The review embargo for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 lifted right as the premiere hit Disney+. While the score has slipped a little as more reviews are counted, the season still ranks among the best-reviewed MCU TV shows on Rotten Tomatoes.
With 95%, it's topped Season 1's 87% score, and sits in the same ballpark as Wonder Man (91%), Loki Season 2 (92%), and WandaVision (92%). Compared to previous seasons of Netflix's Daredevil, it ranks under Season 1 (99%) and Season 3 (97%), but tops the fan-favourite Season 2 (81%).
The only MCU TV show that beats Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is Ms. Marvel (98%).
In terms of an Audience Score, the series is off to a stellar start with 97% on the Popcornmeter. It's worth noting that hundreds of additional critic reviews will be counted in the coming days and weeks, so that 89% score may go up or down (right now, only 45 verdicts have been counted).
In our review of the series, we wrote, "A brutal, relentless tour-de-force, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is a Marvel masterstroke that sees Charlie Cox take the Man Without Fear to unprecedented heights, delivering the definitive take on Daredevil."
When it comes to other sites, The Daily Beast concludes, "Strikes a more assured balance than before between Matt/Daredevil’s belief in the rule of law, his desire to take matters into his own hands, and his Catholicism-driven struggles with guilt, salvation, repentance, and grace."
GamesRadar+, meanwhile, pointed out, "Still struggling to reach the heights of the Netflix show, but great performances from the central cast and some timely political allegories mean the show's sophomore outing is a marked improvement on season 1. Empire added, "Thematically timely with some ferocious action to boot, Born Again’s second season largely hits the bullseye."
The Discussing Film team was also high on the Man Without Fear's return, noting, "Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 pushes its characters into new territory while staying true to what made the original Netflix show work. This results in a rare sequel series that not only lives up to its predecessor but also, in some ways, surpasses it."
According to Awards Buzz, "This world, dark and unoptimistic as it is, has much to offer...this show very much merits its continued existence with its strong worldbuilding and formidable performances."
Slashfilm was less impressed. "In its scramble to set itself apart from the rest of the MCU and provide a more adult, Prestige TV-like experience," the site says, "Daredevil: Born Again season 2 trips over its own feet and misses the mark." Inverse concurred, explaining, "Like many seasons before it, Born Again Season 2 is an occasionally thrilling, often frustrating, new chapter for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen."
Our own Rohan Patel countered that by declaring, "[Daredevil: Born Again Season 2] is one of the most raw, compelling, and powerful seasons of Marvel television ever produced, with unreal action sequences that truly take things to another level."
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is already shooting, but there's currently no word on whether the plan is for Matt Murdock's story to continue in Season 4 or whether he'll make the leap to the big screen.
In Daredevil: Born Again, survival, resistance and redemption collide as the battle for the soul of New York begins. In Season 2, Mayor Wilson Fisk crushes New York City underfoot as he hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil.
But beneath the horned mask, Matt Murdock will try to fight back from the shadows to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home. Resist. Rebel. Rebuild.
Created by Dario Scardapane, Chris Ord and Matt Corman, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 stars Charlie Cox as the titular masked vigilante (aka Matt Murdock) and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk.
Returning to the series are Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk, Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye and Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn. This season also marks the long-awaited return of Krysten Ritter as fan-favourite Jessica Jones and introduces Matthew Lillard as the mysterious Mr. Charles.
Daredevil: Born Again returns to Disney+ on March 24.