During the global press conference for Daredevil: Born Again, cast and creatives reveal series details, comic book inspirations, and more.
The long-awaited follow up to the Daredevil Netflix series, Daredevil: Born Again, is finally about to release on Disney+. In support of the upcoming season one, Marvel hosted a virtual global press conference where the cast and creatives revealed a lot about the show.
Charlie Cox, who plays Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Wilson Fisk/Kingpin were in attendance along with executive producer/showrunner Dario Scardapane, executive producers/directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and executive producers Brad Winderbaum and Sana Amanat.
They discuss what they knew they needed to bring over from the Netflix series to make this show work, bringing back Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy (Elden Henson), and the comic book inspirations that were used (and even a few reading suggestions).
Here are the ten most interesting things that we learned about Daredevil: Born Again at the press conference.
The Series Needed To Bring Back Karen & Foggy
Justin Benson explains why it was important to bring back Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, something that was not originally part of the idea:
“It was important to us to start out the show with feeling how these characters have evolved since we last saw them, and it feeling like a big, warm hug. Because when the big thing happens, it contrasts that big, warm hug. You feel the tragedy even more, and you feel that event as something that would shake the faith of Matt Murdock/Daredevil in such a way that he would question everything about his place in the universe, and that grief would ripple out all season-long. By doing that, we would amp that up. And on top of that, there’s the obvious thing of like, we love those characters and we love those actors, and just can’t imagine the show without them.”
The Whole Team Behind Daredevil: Born Again Is Excited About It
Sana Amanat discusses how everyone in the cast and crew were excited to bring Daredevil: Born Again to life.
“I have to say, being on set, I think there was a couple of times, but when we came back and it was the combination of Justin, Aaron, and Dario, the feeling on set, the crew would come up to me and say, it feels so special and cool and unique. The energy was really palpable. So it was really, really awesome.“
Aaron Moorhead adds:
“There are these two moments I think everybody will remember, where we were on a rooftop, and it was a highly visual scene, but also an emotional one. It was one of those shots where every department had to bring their A-game, lighting, visual effects, special effects. Everybody had to really hit it. And everybody kept on nailing it, take after take after take. And you just felt like everyone was stretching. And then same exact thing. It actually intercuts with this scene. It’s at the end of episode one, when we were on the streets of New York with Charlie, and it’s just getting that shot exactly right. Stunts was just on fire, and everybody was just having such a good time. I feel like that was when, when we were like, okay.”
Taking Inspiration From The Comic Books
The creatives explain how they took inspiration from the Daredevil comic books.
Sana Amanet: It’s super fun also to see ways in which we can match the comic images. This is like, a big one for us. We’re just having little references, like the first shot, actually, of Daredevil with the back drop was the reference to Born Again the cover.
Justin Benson: We’ve been talking a lot about how it’s not literally all the story points of Born Again, but we literally have taken key frames. I mean, so inspired by those panels and something Aaron and I left out every time we did that was that was entirely, completely your idea.
Aaron Moorhead: Yeah, Sana was just like the Fisk lighting. Watch how Frank Miller lights him.
Brad Winderbaum: It’s doesn’t matter who came up with it, Frank Miller came up with it. It’s from the Born Again comic. It was a moment that he described in a documentary, I think it’s on YouTube, about transitioning Kingpin from a Spider-Man character to a Daredevil character. Actually, you can see him do it on the page itself. There’s three panels. One panel a looks like Spider-Man Kingpin, and then the light shifts between the panels, and by the last panel, you get that stark Frank Miller chiaroscuro lighting.
Sana Amanat gives her reading material suggestions to prepare viewers for this series.
“Oh, my God, it’s kind of a smattering. I will say to Charles Soule’s Mayor Fisk run is a good start. Always Frank Miller, of course, Brian Bendis and Ed Brubaker, any of their runs, frankly. They have been a heavy, heavy influence on us, just in terms of tone and style. And of course, I have to give credit to Ron Garney as well. He’s an artist who worked with Charles Soule on multiple Daredevil runs.“
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher Returns – What Is That Dynamic Like?
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is back. Charlie Cox teases, without spoilers, what fans can expect.
“Listen, anything that Jn Bernthal is in, I will watch. I just think he’s such a talented actor. He’s got such amazing charisma and energy, and we are so fortunate to have him be part of this. Whenever he shows up, it’s absolute delight, both in terms of his performance and as a human. He brings such fun to the set, they’re fun days. He has a couple of really great scenes, potentially iconic moments. There’s a couple in the trailer. They’re an absolute joy to shoot. I feel like Jon and Charlie are very different people, so it’s really fun. Great friends. We’re very different people in some ways, but Daredevil and Frank are much more similar to one another than Charlie and Jon are, so it’s fun to play with that. And often, when I’m in a scene as Daredevil with Frank, he pulls me closer to a Daredevil that I’m frightened of and excited by, you know what I mean? I think it’s written in, I think it’s baked in the material as well. I get excited what he’s gonna do and hopefully we can, we can keep having him pop up.”
Vincent D’Onofrio adds:
“He’s just a great guy. When the three of us travel together, it’s so much fun. We get along so great. These guys are great family men and just really decent human beings so to hang out with them is always a thrill. There’s nothing nefarious, there’s nothing cheap, there’s no hidden agendas. We’re all very honest with each other, and genuinely, I think, are impressed by each other and respect each other.”
Kingpin & Daredevil’s Scenes Always Work Well Because There Are So Few Of Them
Vincent D’Onofrio speaks on finding the right dynamic between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, and what makes their moments together so special. Also, where fans will find them in this new series.
“We’re trying to live in the daylight, the two of us, we have that in common. We’re broken men. If you can think about the metaphor of vampires trying to live in the daylight, it’s a struggle that they’re going through. He’s got his thing, and I’ve got my plan. You can’t put us together in the same scene a lot, because it’s not as powerful if you do that. How many scenes do you think we’ve done over the last 10 years? Like, five or six only. But it’s so good when you do. It’s good for us as the actors because we like doing scenes together, but it’s great for the story, because it always means something. It’s always either the beginning of something or the end of something, or both sometimes.”
Charlie Cox adds: “Something that we haven’t done before, and huge credit to Dario and the producers who came up with this idea, whoever it was, but bringing us together early on in this new season is something we haven’t done before, and putting them in a position where they are having to trust one another’s ability to stay true to who they say they are, and it just lends itself to a slightly different dynamic.“
This Is Not The Born Again Comic Story, But An Homage To It
Charlie Cox explains that while the series has the title Born Again, it is not that story ripped from the comics, but rather an homage to it.
“I think it’s important to add that we’re not doing the Born Again story. It’s the name of the show, but it is really just a reference to coming back after so many years, and, of course, an homage to Frank Miller’s iconic run. And obviously, yes, we’re always trying to find the best version of Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil. But in finding the best version, we also seek out the worst version. I think that’s what makes him such a compelling character and so relatable. Actually, I have to think of Daredevil as being, when you play that character, you’ll get to see the best version of yourself, and you’ll get to see the absolute worst version of yourself, which is fun.”
Kingpin Is On A Mission, And He Needs To Be In The Spotlight To Do It
Vincent D’Onofrio explains where fans will find Kingpin at the start of the Daredevil: Born Again series.
“Without spoiling he’s on a mission. 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 there’s the other side, which is he is he has a plan. He’s going to his plan is to stretch his reach. It’s the beginning of that. How far he’s going to go for control, and it’s a struggle, because he has to live in the daylight to do that.“
Vincent D’Onofrio Loves Moon Knight & Loki, So He Was Thrilled To Work With Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Vincent D’Onofrio reveals that he loves both Moon Knight and Loki, which had him very excited to work with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
“The idea that I had two people, one a very close friend that worked with these guys, who is one of the most intelligent actors that I know and probably will ever meet. It’s Ethan Hawke, and they worked with him, and so I knew about that. I had a blow by blow description of the shoot of Moon Knight by Ethan. And then they did Loki, which was personally my favorite Disney+ show, especially this season, because they did some stuff in the second season that I’ve never seen on television before in that show. The way that they handled the violence, you don’t really see a lot, but you feel it all. It’s incredible what they did. I just want to just say that out loud, that we knew we had a different job to do. We knew we had to get it done, and the fact that our bosses were clever enough to bring all these people in was an amazing thing.”
Muse’s Actions Will Cause A Ripple Effect
We all know that Muse is a part of the Daredevil: Born Again series, but that is about all we know. Dario Scardapane teases what fans can expect.
“Inside the story of these [Daredevil and Kingpin], there are stressors that come in. And I would say Muse is one of those stressors. What happens with Muse, is he creates a ripple effect that actually goes past this season into the future, but that’s about all I could say. People know that he’s in the show. What exactly happens and what effect it has on these two I’m keeping my mouth shut about.”
Charlie Cox Says Don’t Worry Daredevil Fans, “We Got Ya”
Vincent D’Onofrio says that the fans were kept in mind throughout the entire process of Daredevil: Born Again.
“I just hope they’re as excited about it as we are, and that it’s totally entertaining for them, and that they’re happy that they just finished the series, because we all worked really hard on it, and we all believed in the fans, and we worked towards what we felt they wanted the whole time.”
Charlie Cox reveals that fans of the original series should not be worried.
“There’s a thirst when we speak to fans, when we have that interaction, there’s a thirst for quality and identity, a fabric of the show that we’ve had in the past that you can’t necessarily articulate it, put your finger on it, but you get this sense of, like a worried desire for, is it going to be there? And I hope they feel that it is. I think it is and every now and again, I meet a fan, and they go, Is the show is dark? Is it going to be? And when I hear that, I have a smile, because I’m like, Yeah, you’re going to be okay. We got you.”
NEXT: Captain America: Brave New World Is A Solid Marvel Entry
About Daredevil: Born Again
Matt Murdock finds himself on a collision course with Wilson Fisk when their past identities begin to emerge.
Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+ March 4.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.