‘They Disney’fied Daredevil’: Fans are disappointed by ‘Daredevil: Born Again’s predictable fate
Daredevil has finally made its triumphant return after seven long years of waiting, a billboard, a renewal campaign, and some rewrites. Give it time!
*Spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Episode 1 ahead*
Reactions to Daredevil: Born Again have been mixed so far, though overwhelmingly positive overall. The revival does not have quite the same gritty tone that Netflix’s Daredevil series did, but the Disney+ show does a good job of honoring that while also giving a little of its typical superhero feel. One of the things that I love about Daredevil: Born Again is that it trusts the viewer to already be familiar with Daredevil. You already know what makes these characters tick–it doesn’t need to be revisited at length.
On a discussion thread on Reddit for the first episode, “Heaven’s Half Hour,” one user spoke about their dissatisfaction on the show’s move to Disney, saying, “They Disney’ified Daredevil…It feels like every other Disney+ show. Entertaining enough to watch but requires you to turn off your brain and understand that nearly all the characters are generic paper cutout.”
I’m not sure how they watched Matt’s reaction to Foggy’s death and still came to that conclusion, or Deborah Ann Wohl’s performance while Karen tried to save him. Even Wilson Fisk, whose return from jail has not really been addressed, is given more depth this season as he tries to “go straight” as New York City’s Mayor.
Related: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ secretly lets Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ misstep off the hook, and nobody’s realized on We Got This Covered
Some Marvel fans are starting to like ‘Daredevil: Born Again’
It’s easy to compare Daredevil: Born Again to Daredevil, that is true. The original series was nothing short of a masterpiece, and remained in the zeitgeist even after its untimely cancelation, setting the bar for prestige Marvel television. However, even though it is not quite as dark and gritty as it was then, it seemed like the show is staying true to that even with a bit of a Disney filter to it.
Another Reddit user expressed their initial hesitation that quickly turned into admiration, saying, “Bit Ham on the CGI but wtf everything felt good…. Felt like the production just went up to a way bigger budget and the Netflix show is getting the love it deserves.”
The CGI did feel a bit out of place for Daredevil, but this is a bigger show with a bigger budget now. I’ll take a few CGI shots for a show shot pretty much entirely on location. This is what fans wanted for the original series, and I’m just happy it’s back.
People are quick now to judge whole shows before the season has even fully aired. Sometimes it takes shows a few episodes to build up to what it is meant to be. The first two episodes of Born Again, in my opinion, prove that that is exactly what this show is going to do.
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