From the moment Daredevil: Born Again was announced, expectations were sky-high. The return of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, alongside Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, was enough to send fans into a frenzy. And now, with Heaven’s Half Hour, the first episode of this highly anticipated revival, we’re finally stepping back into Hell’s Kitchen. But is it the return to the magic that we hoped for?
The episode wastes no time throwing us into the deep end. It opens with a seemingly light-hearted moment—Nelson, Murdock, and Page celebrating their associate Cherry’s retirement at Josie’s. For a brief second, it feels like we’re back in the Daredevil of old, where camaraderie and warmth still have a place world Matt inhabits. But this is Born Again, and tragedy lurks around the corner.
The shocking attack by Ben Poindexter—now fully embracing his Bullseye persona—is brutal and devastating. Foggy Nelson’s death is a gut-punch, not just for Karen and Matt, but for the audience. Elden Henson’s Foggy has long been the emotional glue of this trio, the heart in a world of violence and moral compromise. His death in Karen’s arms is heart-wrenching, and it’s made even more painful by Matt’s reaction—one final act of unchecked rage as he throws Poindexter off Josie’s roof. In an instant, everything changes.
Visually, Born Again makes good use of the classic Daredevil tracking shot for the fight scene between Matt and Dex. Placed right there, just minutes into the episode, it's a harrowing, claustrophobic, but welcomingly familiar effect. It lets us know that the show we love is back... Just not for long.
Stay with me here - Foggy's death was the right move. Karen moving to San Francisco was the right move. Splitting the team up was the right move. The MCU has been drowning under the weight of its backstory. Yes, we love to see the characters we know return to the screen time and time again, we love the way the stories intertwine with each other and the references to past glories, but it's gotten too heavy to maintain, and almost impossible for new viewers to join in with the fun - as the most recent Captain America movie proves.
Heaven’s Half Hour draws a line. The past is, of course, going to influence the present, but this is the start of something new.
One year later, Matt has left Daredevil behind, and life has moved on, albeit in fractured ways, and has partnered with former district attorney Kirsten McDuffie, his new legal ally. There’s a sense of emptiness in Matt’s world, a reflection of the void left by Foggy’s death. His attempt to move forward—encouraged by McDuffie who sets him up on a date with therapist Heather Glenn—feels forced. Yet, Margarita Levieva brings an intriguing presence as Heather, and her chemistry with Cox is instantly compelling.
But of course, the past never stays buried in Daredevil, and while Matt is trying to rebuild, Wilson Fisk is doing the same—but on a much grander scale. With Vanessa’s backing, he launches his mayoral campaign, a move that sets off alarm bells for Matt. Their private confrontation is one of the episode’s most charged moments, a reminder that while Matt may have abandoned Daredevil, his war with Fisk is far from over. Fisk, ever the master manipulator, plays the long game, and the revelation in the episode’s final moments—that Vanessa has been unfaithful—adds a further deliciously sinister layer to his arc.
Performance-wise, Cox and D’Onofrio remain as magnetic as ever. Cox carries Matt’s grief with a quiet intensity, his every movement weighed down by loss. D’Onofrio, meanwhile, revels in Fisk’s measured menace, making him as captivating and terrifying as ever. Of course, there are echoes of Trump in him now, more than ever. How that plays out in the weeks ahead, we will wait to see. Wilson Bethel’s return as Poindexter is also a welcome one, even if he’s sidelined for much of the episode after his brutal takedown. The fact that he survived that brutal drop, hints at his story not being complete quite yet.
Heaven’s Half Hour covers a lot of ground in just one episode. Foggy’s death, Matt’s resignation from vigilantism, the introduction of Kirsten and Heather, Fisk’s mayoral campaign—it’s a lot to process. But it's handled magnificently. This is why we love the MCU. Yes, it might well be the extended small screen universe, but in just 60 minutes Born Again manages to achieve what its cinematic counterpart has struggled with for countless movies post-Endgame. Respectful to the past, grounded in the present, and looking to the future.
Welcome back Daredevil. Welcome back to the magic.
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