Mario Scardapane & Charlie Cox on Revamping ‘Daredevil: Born Again’: From Legal Drama to Action-Packed Crime Story

The development of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ has been challenging, to say the least. Initially led by Matt Corman and Chris Ord as head writers, the series faced criticism for its creative direction, which was slower-paced and lacked the darker tone of the Netflix version.

After the SAG-AFTRA strike, Marvel executives overhauled the project, replacing the original team. ‘Punisher’ writer Dario Scardapane was brought in as showrunner, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as directors.

The reboot now focuses on a darker, serialized tone more in line with the Netflix series, blending pre-strike footage with new material.

In their recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dario Scardapane and Charlie Cox talked about the original plans for the show.

Charlie Cox reflects on his unexpected exit from ‘Daredevil’ after season 3, when a promising season 4 arc was abruptly canceled. He initially believed he would never return to the role, but in 2020, Kevin Feige reached out with plans to bring Cox’s Daredevil into the main MCU. This began with cameos in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and ‘She-Hulk,’ leaving fans wondering what’s next for the character.

Cox admits he was surprised when ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ was announced, as he never expected the character to return to TV. He recalls jokingly calling Vincent D’Onofrio “crazy” when he predicted a revival. However, now that they’re both returning, Cox is excited, believing TV is the perfect medium for the character with plenty of stories left to tell.

I never thought it would be a TV show again. I just assumed that we’d done that, so maybe it would be something else. So I was shocked when they told me in 2022 that we were going to do a show, but I was also thrilled. It’s such a great medium for this character. There is so much story left to tell. So the more time we have to do that, the better!

The initial version of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ was reportedly very slow and very boring, at least according to insider reports who knew why the show has undergone a creative overhaul. Much of the original cast was absent and Cox wouldn’t get into his Daredevil suit until much later in the show.

The show’s direction changed after creative shifts and the Hollywood strikes. Showrunner Dario Scardapane explains that the series was initially conceived as a legal procedural, but they reworked it into an action-packed New York crime story. The goal was to maintain the essence of the original Netflix show while evolving it into something fresh.

It had been conceived as more of a legal procedural, and we really brought it back towards an action-based New York crime story. The real trick was to have the DNA of the old Netflix show, but then push it forward into something very new.

Charlie Cox says it’s all about the atmosphere.

The thing that we kept talking about was, this show has had the success that it’s had and has appealed to a very specific demographic because it’s one of the few superhero shows that is so dark and sinister at times.

Vincent and I both felt like if you lose that, you are at risk of losing the identity of our show. So we really pushed for the show to remain geared towards an older audience and not dumbed down to kind of capture a wider net of people. I think in some ways it’s even darker than a lot of the stuff we’ve done in the past.

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We can truly expect the show to be dark and gritty as was already teased numerous times in the past. Cox reveals that ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ is so intense that there was debate over which footage was tame enough for the teaser, with a scene of Murdock and Fisk sharing a laugh in a diner making the cut.

Scardapane explains that this moment, which wasn’t in the original script, came from Cox and D’Onofrio’s chemistry. The two actors improvised the scene, adding a moment of “messed-up levity” that became central to the story, highlighting the tension between their characters. Scardapane emphasizes that this season will bring fresh, bold elements never seen before in the comics.

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ will premiere on Disney+ on March 4, 2025, with a nine-episode first season, and will be part of Phase Five of the MCU.

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