4
Credit: Inside the MagicPresently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is in the midst of Phase Five, the second chapter of the post-Avengers: Endgame story called the Multiverse Saga. Within The Walt Disney Company’s realm, Marvel Studios has attempted to broaden its narrative horizons, incorporating a variety of superhero groups beyond the core Avengers.
At the San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Kevin Feige revealed that the MCU intends to introduce specialized teams equipped to tackle diverse threats, spanning cosmic-level, supernatural-level, and street-level challenges.
At the forefront of expanding superhero narratives on Earth stand Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock/Daredevil, now appointed as Marvel’s leaders for the street-level branch of the MCU.
Marvel Studios has the responsibility of reintroducing the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen to the present MCU audience, considering the character’s absence since the conclusion of the Netflix Marvel Daredevil series in 2015, based on Frank Miller’s comic book hero of the same name, which was abruptly halted in 2018 following the announcement of Disney+ (Disney Plus).
Related: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Leaks, Everything We Know So Far
Previously, Marvel President Kevin Feige had promised fans that the Man Without Fear would be joining the MCU for an 18-episode run for the first season of the newly rebooted Daredevil: Born Again. Originally, the series was meant to be more of a soft reboot of the film, serving as “Season One, not Season Four” of the Netflix series.
Now, it appears as if Feige will renege on earlier promises Daredevil: Born Again, as insiders come forward with a new report regarding the reshuffling of Born Again‘s Season One episode count, with evidence that Disney are interested in multiple seasons following the fan-favorite character.
Daredevil: Born Again — Changed Again
Related: Disney Finally Listens to Fans, Scraps Old MCU Approach
Originally, fans expressed upset at the direction the Daredevil follow-up was taking, with unnecessary recasting choices like Sandrine Holt replacing Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk, and the absence of Matt Murdock’s close allies and legal colleagues Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson).
With mounting fan apprehension and the recent lukewarm reception of Marvel Studios’ projects, Feige discarded Born Again‘s initial half-season worth of content entirely, deciding it was not the direction the studio wanted to move towards. This involved firing all writers and creatives linked to the project, opting instead to assemble an entirely new creative team.
According to known Marvel insider Charles Murphy, it seems as if Daredevil: Born Again will be cut down to nine episodes from the originally slated 18 for “Part 1/Season 1”. Rumors right up to this news had indicated that Disney was thinking of an episode count more in line with the original Netflix series, of 13 episodes.
Murphy posted to X (formerly Twitter) detailing the following:
It was ordered for 18 total episodes. I think Part 1/Season 1 is 9.
(quoted) Nerd al Quadrato: And do you think the episodes are going to be like the Netflix one? Like 13 per season or so, or there’s gonna be more?
It was ordered for 18 total episodes. I think Part 1/Season 1 is 9. https://t.co/dH7MwB93ug
— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 9, 2024
He additionally clarified that there will be “multiple seasons” of Born Again, replying to a fan query about more than one season with a simple:
Yep
(quoted) Nerd al Quadrato: Do you believe we’ll get multiple seasons of Born Again?
— Charles Murphy (@_CharlesMurphy) March 9, 2024
The Daredevil: Born Again Marvel TV series is also poised to delve into the theme of villains, vigilantes, and moral ambiguity, with the MCU’s take on Daredevil’s rogue’s gallery from Marvel Comics, introducing new enemies while welcoming back familiar faces. In this new storyline, Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye/Benjamin Poindexter AKA Dex, is set to return, alongside Jon Bernthal’s Punisher/Frank Castle, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock, and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin/Wilson Fisk.
Currently, we do not know whether the Daredevil: Born Again story will be expanded in their new “Season 2”, or if the second “season” will merely be the original “Season 1” cut in half.
The forthcoming Marvel television series is currently being filmed in New York City under the direction of filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Moon Knight, Loki). Philip Silvera, the stunt coordinator of the famed “hallway fight” scene on the original Netflix series, has also been brought on board, alongside other familiar faces from the Netflix show.
This is all part of a concerted effort to realign Born Again as a “Season 4” of the Netflix show, despite previous promises. Whether all of this will pay off for Marvel fans dying to see Matt Murdock and his friends once again, is yet to be seen.
What do you think about Disney reducing Daredevil: Born Again‘s episode count once again? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!