If nothing else, you can’t say that Daredevil’s official entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been eager to please. Not only did it U-turn its entire production when the powers that be realised that to continue on from the Netflix series was the way to go, but it also upped the violence, brought back many actors who weren’t originally going to appear and nailed all the mythic status that comes with a Catholic vigilante that dresses like the devil. At best, it’s been a staggeringly violent blast that’s brutally tackled subjects such as corrupt officers of the law, hideous abuse of power and the slippery slope of wanting to take a life; at worst, the merging of the two versions of the show has sometimes proved to be an uneven experience, but with the final episode upon us and a second season filming as we speak, can Daredevil: Born Again stick that landing with all the violence, misery and barely contained rage that comes with your average Daredevil finale?
Waking in hospital after taking a bullet from Poindexter meant for Wilson Fisk, Matt Murdock realises that he’s within touching distance of figuring out what Mr. & Mrs. Kingpin are actually up to. Of course, therapist girlfriend Heather – who at this point has completely drunk the Fisk Cool Aid – thinks he’s nuts and his partner in law, Kirsten, remains unconvinced, but he must be on to something, because to improve the optics of his time in office, Mayor Fisk orders a city wide power outage to cover an assassination of Murdock while he heals in hospital.
Not about to fall for that old one, Matt has already fled by the time the assassin arrives, but upon arriving at his apartment he discovers that an old, controversial frienemy, Frank Castle, has turned up to help – although “help” from someone who calls themselves The Punisher involves him slaughtering a bunch of Fisk’s crooked Anti-Vigilante Task Force like he’s culling cattle. It seems that his skull-wearing buddy had been called into action against that army of corrupt, Punisher fan-boys by a returning Karen Page who finally helps Matt figure out everything that’s happened since Foggy Nelson was killed over a year ago.
Long story short, the dock area that Fisk is trying to build is actually not in New York jurisdiction and therefore could be run as its own state, separate from the entire U.S. and exempt from its laws. This means that the Kingpin would basically have his own little crime-country where he could do literally whatever he liked with utter impunity and while some around him wish to stop him, Wilson resorts to some very old school measures to dispose of any issues that may rise against him.
With Kingpin’s power swelling faster than his waistline and Matt in no real condition to fight an entire fucking army, it seems it’s going to take something far more planned than just swinging up to Fisk and trying to out pinch him. But can New York manage to survive if such a long game of gang warfare were to start?
With season one’s final episode, it may seem that anyone who has diligently trying to compare this to the Netflix eras may be have been barking up the wrong tree; you see while we already knew that Daredevil: Born Again is hoping to nab at least three seasons, at the closing of this episode, it only feels like the opening chapter of a much larger adventure. For a start, there’s no real ending. There’s no climactic brawl with Fisk, no cathartic showdown with Bullseye and no real resolution to the plot in general – in fact, in true Empire Strikes Back style, matters are actually far grimmer at the end of episode nine than they were at the start of one, but this all seems to be by design.
The main themes of both Daredevil shows has seemed to be the corruptability of man and there’s no denying that that’s what the season has tried to nail. Fisk – never the most honest of maniacs – has gone from an (almost) diligent servant of the people to a full blown tyrant who comes complete with his own private army who follow no legal requirements and the right to encase the city in martial law to suit his own purposes. On the flip side, Matt struggle with his inner rage-demons certainly isn’t helped by the Punisher being his temporary BFF, but his ultimate choice to pull back from a frontal assault and try an build a network of people to help him fight Fisk is an interesting one and if nothing else, could lead to a Defenders reformation.
However, while doubling down on the awesome bleakness (the MCU has never been this dark), Straight To Hell seems to act as a microcosm of what has and hasn’t worked with Born Again as a whole. Yes, the unevenness has sometimes been a little jarring, but should clear up with a more focused season 2, however, while the fights, bloodletting and character returns have been magnificent, I’m a little concerned about how little I give a shit about Murdock’s supporting cast and it becomes even more apparent when we’re graced with the return of Deborah Anne Woll’s Karen Page. Does anyone here actually care one bit about Cherry, Gail, Kristen or BB after nine whole episodes? I certainly don’t and that’s kind of a big problem. Also, I know I’m watching a show based on a comic book, but Daredevil’s more grounded tone means that him fighting a room full of armed police 24 hours after getting shot in the shoulder seems a teensy bit silly – but this is technically the same universe that has Rocket Racoon, so what do I know?
Still, while Born Again is more than happy to end on an awesome downer, I’d prefer to wrap things up on a positive note and when it comes to crowd pleasing moments that border of mythic, directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson virtually pump the episode full of kickass fights and (literal) jaw dropping acts of gore that not only cause you to aggrssively roar like you’re at a football match, but actually work as genuine character moments. The main headline that’ll get people’s jaws wagging the most (another bad jaw joke) is a showstopping Kingpin moment that actually surpasses the beheading by car door moment from the original series that sees Vincent D’Onofrio literally rip a man’s mandible bone clean off of his face. Elsewhere, you can’t have a Daredevil bloodbath without the Punisher being invited and watching Jon Bernthal cut loose with knives, guns and, in one case, an axe is just a magnificent as you’d hope – but what proves to be even more satisfying is that the continued, edgy banter between him and Charlie Cox really stands out as one of the best things about the season. With Castle due to get his own, standalone, Special Presentation next year, it should fill in a few gaps left by an up in the air ending (make sure you stay tuned for the post credits sting), but it it could explore Frank’s reaction to an entire police force all wearing his logo, I’d really appreciate it, because we’ve barely scratched the surface and it’s a stunning image.
After overcoming production issues that tripped it up a few times, Daredevil: Born Again finishes in savage style. Was the season perfect? No, but it managed to compensate with a harsh brutality that even makes Matt Reeves and Zack Snyder’s recent takes on Batman seem like they’ve been holding back. But the bottom line is that Marvel have managed to blend the Netflix Daredevil into their own universe in a way that benefits both fans by delivering all the team-ups and crushed skulls that both camps seem to want. What will the future hold? A Defenders reunion? A comic accurate costume for Bullseye? Spider-Man? Good luck on that last one, but Matt Murdock’s completed arrival in the MCU proves that it’s truly the show without fear.
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