The first season of the American television series Daredevil: Born Again is based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Daredevil. It sees blind lawyer and former vigilante Matt Murdock's fight for justice put him on a collision course with former mob boss Wilson Fisk, who is elected mayor of New York City. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and sharing continuity with the films and television series of the franchise, Born Again is a revival and continuation of Marvel Television and Netflix's Daredevil (2015–2018). The season was produced by Marvel Studios under its own Marvel Television label, with Dario Scardapane as showrunner and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as lead directors.
Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil from Marvel's Netflix television series and prior Marvel Studios productions, starring alongside Vincent D'Onofrio (Fisk), Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer, Kamar de los Reyes, Jon Bernthal, Mohan Kapur, and Tony Dalton. Development on a new Daredevil series began by March 2022, with head writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord giving it an episodic structure and lighter tone than the original series. Born Again was announced in July 2022 with a planned 18-episode first season. Filming began in March 2023 in New York, with Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd directing blocks of episodes. Filming was suspended in June due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Marvel Studios decided to overhaul the series by late September and released Corman, Ord, and the remaining directors. Scardapane, Benson, and Moorhead were hired to rework Born Again and connect it to the Netflix series. They added a new pilot, two additional episodes, and serialized elements. Filming for the nine-episode first season resumed in January 2024 and wrapped in April, with Nachmanoff and Boyd returning to assist Benson and Moorhead. Cuesta, Nachmanoff, and Boyd retained credit for their episodes.
The first season premiered on the streaming service Disney+ on March 4, 2025, with its first two episodes. The other seven episodes were released through April 15, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. Viewership was estimated to be high, and reviews from critics were generally positive. They highlighted the character-driven storytelling and performances, particularly those of Cox and D'Onofrio, but there were mixed feelings on how the season compares to the original Daredevil series, and many critics acknowledged that the seams of the creative overhaul are visible. The season received several accolades, including a Saturn Award nomination. A second season was confirmed in August 2024. __TOC__
Episodes
Cast and characters
Main
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil:A blind lawyer with superhuman senses from Hell's Kitchen, New York, who leads a double life as a masked vigilante. At the start of the season, Murdock focuses on being a lawyer due to the collateral damage that comes with being a vigilante and concerns about how effective that approach has been. Eli D. Goss guest stars as a young Murdock. Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin:A powerful businessman and crime lord, who becomes the mayor of New York City. D'Onofrio said the tone for his character in the Disney+ series Echo (2024) would continue in Born Again, which he believed was how the character was best portrayed. The season sees Fisk amassing power and "flexing his darkness" to "basically gaslight a city, and then eventually a country, and then eventually a world". Margarita Levieva as Heather Glenn:A therapist and Murdock's love interest. She and Murdock have differing views on vigilantism which Cox said "leads to some poignant conversations" between the couple. Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page:A former reporter and Murdock's friend and partner at the Nelson, Murdock & Page law firm. Because it had been years since she last played the character in Daredevil (2015–2018), Woll was concerned about her performance feeling like an impression of herself. However, she found her return to be natural given the rapport she has with Cox and Elden Henson. Page was not originally planned to be included in the series and was only added after it underwent a creative overhaul. Showrunner Dario Scardapane said the character was not in the season as much as he would have liked and would have a larger role in future seasons. Elden Henson as Franklin "Foggy" Nelson:Murdock's best friend and law partner, who is killed at the start of the series. Similar to Woll, Henson said returning to the role after seven years felt natural and not like he was doing an impression of himself. Cox described Nelson as "the heartbeat" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and said his death was "really hard". Wilson Bethel as Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter / Bullseye:A psychopathic assassin and former FBI agent who is a highly skilled marksman capable of using almost any object as a lethal projectile. After Dex masqueraded as Daredevil for Fisk in Daredevil, Fisk broke Dex's back and he underwent surgery using the metal alloy Cogmium, which enhanced his body. Zabryna Guevara as Sheila Rivera: Fisk's mayoral campaign director Nikki M. James as Kirsten McDuffie: A former New York assistant district attorney and Murdock's new law partner at the law firm Murdock & McDuffie Genneya Walton as BB Urich: A journalist for The BB Report and the niece of Ben Urich, who was killed by Fisk in Daredevil Arty Froushan as Buck Cashman: Fisk's right-hand man and fixer Clark Johnson as Cherry:A retired New York Police Department (NYPD) officer who works with Murdock as his investigator. Johnson modeled Cherry after Roy Scheider's character Buddy "Cloudy" Russo in the film The French Connection (1971). Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake: Fisk's protégé and member of his mayoral campaign Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk:Wilson's wife, who took over his criminal empire while he was away. Vanessa struggles with losing control of what she made successful, and longs for the "worse" version of Wilson rather than the version that is attempting to do good as mayor. Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff described their relationship as a "twisted" love story. Sandrine Holt was originally cast as Vanessa for Born Again. After the series' creative overhaul, Zurer—who portrayed the character in Daredevil—was brought back. Kamar de los Reyes as Hector Ayala / White Tiger:A vigilante whose enhanced powers come from the mystical Amulet of Power. Executive producer Sana Amanat said Ayala becomes a reflection of Murdock's own journey in the season. De los Reyes privately battled with cancer while filming the season and died before it was released. Director Michael Cuesta said the actor was determined to portray the character despite struggling with pain during filming. Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher:A vigilante who aims to fight the criminal underworld by any means necessary, no matter how lethal the results are, following the brutal murder of his family. Castle is "the devil on [Murdock's] shoulder" pushing him to become Daredevil again. Bernthal said the season was a "toe dip", re-introducing Castle following Daredevil and its spin-off series The Punisher (2017–2019), to see if the creatives could "let Frank be what Frank is". He wanted the character to be dark, psychologically complex, and challenging for the audience, and felt the season "opened the door to getting closer to the Frank Castle that I really, really want to portray". Bernthal credited the series' approach to Scardapane, who was a writer on The Punisher; the stunt team; and Nick Koumalatsos, a former member of the Marine Raiders who helped Bernthal prepare. While training for the season at a gun range, Bernthal crossed paths with Thomas Jane who played the character in the Lionsgate film The Punisher (2004). The two discussed the character, which Bernthal appreciated. Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan: A Pakistani-American citizen from Jersey City who works as an assistant bank manager at New York Mutual and is the father of the superhero Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne / Swordsman: A wealthy socialite who is secretly a sword-wielding vigilante
Recurring
Patrick Murney as Luca: A criminal and leader of one of the Five Families Ruibo Qian as Angie Kim: An NYPD detective. Qian previously played Mei in the first season of Marvel's Netflix television series Jessica Jones (2015).
Hamish Allan-Headley as Connor Powell: A corrupt NYPD officer and a member of Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF). His first name was confirmed offscreen. Hunter Doohan as Bastian Cooper / Muse: A masked serial killer who makes art with the blood of his victims. He is a patient of, and obsessed with, Glenn. Michael Gaston as Gallo: The NYPD Commissioner. Gaston previously played Gerald Sharpe in the seventh season of the Marvel Television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2020). Ashley Marie Ortiz as Soledad Ayala: Hector's wife
Camila Rodriguez as Angela del Toro: Hector Ayala's niece
Jeremy Isaiah Earl as Cole North: An NYPD sergeant from Chicago and a member of the AVTF
Guest Cillian O'Sullivan as Devlin: A criminal behind a hijacking and later a bank robbery Gino Anthony Pesi as Viktor: A criminal and leader of one of the Five Families Susan Varon as Josie: The owner of Josie's Bar
John Benjamin Hickey as Benjamin Hochberg: The New York City district attorney. Hickey previously played Peter Lyonne in the third season of Jessica Jones (2019). Andrew Polk as Fitzgerald "Jerry" Cooper: A New York City judge. Polk previously played Morty Bennett in the first season of The Punisher (2017). Nick Jordan as Nicky Torres: An informant who was accosted by corrupt NYPD officers Jefferson Cox as Kel Shanahan: A corrupt NYPD officer who is accidentally killed while fighting Ayala
Elizabeth A. Davis as Sofija Ozola: A New York City prosecutor Charlie Hudson III as Leroy Bradford: A homeless man who commits a petty crime and is represented by Murdock Lou Taylor Pucci as Adam: An artist who had an affair with Vanessa and is taken captive by Fisk
Jimmy Palumbo as Johnny Santini: A New York City Department of Sanitation worker
Daniel Gerroll as Arthur Sledge: A socialite and Artemis's husband Katherine LaNasa as Artemis Sledge: A socialite and the wife of Arthur Sledge
Andrew Call as Thomas Madison: A wealthy client of Murdock & McDuffie who is charged with fraud
Additionally, news anchor Pat Kiernan appears as himself after doing so in various other MCU projects.
Production Development A reboot of Marvel's Netflix television series Daredevil (2015–2018) was reported to be in development with Marvel Studios in March 2022. The series was confirmed to be in development for Disney+ in late May, with Matt Corman and Chris Ord attached as head writers and executive producers. At San Diego Comic-Con that July, the series was announced as Daredevil: Born Again and was revealed to have 18 episodes for its first season. Directors were hired for blocks of episodes: Michael Cuesta joined in March 2023 to direct the first two episodes; Jeffrey Nachmanoff joined in May to direct the third and fourth episodes; David Boyd directed the fifth and sixth episodes; and Clark Johnson, a director on the Marvel Netflix series Luke Cage (2016–2018), also joined in May to direct another two episodes. Actor Tom Hiddleston, who portrays Loki in the MCU and is a close friend of star Charlie Cox, was also hired to direct an episode in the later half of the season.