Daredevil: Born Again returns on Disney+ returning the hero back, beaten, but not broken! Born Again was storyline in Daredevil #227-233 by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. The episode title is interesting since the show has literally been resurrected from cancellation from Netflix which ran from 2015 to 2018. The limited series is executive produced by series creator, Drew Goddard. The episode is directed by Marc Jobst and written by Erik Oleson. Jobst was a director for two episodes of the original show. Oleson was the showrunner for the third season of Daredevil. The series began streaming on March 4th at Disney+. It opens to a distorted scream, an exposion with a body falling in the shape of a crucifix. We see that it is the face of Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox). He last appeared as Daredevil in the premiere episode of Echo. There is the sound of water and next to him is the flaming debris in the darkness. The imagery of falling into hell is great.
Then, there is water rushing out of a sewer tube, terrible sound effect it is like a babbling brook, not something from a city pipe. Matt is unconscious face wet from the rain. He pulls himself from the muck. Darkness. In the daylight, we see Matt’s bloody face on a NY street. It is distorted with a blurry man walking up to him. He tries to pick up a plastic bag, but Matt grabs his arm, and whispers, “Father Lantom. Clinton Church.” Matt’s arm drops as he fades back into unconsciousness. Water noise as we a blurry crucifix, Matt’s bloody face is underneath it. A nun is squeezing water from a towel. A distant voice of Father Lantom reassuring Sister Maggie. She wants to call 911 and Lantom answers that he is a vigilante and will be arrested. Sister Maggie about to call when Lantom admits that Matt is Jack Murdock’s son. She hangs up and then asks for wire cutters to remove his suit.
Matt flashes back to moments with Elektra (Elodie Yung). Elektra was not part of the Born Again story, but this is probably to explain her absence since Yung is now on the Cleaning Lady. They kiss. Darkness and roaring sounds. Matt struggles to waken, asks where is he, and Sister Maggie (Joanne Whalley) answers St. Agnes. The actress reprised her role as Sorsha in the Willow series. Sister Maggie first appeared in Daredevil #229 (1985), the third issue of the Born Again storyline. Perfect casting, the right amount of gentleness and toughness, the character is essential to the story since she has the religious side of Matt Murdock and his father, a boxer, had his fighting aspect. He checks his right ear. The nun responds to his question that he was there several weeks. Matt asks about Elektra. Matt’s torso is wrapped in bandages, but he forces himself to stand while the nun tries to get him to rest. He tries to get out of bed and falls on his back!
He repeats, “I can’t see!”, flashing back to when he was blinded as a boy. We see Matt looking up surrounded by darkness. Father Lantom (Peter McRobbie) talks to Matt when he regains consciousness. The character has been around since the first episode. He says the nuns know his identity, but Sister Maggie had them swear to keep the secret safe. Matt says Elektra was with him during the building collapse. Father Lantom says no one was seen gerting out of the building. Matt urns blocking out view of Father Lantom. The next day we see kids wonder if Matt is dead and then one asks what happened. Matt replies, “Life.” They are sent away by Sister Maggie (Joanne Whalley). Sister Maggie had taken care of him since he was blinded as a boy and calls him the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.” She knows he was Daredevil and asks if he is really blind. Matt says his accident gave him sharpened senses, now he is deaf in his right ear, and can’t walk to the bathroom.
She says he is well enough to leave(!?), asks if there is someone she can call, but he says, “There’s no one.” Not exactly charitable to kick out such a wounded person and her son. Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) is on the phone as she reaches apartment 6A. She was the office manager for Nelson and Murdock, it closed, and now she is a reporter for the New York Bulletin. A step up for the character, she was a down and out adult actress and exchanged Matt’s identity for drugs in the Born Again comic. Woll starred in the bio drama, Queen of the Ring (2024). Karen sees Matt who takes out his mask and says, “I’m Daredevil”, a flashback, current, she opens his closet to find the chest with his costume. he says she has been to an Indian restaurant. He can smell the curry, but she didn’t order anything, just a drink. Matt tells her that she is uncomfortable since he can hear her heartbeat, Karen says it is humiliating. A terrible reaction to a superhero reveal. In the comics, Karen learned of his identity in Daredevil #57 (1969).
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