A number of people involved with bringing Daredevil: Born Again to the screen have promised that the upcoming Disney+ series will be every bit as dark and violent - if not more so - than the now defunct Netflix show, and Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, reiterated just how gritty the Man Without Fear's long-awaited return is going to be during a previously unreleased D23 interview.
During an appearance on ABC's On The Red Carpet Storytellers Spotlight stage, Winderbaum shared updates on several small-screen projects, and compared Born Again to HBO's notoriously brutal Game of Thrones.
"Imagine if New York City was as intricate and problematic and scary as the world of Game of Thrones," he teased. "All these forces vying for control, and it can be really hopeful at times, and really violent at times, and dark-but also there's light at the end of the tunnel if you could just fight for it."
The Netflix series wasn't exactly what you'd call a bloodbath, but it was certainly more violent than anything we'd seen in the MCU at that time, featuring some pretty shocking moments over the course of its three seasons.
When it was announced that Marvel Studios planned to bring The Man Without Fear back for Daredevil: Born Again, there was some concern that the "reboot" (though we now know that it's going to be more of a continuation) might lose some of the Netflix show's edge, but it definitely doesn't sound like that's going to be the case.
Winderbaum also shared some new details on the Eyes of Wakanda animated series.
"We meet different War Dogs at different points in time, at different historical events where they have to go in and do their jobs," he said. "But oftentimes, it pulls at their ethical boundaries and their heartstrings."
Joining Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk will be Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page) and Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), who were not going to be a part of the new series originally. Jon Bernthal will also reprise his role as Frank Castle/The Punisher, along with Wilson Bethel as the villainous Bullseye.
Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, Nikki M. James, Michael Gaston, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Hunter Doohan are also on board in supporting roles.
The Punisher writer Dario Scardapane is believed to have come aboard as the project's new showrunner.
Specific plot details are still under wraps, but we know that Born Again will see Matt Murdock/Daredevil face-off against his old nemesis the Kingpin, who we last saw rushing back to New York in the season finale of Echo. Fisk will likely be either running for mayor of NYC or already appointed to the position when the story gets underway.
The first trailer for Born Again screened during D23, and while it hasn't been officially released, recordings are still doing the rounds online.