Marvel Studios need to add their own flavor to Born Again to keep it fresh. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean making him silly. A quick look at the program’s creative staff already debunk what Brewster said. Co-creators Matt Corman and Chris Ord were responsible for the USA Network’s superb espionage show Covert Affairs.
The directors include a who’s who of serious crime TV veterans such as Michael Cuesta (Dexter); Clark Johnson (The Shield); and David Boyd (Longmire).
It needs to be a level of darkness. I think if there’s any let up on that character, you do a disservice to the character, to every iteration of the character, to every comic book that’s come before, and to all of the unbelievable fans of the character. This character means so much to people in the military. So like I said before, it’s not about whether you do the character; it’s about whether you can do it right, and I’m only interested in doing it right.
Case closed.