Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born Again season 1.Daredevil: Born Againhas become one of the darkest releases in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and with nine episodes, season 1 adds many of the franchise’s most exciting entries on Disney+. AfterNetflix’s The Defenders Sagaoffered a more mature group of MCU shows,Marvel Studios' TV serieson Disney+ came to expand the franchise in surprising new directions.Daredevil: Born Againis the perfect link between those two phases of Marvel’s TV plans.
The show was initially set to be much more standalone, butMarvel ended up switching creative teams after production was already in a deep stageto make it closer to Netflix’sDaredevil. The result is a show that has episodes that feel more in line with the darker and more violent tone of the originalDaredevilseries, while others are more procedural-like, part of the MCU team’s first vision. WithDaredevil: Born Againseason 2confirmed, the MCU series can take a few lessons from what worked in season 1.
9"Optics"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2
Episode 2 is the firstDaredevil: Born Againepisode to have been helmed by the original creative team and mixed with elements brought in by new showrunner Dario Scardapane, who worked on Netflix’sThe Punisheras a writer. As with all episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1, episode 2 is a great entry in the MCU. However,it ranks last because it is more of a setup for future episodes.
The second episode of the Daredevil seriesintroduces White Tiger to the MCUas Hector Ayala will have to stand trial for allegedly murdering a cop. The show reveals Hector was trying to save someone the cops were beating on, did not even know they were cops, and played only an accidental role in Officer Shanahan’s death. Episode 2 is made to set up White Tiger’s trial and see Matt Murdock have a violent outburst at the end to start his path to returning as Daredevil.
8"Sic Semper Systema"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4
Episode 4, ranking this low on the list, might come as a surprise to some. It is true that the hour saw one of the elements fans had been looking forward to the most in the show, which wasthe return of Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, aka the Punisher. While the character only appeared at the end of the episode for an extended conversation with Matt Murdock, Frank’s first appearance was crucial for Daredevil’s story.
After pretending everything was okay for a few episodes, the Punisher was the only one able to call Matt out and make him deal with his feelings over Foggy’s death. Episode 4 also delved deeper into the mystery of who Adam was, with Wilson and Vanessa Fisk opening up about how she cheated on him with Adam to Heather Glenn during a therapy session. Then, it is revealed thatKingpin imprisoned Adam in a remote facility. Muse also arrives in his lair to show victims hanging on hooks, setting up his growing role.
7"With Interest"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 5
Daredevil: Born Againepisode 5 is the show’s most distinct episode. There are some notable positives and negatives to its formula, withepisode 5 being a bottle episode. What that means is the hour tells a mostly self-contained story, which is common for TV shows with over 20 episodes, but hard to find amid streaming series. Episode 5 takes place almost entirely in a bank as a heist to get the money Luca was told to pay Viktor by Buck.
Matt Murdock and Yusuf Khan set up a dinner at the latter’s home, opening the door for Daredevil and Ms. Marvel to meet in the MCU.
Up until that moment,Daredevil: Born Againhad not seen many action scenes. Episode 5 allowed the show to go into that space, presenting a fun hour that sawMatt Murdock as one of the hostages in a bank robbery, with the hero taking out most of the robbers without revealing his secret identity. The addition of Ms. Marvel’s father, Yusuf Khan, as Matt’s new friend in the episode is exciting. While the MCU cameo was great and the action exciting, episode 5 ranks here due to its few connections to the larger story.
6"Heaven’s Half Hour"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 1
Daredevil: Born Againwould always have included Foggy Nelson’s death, but the initial plan was to have it happen offscreen, starting instead with Matt’s reaction to it. The new showrunner of the MCU series scrapped that to bring back Elden Henson as Foggy and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page to allow fans to see how the trio had fulfilled their dream of starting a law firm together from the end ofDaredevilseason 3.
The reason episode 1 does not rank higher is due to how much it had to pack in a limited time.
The first episode of the new MCU series had many ties to the original Netflix show, as well as gripping action.Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye was as frightening as he had been previously, and his fight scenes with Daredevil, as well as Foggy’s death, were handled with care. The reason episode 1 does not rank higher is due to how much it had to pack in a limited time. That said, the setup for Matt’s new life after Foggy’s death and Kingpin’s mayoral role was done well.
5"Art for Art’s Sake"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 7
Episode 7 is the one to really feature Matt back as Daredevil. While he donned his superhero suit in episode 6, that only happened at the very end. The Muse storyline had been built up over the first half of the season, leading to two episodes that went all-in on it.Episode 7 was the final one to feature Muse in season 1, and that led to exciting and shocking moments.
Muse’s secret identity was finally revealed, withWednesday’s Hunter Doohan playing Bastian Cooper. He goes into a session with Heather, and it is there that he reveals she was the inspiration Bastian needed to let his Muse persona roam free. Daredevil’s fight with Muse in Heather’s office was impactful.Heather being the one to kill Muse, shooting him before nearly dying from blood loss, was surprising. Finally, Muse’s death allowed Kingpin’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force to elevate its power, as the mayor claimed authorship for the serial killer’s death.
4"Excessive Force"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 6
Daredevil: Born Againepisode 6 is one of the most important episodes of the MCU series. It marks Matt Murdock’s realization that he needs to return to being Daredevil. Throughout the season, Matt fought his violent urges and tried to get justice through the legal system. However, not wanting to see Hector Ayala’s niece, Angela del Toro, die as her uncle had, Matt decides not to wait for the police andbecomes Daredevil again to save her from Muse.
That major decision is one of the main reasons why episode 6 ranks so high on the list. Another factor is Daredevil and Muse’s fight in the serial killer’s lair. This was the first fight between the two, and while their struggle in episode 7 was exciting, the fight choreography for Daredevil and Muse’s battle in episode 6 was better. It also marked Fisk’s return to his Kingpin ways,fighting Adam for fun and creating his Anti-Vigilante Task Force.
3"Isle of Joy"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 8
Now, onto the three best episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1. Interestingly, two out of the three were mostly, if not fully, made of ideas brought in by the show’s new creative team. Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye might not have had a lot of screen time in season 1, but whenever he was onscreen, he made sure it counted. Episode 8 is a transformative entry in the Marvel series thatuses Bullseye in a key role.
This is the episode where Matt realizes it was not Kingpin who hired Bullseye to kill Foggy, but Vanessa. There is a lot of tension that comes with that reveal, upping the stakes for the episode. Bullseye’s escape from prison is gritty, bloody, and perfect for him. To cap it off, Matt discovers Heather is the Fisks' therapist and ends the episode bysaving the life of his biggest enemy, Kingpin, taking a bullet on Fisk after Bullseye shot to kill him. That ending makes episode 8 one of the MCU’s most shocking entries.
2"The Hollow of His Hand"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 3
The initialDaredevil: Born Againcreative team put more focus on Matt Murdock’s life as a lawyer than on Daredevil’s action scenes. While that led to some setbacks, it also resulted in one of the best episodes of any MCU series. Episode 3 is the one with the biggest focus on the legal side of the character. As he did on Netflix’sDaredevil,Charlie Cox knocked all of Matt’s courtroom scenes off the park.
Episode 3 allowedDaredevil: Born Againto showcase how courtroom scenes can be as thrilling as superhero action when done right. The White Tiger storyline had epic moments, with Hector’s identity being revealed and Matt winning the case. It also had an extremely sad ending, witha corrupt cop using the Punisher logo on his vest to kill White Tiger and blame Frank Castle. Episode 3 is the best that can be showcased of Matt’s world, with no other episode in season 1 featuring a better depiction of the lawyer’s work.
1"Straight to Hell"
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 9
Finally, theDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 finale ended up being the best episode of the season. Fully conceived by the Marvel series' new creative team, the hour tied the show close together to Netflix’sDaredevil. Karen Page’s return did a lot of the work in that direction, with her chemistry with Matt making Heather Glenn be forgotten rather quickly. Another major return was that of the Punisher.Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle puts an epic ending to the corrupt cops' storyline.
Echo
Alaqua Cox
Seeing the Punisher mercilessly kill many of Fisk’s troops was exciting.Frank and Matt have a complex dynamic, with their team-up leading to the return of an interesting debate about superheroes' morality. The season 1 finale did a good job of finishing many of the show’s biggest storylines while setting upDaredevil: Born Againseason 2 to be even more exciting now that Daredevil is building an army to take the city back from Mayor Fisk, who won the first round.
