Daredevil: Strangled in the Cradle by Disney+!

I've been waiting a long time for Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again, and frankly, I'm gutted after watching it. Daredevil, Matt Murdock, he's never been your sunshine hero. He's a complex adult struggling in darkness, which is why I've always favored him. The old Netflix series absolutely nailed that quality, which still, in my book is the benchmark portrayal of the character. I had high hopes for Disney's reboot. But now, it looks like Disney is dead set on wrecking this IP.

The visuals are undeniably stunning. You can see exactly where the budget went and it proves that a Disney production is never below standard. For instance, the fight scene between Daredevil and Bullseye fight in the first episode is presented in a long take for over ten minutes. It feels so real like I was sitting right there near their duel, The thrill of it outshines a lot of Marvel movies I've watched in recent years.

But the show's narrative structure is a fatal flaw. It feels like two completely different stories forcibly stitched together.

The first and the last two episodes (Ep 8&9) tell one complete story: Daredevil and Kingpin's fated showdown—tense, familiar, hitting all the right notes. That's what I wanted to see. But from episode two through seven, the tone shifts drastically, almost like another show. A whole slew of new characters and events pop up out of nowhere, only to be wrapped up just as abruptly. Take the new girlfriend, Heather Glenn. She suddenly appears in episode two, instantly becomes Matt's lover, and then by episode seven, she's gone for no discernible reason. And the superhero White Tiger? He's there for a moment, and before I even got a good look at his costume, he's inexplicably killed off. The whole thing feels rushed, like they were just trying to meet a deadline, with characters treated like disposable plot devices.

It's like you've poured a perfect single malt whiskey, and then someone casually tops it off with half a glass of overly sweet fruit juice. Sure, it's well-produced. Each indivisual episode is carefully filmed – much better than the sloppy execution of Marvel's The Defenders back in the day. That was a real disappointment, especially after three seasons of Daredevil building up to a major confrontation, only for it to be so… casual. But if you watch all nine of these episodes back-to-back, something feels deeply wrong. These are clearly two different stories, so why jam them together?

This crude, jarring disconnect significantly lowers my overall opinion of the show, and the disappointment hits even harder when I think about how compelling Daredevil himself is, and how successful the Netflix version was. The character Matt Murdock's appeal lies in his imperfection. A blind lawyer by day, Hell's Kitchen's dark knight by night, walking that tightrope between law and vigilantism. He gets hurt, he bleeds, he doubts. Netflix captured all of these perfectly. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio 's performances were flawless. I was genuinely excited when Disney announced they were coming back.

The result? The higher the hopes, the harder the fall. All that familiar thrill from the first episode cools down in the next one. You'll know what I mean by the character Heather Glenn alone, his brief appearance and exit. It's not that he can't have a new love interest, but it's handled so sloppily, so much like a plot device. There's no real emotional groundwork, no authenticity—nothing like the natural chemistry he had with Karen Page.

These middle episodes are littered with these kinds of underdeveloped, abruptly ended plotlines. They don't enrich the main story; instead, they mess with the pacing and dilute the power of the core conflict. The Kingpin storyline, which should have provided a constant, oppressive tension, feels disjointed because of all these sidetracks. It's like my miserable weekend road trip last week. I took out my favorite Porsche Boxster, the GPS plotted the best route, but there was construction everywhere, forcing one detour after another. By the time I reached my destination, my enthusiasm was shot. Even great scenery couldn't save it.

When a show is put together like this, it's hard not to suspect problems with the production process. And now, various reports confirm it: major script rewrites and creative overhauls. This season of Daredevil was apparently forced through multiple reshoots, and the script was rewritten even after most of the filming was done.

The reason Daredevil was jerked around like this is because Disney executives kept changing their development plans for the IP. Sometimes they wanted to ditch the Netflix supporting cast and reboot; other times, they felt a complete reset was too risky. In my opinion, this is a classic case of "clueless suits meddling," or too many decision-makers with no unified creative vision. Daredevil, an IP with such depth and potential, is a prime asset. To mess it up this badly isn't just disrespectful to the art; it's commercially shortsighted.

Word is that Daredevil's next season has already finished filming and is in post-production. So, it might be an arbitrary conclusion that Daredevil was "killed" by Disney+ as in the title. The character is still around, and the story might continue. But the "rebirth" this time is an undeniable failure.

I'll still keep an eye on Daredevil. But my expectations have hit rock bottom. I hope Disney realizes what's broken and gives this character the treatment he deserves, just like how my Porsche Boxster occasionally needs a trip to the shop, Unfortunately, for now, it serves no more than just a warning that even a great hand can be fumbled by those who don't know its value. For a fan like me, who's genuinely invested in this, it's a real damn shame.

Catch you later for more movie musings!