Resist. Rebel. Rebuild. Sound familiar? In the wake of an all out war between the city of New York versus Wilson Fisk, Daredevil: Born Again sprinkles an all too real scenario into the Marvel proverbial soup. Free from the Disney sparkles and sunshine, the final two episodes (especially the finale) finally spread its wings and took off the way it was meant to be.
Mild spoilers ahead
The finale lets our heroes (and villains) go all out. We see some familiar faces, one of them being Frank Castle who’s had enough of this sh*t and decides to get in on the action. He’s shaved, got a haircut and armed to the teeth. He looks amazing. Matt is back in the suit doing what he does best which is beat the silly out of people except they’re corrupt cops. Or ex cops. Whatever you want to call them. They’re both kicking butt and taking names whereas Fisk is….well you’ll have to see for yourself what he does at one point. He really made the scene pop. Jaw dropping, really. Nothing was held back in this bloody finale and personally I’m grateful for it. It’s not very often I audibly gasp and go “oh my god” out loud.
But it wasn’t the gore and violence that gripped me. It was the constant reminder that a lot of what is happening on the show is currently happening in the US. In case you needed a refresh, here’s a rundown of what’s happening on the show that’s happening in our world:
- A criminal in office
- Borderline militarized police force
- “No due process” for vigilantes
- The rich taking advantage of the poor and vigilantes being a voice for the citizens
There are other sensitive topics but the above mentioned are just a couple that really stood out to me, the beginning quote at the start of this review being the BIG one. Matt says “We need an army” when talking about taking down Fisk, which we can only speculate that the people of New York will be that army or he’s going to get the Defenders crew back together. But back to what I was saying about similar scenarios; we need to start listening to what the show is saying. It’s telling audiences to their faces that society is broken and it needs to be fixed. Now I’m not saying to go out there and do what Punisher or Daredevil does. No. I’m not saying that. I’m saying that the people themselves are stronger than the bigwigs think and that’s what the vigilantes on the show represent. The power and resilience that average citizens hold. You don’t need a mask to make change. Or superpowers. Just fellow, like-minded individuals who want the future to be better and different for everyone.
Phenomenal show. Chef’s kiss. I think being so in tune with reality is what made it hit harder (minus the St. Patrick’s Day episode. Unnecessary filler if you ask me) and feel more genuine. It didn’t just focus on the hero side of Matt but more so on the human side; the one that had to balance work life with love, his identity, the repressed devil inside and his environment. Brilliant switch up that worked well in the show’s favor.
What can we expect from season two? They’re currently filming at the moment and I’ve seen some sneaky paparazzi photos online they’re spicy. That’s all I can say without spoiling things. So if you want to be spoiled, go look them up for yourself.
Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream now on Disney+.
Fandom Lair 