After a successful Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, I'm thoroughly convinced that the show's reshoots were absolutely necessary

Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 has officially wrapped up. And it was quite something. Not just on screen but behind the scenes too.

I was skeptical when Marvel first announced the show. There were rumors about some major character cuts which made me feel like this wouldn’t really be the Daredevil I knew and loved.

But then the first episode dropped. We saw a fan favorite just thrown right out of the gate. Foggy's death actually worked for me. It kept me glued. Seeing Karen Page again was another reason I decided to keep watching. And Bullseye made a comeback. I honestly thought I’d never see these characters in the show.

And it was worth it. This wasn’t only a reboot. It was totally reshaped. They changed what they originally thought of for the show and brought in new creative leads. They even made a new pilot episode from scratch.

Those moves behind the scenes, along with others, saved Daredevil: Born Again. The reshoots might just be the best decision Marvel has made in a long time.

Disclaimer: The article reflects the author's opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

Daredevil: Born Again - What really saved the show

Daredevil: Born Again doesn’t try to win you over with its fight scenes, and that's what I liked about the show. They were definitely there, but what really sells it is the characters. You can sense the emotional burden each character carries.

Heartbreak greets us right at the beginning of the show. Foggy was Matt Murdock’s best friend and also kept him morally in check.

Matt is devastated in the starting of Daredevil: Born Again. He gives up on his Daredevil persona out of guilt. He is often seen struggling between his two versions. The lawyer who is trying to move on from the past and the masked vigilante who knows he can't stay away from it forever.

Karen Page leaving the city only worsens it all for him. His inner feelings are just laid bare for us all to witness. And it feels pretty real and raw.

Fisk initially appears to be calm and patient. But we all know his Kingpin self won't stay hidden for long. All it took was one betrayal for his mask to slip.

I honestly thought that maybe Fisk really didn't have anything to do with Adam. But Marvel confirmed he is still the Kingpin we all knew.

The concept of mask runs deep in this show. Not just the physical masks but also the metaphorical ones too. Daredevil: Born Again shows the concept of duality in a kind of way that feels fresh.

Even new characters are used to explore this concept further. Dr. Heather Glenn is the counselor who becomes Matt's new girlfriend. She is researching the psychology of people in masks in Daredevil: Born Again. And that makes her relationship with Matt pretty complicated.

Heather joins Fisk as his Commissioner for Mental Health by the end of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. And that didn’t really surprise me. We kind of saw it coming, didn’t we? She was already siding with Fisk's agenda on vigilantes.

Matt has been questioning the justice system for years. He has not given up hope yet. But Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 makes it even more interesting by having his own love interest become part of that very system he doubts.

The reshoots and fresh creative direction definitely made things better. But that’s not what actually saved Daredevil: Born Again, or MCU for that matter. It’s the moral grounds it touched upon for me. It's the slow burns and the gradual tension that make this revival worth waiting for.

Daredevil: Born Again - Marvel hit reset and maybe that’s a good thing

Daredevil: Born Again was originally supposed to have 18 episodes. But that didn't work, so they decided to have nine episodes in one season. They also switched the creative team.

That’s when The Punisher writer Dario Scardapane came in as showrunner, and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead jumped on board. They reimagined the show and decided to go back to what made the original Daredevil so special.

But Daredevil: Born Again unintentionally highlighted a bigger issue at Marvel Studios. Deadpool & Wolverine was one of 2024’s top-grossing movies.

But the rest of the recent MCU lineup was pretty average. Thor: Love and Thunder and Captain America: Brave New World didn’t really bring much to the table.

And Black Widow got her standalone after she died. It appears as if Marvel has lost its sense of direction.

Even the studio’s strategy seems all over the place now. There are several spinoffs and side projects, but the quality is debatable.

Daredevil: Born Again isn’t mindblowing. It doesn't have good pacing. It has some tonal hiccups. But it is worth a watch simply for the characters. It is a successful first season.

Marvel can revive itself if it can have more of this grounded and character-driven sort of storytelling. And if not? At least we’ve got Daredevil back. And that’s honestly a win already.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage on Daredevil: Born Again.

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Edited by Parishmita Baruah