Last night’s Daredevil: Born Again finale landed on Disney+ and, honestly, it felt like both a punch to the gut and a promise of bigger things to come. Here’s my take—straight from the heart of our conversation on the podcast—and then a look at how the season holds together as a whole.
Finale First Impressions
The episode opens with Matt Murdock’s world turning upside down: a city‑wide blackout, Foggy Nelson gunned down on Bullseye’s orders, and Wilson Fisk firmly atop the mayor’s seat, laying brutal claim to Red Hook. I’ll admit, I liked it a lot, but I didn’t love it. The shock of Foggy’s death hit hard—charitably, it felt like “the calm before the storm,” as we said on air—but in the scramble to set up every plot thread, some of the emotional beats got a bit buried.
The Punisher’s return was a thrill, even if most of us saw it coming a mile away. That apartment fight—where Frank Castle blasts in with the shotgun and Matt has to reel him back—was spectacular choreography, but framing it in slow motion while Daredevil’s moves stayed crisp felt like an odd choice. And can we talk about that buzzing sound effect in Bullseye’s head? It’s a neat way to show trauma—and as we joked, maybe it’s just gunfire ringing in his skull—but it’s one of those details that really made me lean in… even if I wasn’t totally sure why it was so loud.
Scriptwise, the fingerprints of heavy reshoots are all over this finale. Vanessa’s dramatic reveal about Red Hook’s true purpose should have been sown in breadcrumbs—‘He’s never really left the Kingpin crown’—but instead it lands all at once, leaving us to backtrack. Heather’s flip from dubious psychiatrist to Fisk’s pawn felt too convenient, and Karen’s absence in key moments was a missed opportunity to ground Matt’s world in a little more heart.
Yet for all its rough edges, this finale delivers on the violence and ambition that made the season worth sticking with. Matt escapes the hospital, finds new allies, and stares down Fisk in a way that re‑energizes the series’ street‑level roots. It ends on a classic comic‑book tease—an army at the gates of Hell’s Kitchen—and I couldn’t wait to hit replay.
Season in Review
Over nine episodes, “Born Again” set out to answer a big question: what does Daredevil look like in the MCU? Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio anchor every scene, bringing just enough nostalgia for the Netflix days while carving fresh ground for this version of Hell’s Kitchen. The Punisher and Karen Page cameos reminded us of the wider Defenders universe, but it was the underdog heroes—Foggy, Heather, even the masked Bullseye—that kept us guessing.
The standout victories:
- Stunt work so kinetic it deserved every award nod it’s garnering. Those hallway brawls and rooftop chases weren’t just action scenes; they were story.
- Emotional stakes that finally leveraged the trauma motif—buzzing heads, ringing ears, pills lined up like dominos—rather than just another fight comic.
- A lean, nine‑episode arc that, despite reshoots, doesn’t outstay its welcome. Season 2’s early 2026 return can’t come soon enough.
On our scales, this finale lands at 3 out of 5—great moments, but a few too many narrative jumps. The season overall earns a 4 out of 5, thanks to bold performances, thrilling fights, and the promise of something darker on the horizon. If Marvel wanted a street‑level reset, they got it—brutal, messy, and a lot of fun.
gfpods.com 
Leave a comment