Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)

[Silver Nemesis]

Here are some pics of Charlie as Matt with Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn. Looks like she and Matt are an item, as they were during the classic Miller/Janson run. Where does that leave Karen?

Will Heather meet the same unhappy fate she did in the comics? By today's standards, the 616 Matt's treatment of Heather would probably be considered toxic and abusive. He discouraged her attempts to forge her own career as a businesswoman in order to curb her independence so she'd marry him, then neglected her emotional needs when she was suicidally depressed. Will they go that route in the TV show?

I'm also wondering how Kirsten McDuffie is going to fit into this series. That's three comic book love interests appearing in one season. I'm guessing Matt will be in a current relationship with Heather, which will go badly and possibly end in tragedy. Karen will be his business partner, but secretly jealous of Heather. Kirsten will probably be a colleague of Matt's and a platonic friend. Ultimately I think he'll end up with Karen.

Here are some pics of D'Onofrio as Fisk.

And here's Michael Gandolfini, son of James Gandolfini, playing a character named Daniel Blade.

Rumour has it this character is the TV show's answer to Byron 'Butch' Fisk, Kingpin's illegitimate son from Chip Zdarsky's run. If that's true, and the rumours of Muse appearing are also true, then it sounds like the series could be drawing quite a bit from Zdarsky's run. I'd consider that a good sign.

[thecolorsblend]

Where does that leave Karen?

Shouldn't we have been asking that question when Daredevil did his walk of shame in She-Hulk?

[Silver Nemesis]

Where does that leave Karen?

Shouldn't we have been asking that question when Daredevil did his walk of shame in She-Hulk?

According to my headcanon that was an alternate Daredevil from Earth-304, a completely different character. I'm ok with accepting Charlie's cameos from No Way Home and Echo as part of the Netflixverse canon. But She-Hulk? No. Never.

[Silver Nemesis]

Online sources are reporting this is Bullseye's costume. If so, it's taking its cues from Marco Checchetto's design from Chip Zdarsky's run.

I'm happy with this, just so long as the bullseye target symbol is referenced somewhere. Like if he has the target tattooed or carved into his forehead under the balaclava, or if he gets it painted on his mask later on.

Here's our first look at Daredevil's new costume, worn here by Charlie's stunt double. It looks more or less the same as the one from the Netflix show except the colour is more vibrant. The amount of red also seems to have been increased and the amount of black reduced. I like it. The only thing missing is the 'DD' symbol, but at this point I don't think we're ever going to get that.

The crew were shooting a fight scene between Daredevil and Bullseye on the streets of New York.

I really like the use of lighting and smoke in these pics. Here are some more images of Matt, Foggy and Karen outside Josie's Bar.

On a purely visual level, this all looks great to me. I just hope the writing's good.

I also hope Foggy and Karen aren't getting assassinated in this scene.

[thecolorsblend]

I also hope Foggy and Karen aren't getting assassinated in this scene.

After those pics you just posted, that's pretty much the only thing that could tamp down my hope.

Great pics, thank you for posting them. And like you, I'm liking that new Daredevil outfit.

[Silver Nemesis]

SPOILERS ahead.

After those pics you just posted, that's pretty much the only thing that could tamp down my hope.

Uh-oh...

According to plot leaks, (SPOILERS) this is a prologue scene taking place soon after the Netflix show. Bullseye kills Foggy (that's likely his blood on Karen's face) and Karen leaves New York. The story then leaps forward several years for the main series, where Matt is working with a new cast of characters. If this is true, then Foggy's getting the Terminator: Dark Fate treatment. Unless it later turns out that he survived and merely pretended to be dead so Bullseye wouldn't come after him again. That would echo what happened in the comics during Ed Brubaker's 'The Devil Cell Block D' storyline, where Foggy was seemingly murdered only to later turn up alive in a witness protection system. Hopefully that's the case here and both he and Karen will return later in the series.

It's also rumoured that this is merely Bullseye's proto-costume and that he gets a more traditional costume towards the end of the series.

One of my main concerns is the potential for the sort of needlessly divisive political themes that have hampered fans' enjoyment of earlier Disney+ Marvel shows. Supposedly there's a subplot about the Punisher hunting down police officers who wear his skull emblem. And the whole Mayor Fisk storyline could be used as a lazy metaphor for any real life politician the writers happen to dislike. If Fisk says some variation of 'Make New York great again' or 'New York is where woke comes to die' then half the audience will switch off and review bomb it. And none of these things need to be in a Daredevil show anyway. It should be an apolitical action thriller that everyone can enjoy. I hope Marvel and Disney learn from their past mistakes and avoid these pitfalls.

[thecolorsblend]

Okay, yes, this tamps down my excitement a bit.

Still, I'm trying to rationalize all of this. The rumor is that BA was originally going to be something else completely. Something more in line with Daredevil's depiction in She-Hulk. For whatever reason, the show has been "retooled" (which is to say, committee-banged) and, among other things, Foggy and Karen will return.

So, your spoiler story makes sense. The producers probably don't want to rewrite/reshoot the entire series. So, I am assuming that Karen and Foggy will appear in the first episode and miraculously return for the final episode to position them for whatever season comes next.

Am I being too optimistic? Is what I just wrote a cope?

[Silver Nemesis]

Am I being too optimistic? Is what I just wrote a cope?

If it's copium, I'll take a dose. I've heard they're trying to incorporate as much of the footage they shot last year into the new show. If they filmed the first few episodes back in 2023, as reports indicate, then wouldn't they have also shot this prologue scene from the beginning of the series? Unless Deborah and Elden weren't originally meant to appear, and the plot point about Foggy's death and Karen's departure was originally just back story. If that's the case, and they've now brought Deb and Elden back owing to fan demand, then it's feasible they'll also write them into later episodes that have yet to be shot.

We need some better pictures of Foggy after he's been gunned down. If the bullet hit him in the chest, he could still be alive. But if it's a clean headshot...

Meanwhile here are some pics of Charlie wearing his new costume. Those markers on his suit suggest digital effects work. Possibly areas of the costume that'll get damaged by Bullseye's projectiles?

The following link leads to a page with some good fight scene footage captured on social media. One clip shows Daredevil and Bullseye tumbling through the window into Josie's. The other clip shows them fighting inside the bar. In some of the footage it's clearly Charlie doing the fighting himself.

https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/marvel/daredevil/daredevil-and-bullseye-beat-the-hell-out-of-each-other-in-latest-born-again-set-videos-a209274#gs.4srevv

I can't wait to see this brawl. Bullseye should have his Adamantium-laced bones now, which will make him even harder to put down.

[Silver Nemesis]

More pics of Charlie in the suit.

And here's an awesome clip of Daredevil swinging into action using his billy club cable, all done for real with practical effects wirework.

This is one thing we didn't see enough of in the Netflix show, so more grapple cable action is welcome.

[The Joker]

SPOILERS ahead.

It's also rumoured that this is merely Bullseye's proto-costume and that he gets a more traditional costume towards the end of the series.

That's fortunate. I mean, it's a sad state of affairs when cosplayers and fan movies do a better job at keeping the visual flare these comic book characters have, rather than shy away from it.



Was beginning to think Bullseye was going to get the Batroc the Leaper treatment.