Daredevil: Born Again Footage Reaction: Matt Murdock And Kingpin Go Full Michael Mann's Heat [D23]

It's been a bit of a rocky ride for fans of the Man Without Fear, better known as the Marvel comics hero Daredevil. It all started with a rather disappointing big screen outing in 2003 with Ben Affleck playing everyone's favorite blind crime-fighting lawyer, then a rather spectacular Netflix series that ran for three seasons starting in 2015, starring Charlie Cox as Daredevil. Unfortunately, the Netflix Marvel shows came to an end and it looked like that might be the last any of us would get to see of the character, but then the MCU scooped him up and changed the character's whole on-screen trajectory. Cox's Daredevil had a brief appearance in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and appeared in the Disney+ series "She-Hulk," preparing audiences to dive back into the seedier, darker side of Marvel before "Marvel's Echo," which set the stage for "Daredevil: Born Again." 

/Film's own Jacob Hall is on the ground at the D23 Expo, where Disney is announcing all of the latest and greatest news on its upcoming projects, including "Daredevil: Born Again." Will we get a glimpse of Bullseye? A look at Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio)? Whatever it is, loyal Daredevil fans are going to be stoked just to get a tiny taste. 

If you were worried that "Daredevil: Born Again" might be lighter than the Netflix series, fret not. The footage played at D23 is plenty "grimy and nasty," per Jacob, striking the same tone and visual aesthetic as the original "Daredevil" TV series. If you liked that, "Born Again" looks more of the same (yay!).

As for the footage, it opens with Matt Murdock brooding, as he's wont to do. It appears as if Matt is acting as legal representation for a character known as White Tiger, a self-righteous vigilante character created by Bill Mantlo, Yvette Perez, and George Pérez who is given enhanced strength/reflexes by a magical tiger-themed amulet. Confusingly, the footage also seemed to show another character with a similar black and white costume to White Tiger's, which could be Muse, a deranged artist created by "Daredevil" comic writer Charles Soule and artist Ron Garney. Here's what Muse looks like in the comics, for reference.

Marvel Comics

"People need a hero," one of them says to Matt from behind prison glass. It's worth noting that the comic "Daredevil Trial of the Century" by Brian Michael Bendis and Manuel Gutierrez features Matt Murdock defending White Tiger, who has been framed for murder while crimefighting, so the show could be taking inspiration from that storyline.

Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk stands on a rooftop, looking sinister (he wears a brown suit and tie, trying to look respectable as he prepares to run for, or maybe even already is, Mayor of New York City). Jon Bernthal's Punisher pushes Matt against a locker and raises a hatchet to hit him. The footage cuts back to Fisk beating a guy to the ground (ala his famous murder with a car door in "Daredevil" season 1 episode 4, "In The Blood").

Matt opens a cabinet and reveals an entire row of Daredevil masks, all in different colors. Matt and Fisk meet in a diner, clearly inspired by the famous scene of adversaries (Al Pacino and Robert De Niro) sitting down for coffee in Michael Mann's "Heat." "This caution you're giving me, who's it from? Matt Murdock or your darker half?" Fisk laughs.

Cue a hard-hitting montage of Daredevil in his classic red costume, beating dudes to a pulp. The sequence appears to be bits from several different fights cut together, but each punch comes with piercing sound design — these hits are loud and visceral.

"What kind of lawyer are you?" someone asks Matt as he finishes a fight in civilian garb and picks up his broken glasses. "A good one," Matt answers.

"Daredevil: Born Again" premieres on Disney+ in March 2025.