You may recall that, when Daredevil: Born Again was first announced, it was as an 18-episode TV series. The news was met with surprise and excitement in equal measure, especially as the vast majority of Marvel Studios' streaming offerings have been only 6 episodes.
We've seen Marvel Studios struggle to master small screen storytelling, and Daredevil: Born Again soon ran into trouble. The show's original creative team made it so that Matt Murdock didn't suit up for at least the first four or five episodes; if these 18 episodes were a movie, then that's only the first act; however, for a weekly TV show, such an approach could be a major turn-off for fans.
As a result, Daredevil: Born Again received a creative overhaul and was split into two nine-episode seasons.
Talking to Phase Hero, Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum explained the decision to essentially split the Daredevil revival in two.
After explaining that the first wave of MCU TV shows was an "experimental" era for the studio, he added, "Our first conceit for Daredevil was let’s try a longer format. Let’s take this character and this world of New York City and build an ensemble. Then we learned a lot of lessons doing it that way."
"So, because of a number of reasons, including the shutdowns due to the strikes, we were able to reassess the episodes and see what we had."
Winderbaum continued, "It’s just the best nine episodes. It feels like it is a great kind of first season." As we've previously reported, he'd later go on to confirm that Daredevil: Born Again "[is] a series that can run for multiple seasons."
There was a time when 22-episode seasons were the norm for network television. With that in mind, Daredevil: Born Again could have easily followed in the footsteps of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Arrow. Still, there's something to be said for quality over quantity and this new approach has been taken with that in mind.
Fans have high hopes for the Man Without Fear's return and with Winderbaum also confirming that we'll see Daredevil and The Punisher beyond just this series, Born Again must soar when it launches next year.
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.