The first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again are now available to watch on Disney+, and the series premiere, in particular, might go down the single best episode of TV Marvel Studios has produced for the streaming service.
Spoilers follow.
The series begins with the familiar sight of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) sharing a joke as they head to Josie's Bar for a drink. We get to spend just enough time with these close friends to make the looming "traumatic event" even more devastating when it arrives.
Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter, aka Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), orchestrates a plan to lure Daredevil away so that he can target those closest to him, and - as many predicted after those revealing set photos - this results in the death of a beloved character from the original Netflix series.
Foggy Nelson is shot through the chest, but before Dex can finish the job and take out Karen, the Man Without Fear returns to face his old enemy. With his best friend bleeding out, Daredevil engages in a brutal battle with Bullseye that rivals (and may even top) the signature "oner" fight sequences from the Netflix show.
As the combatants make their way to the roof, Matt hears Foggy breath his last, and allows vengeance to consume him by dropping Dex to his death... or so he believes. As a hysterical Karen turns to make sure it wasn't Matt that just hit the ground behind her, we see that Bullseye is still (just barely) alive.
One year later, Murdock has hung up his costume and (outwardly) moved on with his life with a new law firm and partner, Kristen McDuffie (Nikki M. James), but he is clearly still haunted by Foggy's death. Matt testifies at Poindexter's trial, and the villain is sent away for life. Karen drops by, and it's revealed that she distanced herself from Murdock after Foggy's murder, although it's implied that she simply moved on after Matt severed contact with her.
Matt has been managing to keep the Devil at bay, but his biggest test awaits.
In her husband's absence, Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer) has taken over his criminal empire, but the Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) returns to inform his wife that he has the requisite amount of signatures to run for Mayor, and wants her back by his side. Fisk's televised announcement reaches Murdock, and his old instincts begin to kick in.
Matt pays a visit to Fisk and invites his nemesis to sit down for a chat. A lot of footage from this fantastic scene has been featured in the various trailers and promos, but there is quite a bit more to it, as each man issues the other with a warning: If the Kingpin reverts to his criminal dealings, Murdock will be waiting; and should the Devil make a comeback, Fisk's strict new anti-vigilante laws will result in harsh consequences.
As he awaits the results of the election, Fisk looks over the city from the roof of his penthouse. He promises Vanessa that he has changed, and will not take revenge on Adam, the artist she had an affair with. Below, Murdock walks new love-interest Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) home as he learns that Wilson Fisk will be the new Mayor of New York.
The Kingpin surveys the cheering crowds, and we see Matt standing on the street below, bathed in a red glow. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen has been born again.
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 show 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 on board as 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.