Daredevil: Born Again “Demons” Ad is a Relief to Worried Fans

Television

We’re not far from seeing the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen again, and while most of the lead-up to Daredevil: Born Again has been a mix of hopefulness and worry, a new advertisement is oddly reassuring. The new series, a revival of Netflix’s Daredevil starring Charlie Cox, premieres on Disney+ on March 4, and today, Disney released a commercial that has since made its way to YouTube called “Demons.” It’s just a quick 30-second ad, and it has the usual glimpses of the major characters – Daredevil, the Kingpin, the Punisher, Bullseye, Muse – and the promise of bloody superhero action on the way. But Matt Murdock’s voiceover is what I find most compelling about it. You can see the “Demons” ad for Daredevil: Born Again below:

So far, everything looks cool, and I like the images of the comic characters. But what really makes me happy is Matt saying, “I was raised to believe in grace, that we can be transformed into a better person.” This suggests to me that Disney isn’t doing what many (including me) assumed they would and jettisoning the Christian themes and Matt’s Catholic faith from the show. These elements are vital to Matt Murdock as a character; I’m rewatching the Netflix show (and The Defenders, which is integral to Matt’s story) before Born Again premieres, and it’s reminding me of how well those themes were incorporated into the series. That Matt follows up that line with, “But I was also raised to believe in retribution,” is even better, because that is the heart of the character. Matt Murdock is torn between living up to his faith and giving in to his baser instincts; he wants to be a good man who helps people and doesn’t kill, but he also wants to wreak vengeance on evildoers, especially those who prey on the innocent. The very first scene of the first episode is Matt in a confessional in his church, telling the priest how his grandmother used to say that the Murdock boys “got the devil in them.” You can see it below to refresh your memory:

This confessional scene is the perfect opening because it establishes Matt’s daily struggle, which mirrors the daily struggle of Christians in real life to be godly in the face of their sinful nature. It informs everything Matt does, every choice he makes, how he deals with good and bad people. He doesn’t always want to help, but he forces himself to because he knows it’s what he should do. And his faith does have an impact on his character, making him want to help people when those around him think he’s crazy for getting involved. Eschewing that would be an awful creative choice, and it looks like that’s a worry we can forget. Ultimately, this is more important than simply replicating the tone of the Netflix series; sure, that’s important, too, but getting the basics of the character right is vital, and showrunner Dario Scardapane made a lot of people (like me) nervous that he didn’t understand that when he talked about “navel gazing” and cutting down on talks of good and evil. I’m still not thrilled that he said that, but I’m more willing to see what he meant after the “Demons” ad; sometimes, people misspeak and give you the wrong impression of their work.

Beyond that, “Demons” makes Daredevil: Born Again look cool, although that hasn’t been a problem for the advertising campaign so far. I love the look at the skull on the Punisher’s outfit; just the glimpse of that is all you need to know Frank’s brand of justice is on the way. I’m also looking forward to finding out more about Muse, a character I’m unfamiliar with; he looks appropriately psychotic so far, and hopefully, he’ll prove to be a formidable nemesis for Daredevil. I’m also thrilled they’re bringing back Bullseye, who was fantastic in season 3; supposedly, he’s going to have a costume this time, which should be fun. Ever since the Ben Affleck film, they’ve been hesitant to adapt Bullseye’s suit in live-action, so I’m curious about what it’ll look like. And while it’s one of the baser joys of Daredevil, I love seeing Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin wail on people; the way he lifts his arms as his face contorts in anger is straight out of the comics, watching the usually calm and dignified Wilson Fisk unleash the fury he barely keeps at bay (a mirror to Matt’s internal struggle between his better angels and the devil tugging on his soul). I hope Daredevil: Born Again turns out to be something special, just like its predecessor.

Let us know what you think of the Daredevil: Born Again “Demons” ad in the comments!

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