Daredevil: Born Again’s second season revived a lost aspect from the original Netflix series. The reboot continues the story told over three seasons on Netflix’s Daredevil, but the first season ofDaredevil: Born Again faced several challenges during its adaptation for Disney+. Following a full creative overhaul midway through Season 1’s production, Daredevil: Born Again managed to find its footing, and the second season came back only stronger
Daredevil has always been a unique character in Marvel’s roster. He is a blind martial arts expert with enhanced senses, and his Catholic upbringing conflicts with his superhero identity. By day, he continues to fight for justice as the lawyer, Matt Murdock. As a result, Daredevil was always a mix of legal drama, superhero action, and dark interpersonal themes, such as existential doubt. Due to development issues with Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, the show suffered something of an identity crisis when it debuted in 2025, serving as part legal procedural and part superhero drama, yet often omitting the religious aspects of Matt Murdock’s life.
Throughout the Netflix series, Murdock’s Catholic faith and upbringing were interwoven with the conflict in his daily life as a superhero. Murdock would often visit the church in the series and seek the advice of Father Paul Lantom (Peter McRobbie). Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight told IGN at the time of the show’s release that Matt Murdock’s religiousness is“vital to the character,” and that to not include it would be “incredibly disingenuous.”Â
“Matt Murdock is, I think, one of the most, if not the most, religious characters in the Marvel Universe, with the heroes. His Catholicism is so much part of his being and part of his conflict, I think it would be incredibly disingenuous to attempt to do the show where that’s not a big part of it.”
Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 skated over Murdock’s religious interpersonal conflict, but Season 2 brought it back in a much more significant way, and in doing so returned an element that had been missing from the Netflix reboot thus far
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Has Faith
While much of Daredevil: Born AgainSeason 1 was focused on getting the show back on its feet and re-establishing these characters within the mainstream MCU, Season 2 had a lot more room to dig further into Daredevil as a character and to bring back some of the elements from the Netflix series that were missing, including the religious ones
While Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 isn’t as overtly religious as the Netflix series, the sophomore season introduces several more moments and themes tied to faith
The most obvious instances are the times that Matt visits church throughout the season. In Season 2, Episode 5, Daredevil hides Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), in a church as they escape the AVTF, who are pursuing the latter for attempting to kill Vanessa Fisk. While they sit on the pews recovering, Bullseye and Daredevil discuss their inability to outrun their demons. When the AVTF comes searching for them, Bullseye asks Daredevil to leave him to die, and Matt has a moment to decide whether he can truly save them both or not.Â
The idea of personal demons and of saving or being a savior is an inherently religious theme that continued throughout Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, particularly in relation to Bullseye. Later in the season, Matt repeatedly prevents Karen from killing Bullseye in retaliation for Foggy’s death. He urges her to consider mercy (another Catholic theme) and embrace forgiveness, something he’s recently found for Bullseye.Â
Later in the season, in Episode 7, after being shot at Karen’s trial, a wounded Matt finds refuge in the church once again. The scene sees Matt utter a prayer to Saint Jude, asking “please pray for me that God come to me in my hour of need:”
Matt Murdock: “Saint Jude, patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, pray for me. I am so helpless and alone. Please pray for me that God come to me in my hour of need, and I receive consolation in all my tribulations and sufferings. And that I may bless God, with the elect for all eternity. Amen.”
Daredevil: Born Again has rarely delved into Matt Murdock’s personal faith, but Season 2 included more of these moments, and with the precedent now set, future seasons may do the same
What Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 Will Add to Marvel’s Netflix Reboot
Marvel Studios is already deep in production on Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, which is expected to add even more exciting elements to the Netflix reboot. While the Daredevil revival has kept many elements from the Netflix era, several new aspects are set to be introduced in Season 3
One of these is the long-awaited Defenders reunion. During the Netflix era, Marvel commissioned four interconnected TV shows focused on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, which culminated in a crossover miniseries, The Defenders. For Marvel’s Netflix reboot, Daredevil: Born Again has become the gateway through which all of these characters are reintroduced, and after Season 2 brought back Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Season 3 will unite the duo with their other Defenders colleagues: Luke Cage and Iron Fist.Â
On top of the Defenders reunion, fans are excited to learn more about Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s relationship since the Netflix shows, with Season 2 confirming the two are now parents to a young daughter, Danielle Cage. Seeing the two heroes enter parenthood is an exciting new aspect that neither Netflix’s shows nor Daredevil: Born Againhas covered
Adding to that, Season 3 is expected to introduce more villains into Daredevil canon, with one in particular having been teased in the Season 2 finale. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) has had quite the journey in Daredevil: Born Again, going from therapist to Matt’s love interest and now to becoming Lady Muse, a new iteration of the serial killer from Season 1
With returning heroes and new villains on the cards for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, the series is on its way to redefining a new era for these Netflix characters
