When Marvel Studios originally announced plans for Daredevil: Born Again, the expectation was that the series would be a soft reboot of the Netflix series.
As time passed, all signs pointed to that being the case, with Vanessa Fisk's recasting all the proof most fans needed that Daredevil was being treated as non-canon. As you'll likely recall, there was a lot of unhappiness with the decision even if most were just grateful to see the Man Without Fear in the MCU.
A great deal has changed since then, with a creative overhaul fixing what wasn't working and bringing Daredevil: Born Again more in line with its predecessor.
That's included Ayelet Zurer's return as Vanessa and Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) are among those welcomed back into the fold.
"That was actually one of the first things I said to the bosses," showrunner Dario Scardapane tells Empire Online. "You can’t do this show without Karen and Foggy. They’re Matt’s family. They’re the heart of his world. You can’t take them out without explaining why, and if that explanation doesn’t ring true, don’t take them out."
"It was much less the world we knew, and more trying to blaze a new trail," he said of Marvel Studios' original approach to Daredevil: Born Again, "but in doing so, they’d forgotten some things that really were necessary to the engine of the story."
Ultimately, Scardapane knew he had to make good on Daredevil season 3's promise that Matt Murdock would team with Foggy and Karen as part of Nelson, Murdock & Page.
"I was willing to lose a job over this one," Scardapane says with a laugh. "Because Season 3 of the Netflix show ended with a dream, with the names on that napkin. If you don’t pay that off, you’re not giving your characters context. You can’t ignore that dream."
Big chunks of Daredevil: Born Again were shot before the overhaul, meaning Foggy and Karen's roles in the series are likely limited. We'd bet on seeing more of them in the already-confirmed season 2, though.
In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
The series also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is showrunner.
Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.