Actor Charlie Cox makes his superhero comeback in Daredevil: Born Again

LOS ANGELES – Fans of the superhero Daredevil, Marvel’s blind lawyer-turned-vigilante, were crestfallen when Netflix abruptly cancelled the acclaimed series Daredevil (2015 to 2018).

The character then languished in a sort of legal limbo after Netflix and Marvel ended their collaboration, as their original deal stipulated that characters in this and other cancelled Marvel series could not appear in any non-Netflix title for at least two years.

So, it was three years before crimson-suited crusader Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) – who uses his heightened senses to fight crime in New York – popped up briefly in the superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

This was followed by appearances in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022) and Echo (2024).

But he is finally reclaiming the spotlight and dispensing his brand of gritty street justice in Daredevil: Born Again, a new Disney+ show debuting on March 5.

The character, however, has changed and is not quite the devil you know.

In a recent press conference over Zoom, Cox, 42, says Matt has done some soul-searching in the latest series, which sees him fight for justice through his law firm and clash once again with former crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio).

“Matt has suffered a trauma,” says the British actor, who also appeared in the period crime drama Boardwalk Empire (2010 to 2014).

“And that has meant he’s had to rethink and re-find his identity in a way that is probably more profound than we’ve seen before.

“He ends up going down a path which I think is best described as a Band-Aid that will have to be ripped off slowly and painfully.”

But he offers some reassurance to fans of the earlier series. “It’s the same Matt Murdock, essentially – just influenced by his experiences.”

Cox did some soul-searching of his own following the shock cancellation of the original Daredevil show, which happened shortly after Netflix series Iron Fist (2017 to 2018) and Luke Cage (2016 to 2018) were canned as well.

The axe fell because of some feud between Netflix and Disney, he says in a recent interview with GQ magazine. And in the months that followed, he experienced a “grief-like process” because the cast and crew of the show had become like family.

He even met his wife – 39-year-old American Samantha Thomas, with whom he has two children aged four and eight – when she worked as a producer on Season 1.

And he recalls telling her, when D’Onofrio insisted the cancellation was temporary and the show would be brought back: “He’s delusional. He’s got to move on.”

But D’Onofrio has been vindicated, and he is as happy as his co-star to be reprising his role and working together once again.

“We just like doing scenes together,” says the 65-year-old American actor, who played a New York City detective in the crime procedural Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001 to 2011).

And like Matt, his character, Wilson – also known as Kingpin – has been traumatised by his experiences. “Although we’re trying to live in the daylight, the two of us, we’re broken men. It’s a struggle that they’re going through.”

And Daredevil: Born Again showcases a slightly different Wilson as well.

“He’s the same guy he was in the Netflix show, but he’s got a new plan.

“First thing he’s got to do is sort things out with his wife, because he’s been gone for a while. That turns into something extremely exciting.

“And then he has a plan to stretch his reach,” he teases.

One of the show’s creators, Dario Scardapane, says it will tackle both the power struggle between the two characters as well as their internal conflict.

“There’s a humanity to both these characters and there’s a struggle both of them have with their dark passengers,” says the 58-year-old American writer-producer.

“And then they’re battling each other,” he adds.

“We put them together, shake them up, then let them go. They did that brilliantly in the earlier show, and we’re just trying to be an evolution of that.”