No need to pinch yourselves, Marvel fans, because “Daredevil: Born Again” really is happening and we have the first official footage to prove it. After a series of fits and starts, including a very public retooling with a fresh creative approach, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige finally figured out the right way to approach a grand reunion featuring several of the cast of characters established throughout Marvel’s Netflix shows. Although technically not under the umbrella of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time — each series could vaguely reference events that happened in the movies, but the movies themselves would sooner have laid the groundwork for a DC crossover before ever even suggesting that a devil in Hell’s Kitchen was running around with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and the rest of the so-called Defenders — that didn’t stop the studio from finally bringing them under the MCU roof in recent years.
Now we’re seeing this pay off in a big way through Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock and his supporting ensemble of allies and enemies. It’s been a long, long wait since 2018, when the third and final season of Netflix’s “Daredevil” came to a close and left fans wondering whether they’d ever see Cox suit up in his imposing red suit ever again. But after cameos in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and a full-fledged return in “She-Hulk,” Daredevil is back and better than ever … and he’s bringing some familiar friends along with him. Marvel Studios has released our first look at several of their upcoming Disney+ streaming shows, with “Daredevil: Born Again” chief among them.
Although brief, here are our biggest takeaways from this new “Daredevil” teaser.
Daredevil’s back in action … with his batons
Everyone knows that there are a few key elements that make Daredevil, well, Daredevil. There’s his Catholic upbringing and the ensuing guilt that imprints on him for the rest of his adult life, his visual disability that he reclaims as a superpower, his imposing red suit that strikes fear in the hearts of any ne’er-do-wells haunting the streets of New York City, and, of course, his trusty batons. The Netflix show brought all of that backstory to life in extremely satisfying (and violent) fashion, but leave it to Marvel Studios to find a way to somehow improve on perfection. We’ve seen Daredevil mow through hordes of foes before with nothing but his fists and batons, but “Daredevil: Born Again” might be incorporating another nerdy detail into the mix. An early image in the teaser shows Matt Murdock opening up a box containing his two batons, framed with all the pomp and circumstance befitting the occasion. But later scenes put Daredevil and his batons fully in action, getting into brawls and jumping off the edge of buildings — and, most notably, fully extending his billy clubs to reveal those classic wire cables and grappling hooks. Eat your heart out, Spider-Man, because all your famous swinging scenes might be yesterday’s news.
The Punisher returns
Welcome back to the Marvel fold, Jon Bernthal. The popular character actor hasn’t actually suited up as Frank Castle/The Punisher since his own Netflix spin-off series came to an end in 2019, but fans have spent the intervening years hoping they hadn’t seen the last of one of the franchise’s most formidable antiheroes. Those wishes have been granted in “Daredevil: Born Again” as we’ve received further hints of another matchup that’s been several years in the making. Officially, we haven’t yet seen Daredevil and the Punisher square off against one another in the same scene. Unofficially, well, even the buttoned-up Marvel Studios can only do so much to prevent set photos of the two rivals during filming of the series not so long ago. The teaser only gives us the barest glimpse of Frank Castle looking ready for action, and it’s likely only a matter of time before he ends up on a crash course with the devil once again. Bernthal’s not the only holdover from “The Punisher” series, however, as Feige brought in showrunner Dario Scardapane as part of an overhaul to help get “Born Again” back on track.
Wilson Fisk and Vanessa Fisk, New York’s favorite power couple
No “Daredevil” show would feel complete without the Kingpin himself, Wilson Fisk, nor the actor who has come to embody the villain so perfectly. Any remaining questions over whether the Netflix Marvel shows would ever be acknowledged by the MCU were put to rest when Vincent D’Onofrio reprised his role as Kingpin in the Disney+ “Hawkeye” series, precipitating his return in “Born Again.” The vengeful villain-turned-politician (who’s running for New York City Mayor this time around, a vast improvement over Eric Adams) won’t be alone, however, as his lady love Vanessa will also be back by his side … and, most importantly, played once again by original actor Ayelet Zurer. Word once broke that the role of Fisk’s wife would be recast with Sandrine Holt, but that decision ended up reversed (to the delight of many fans concerned about continuity) as Marvel brought Zurer back into the fold for the first time since “Daredevil” season 3. In the new footage, she’s right by Wilson Fisk’s side, attending fancy galas and dressed to the nines in support of her villainous husband. The relationship between the two remains one of the clear highlights from the Netflix shows, grounding the larger-than-life Fisk in a romance that truly felt real and humanizing. We can’t wait to see how much of a spotlight this power couple gets this time around.
The Bullseye/Daredevil rematch fans have been waiting for
Back when Marvel seemed uncertain over whether to deliver a soft reboot of “Daredevil” or not, the biggest potential loss on the table would’ve been never seeing a proper conclusion to the Bullseye/Daredevil dynamic from season 3 of the Netflix series. Played by Wilson Bethel, Benjamin Poindexter was a constant thorn in Matt Murdock’s side and a total wildcard in his war with Wilson Fisk. The three-way fight between them ultimately ended with Bullseye paralyzed and sidelined … or so we were meant to think, at least. With Bethel back in the mix as Bullseye again, it’s clear there’s plenty of unfinished business between himself and the superhero he had been impersonating for so long, and to such disastrous effect. That’s not the kind of thing that Daredevil would easily brush aside and forgive, so it’s only natural that the two end up at each other’s throats in what looks like another knock-down, drag-out fight. And for a series that delivered so many memorable hallway fights, this “Daredevil: Born Again” teaser makes it seem like we’re in for yet another one.
Daredevil, meet Muse
Here’s perhaps the biggest surprise in the entire “Daredevil: Born Again” teaser. We’ve known that the new Marvel series would act as a reunion of sorts, bringing back many of the heroes and villains from the Netflix show, but it wouldn’t be an MCU joint if Kevin Feige didn’t add yet another unexpected wrinkle into the mix. Despite all the obvious antagonism on display, the main storyline of “Born Again” appears to be a team up (of sorts) between Fisk and Daredevil. So what crisis could possibly bring two such sworn enemies together? How about another, even greater threat hidden in the shadows? Meet Muse, the serial killer villain first created by Charles Soule and Ron Garney in 2016. An extremely recent addition to the Marvel universe, Muse stands out by virtue of his creepy-looking design meant to evoke the blood of his victims and the set of powers he possesses: super-strength, super-speed, and the ability to mess with Daredevil’s sonar-like powers of sight. It remains to be seen how faithfully “Born Again” adapts the character (although, design-wise, it sure looks close to the comic character), but this has all the makings of Daredevil’s fiercest foe yet.
Daredevil has a surprising Ms. Marvel connection
With all the chaos and violence on display, fans likely expected the “Daredevil: Born Again” teaser to build up to one last unforgettable reveal. I suppose it did just that … but not with the character that anyone would’ve anticipated. After heavily skewing towards footage of Matt Murdock suited up as his Daredevil alter ego, the final kicker gives us a final moment with Matt Murdock, avocado attorney at law. He brushes past a man in a dimly-lit hallway who’s asking incredulously, “Exactly what kind of a lawyer are you?” Without missing a beat, the ever-cocky Murdock responds, “A really good one.” But take a closer glimpse at the other individual in this scene and viewers may recognize a familiar face: Mohan Kapur’s Yusuf Khan, the father of none other than Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). What the heck is he doing bumping shoulders with Matt Murdock and why does he apparently need his services as a lawyer? Those are terribly good questions that, alas, we have no answers to.
We’ll find out all of this and more when “Daredevil: Born Again” hits Disney+ streaming on March 4, 2025.