Daredevil: Season 2 of Born Again is even more political and even more powerful (review)

After successfully returning to Disney+ last year, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen continues his remote duel against Wilson Fisk, now all-powerful in the Big Apple. A shadow war, strong and gripping.

Marvel is back on Disney+. Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again begins today in streaming and continues to cultivate its story (very) on the fringes of the great fresco of the MCU.

A year after a first season which sought to bridge the gap with the previous Netflix series – and succeeded rather effectively – this season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again finds its own identity. Much darker, much more political, it resonates with disturbing acuteness with current events. It’s impossible not to think of the ICE raids, which have saturated American television news for months, while Wilson Fisk’s Task Force multiplies arbitrary arrests like a strange fictional mirror. Climate of fear and security abuses are at the center of this season 2, all under the aegis of a councilor who looks like a thinly veiled autocrat…

Yes, when season 2 begins, the former criminal has taken control of New York and runs his town hall with an iron fist, supported by a special unit entirely dedicated to tracking down the vigilantes, who have become persona non grata in the city once saved by Tony Stark and others. The Big Apple has changed. And there’s nothing the Avengers can do about it.

More impressive than ever, Kingpin (or the Kingpin, in French) is now all-powerful. He explodes our TV because his brute force seems to burst the screen. The XXL charisma of Vincent d’Onofrio has never been so well highlighted. His presence is overwhelming, almost monstrous. Already one of the best antagonists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Fisk reaches a milestone here. It occupies almost all the space, over the course of an eight-episode arc that is both terrifying and deeply tragic.

On the other hand, it is a real story of resistance that is taking place. Matt and Karen – now a couple – try to organize the response. A fight without a net and therefore terribly exciting, which offers its share of dry and hard-hitting fighting sequences. Some may regret a slight lack of action. As such, the announced return of Jessica Jones is a little disappointing. Yes, it’s always a pleasure to find Krysten Ritter in the MCU. But Jessica only has a minor role in this whole story. It only arrives after half a dozen episodes. Frustrating.

Fortunately, other characters come to add depth to the story. Starting with the excellent Michael Gandolfini, worthy heir to James Gandolfini (unforgettable Tony Soprano), who plays a formidable deputy to Fisk at town hall, torn between his ethics, his fear and his desire for power. Like him, this season impresses with the quality of his writing. She subtly dissects the way in which a democracy can falter, slowly, insidiously. The authoritarian excesses of Wilson Fisk will make you shudder almost as much as a certain American leader in place at the moment…

Daredevil, season 2, to watch on Disney + from March 25, 2026