Daredevil: Born Again is a standout series, marking the first MCU project that feels distinctly aimed at an adult audience. Its unexpected brutality is a bold move, especially coming from Disney. While characters like Deadpool and Wolverine feature gore and crude humor, it’s hard to consider them truly “adult” in a deeper sense.
What makes Born Again so compelling isn’t just its visceral combat and harsh language, but also its thematic depth—specifically, how the inescapable pull of violence dooms its central characters.
This is all conveyed through sharp writing and subtle storytelling. However, it is important to clarify one thing: Born Again is not an allegory for the resurgence of Donald Trump.
(Note on spoilers: I’ve made an effort to avoid revealing any significant plot points from the show, including widely discussed key moments from the first episode, though I do address overarching themes.)
Now six episodes into its nine-episode run, Daredevil: Born Again (DBA) has just dropped two new episodes on Disney+. While it does suffer from the typical Marvel TV issue of stretching a limited story over too many episodes, it remains absolutely captivating television.
Charlie Cox’s portrayal of Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, has evolved significantly since the earlier Netflix seasons. His performance is far more refined, marked by an intentional stillness that exudes quiet authority.
This reserved energy channels into his actions, whether he’s persuading a jury in court or asserting control during a bank robbery. Cox never raises his voice unnecessarily. Instead, his measured tone commands attention, creating a captivating presence.
Similarly, Vincent D’Onofrio’s return as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, brings a more restrained yet equally intimidating version of the character.
After suffering severe injuries in Hawkeye, Fisk returns to New York with ambitions of entering politics. He also grapples with a crumbling marriage and waning control over the city’s criminal underworld.
The show’s brilliance lies in how it handles these tensions—Fisk’s infamous “quiet-quiet-quiet-EXPLODE” nature is more subtly portrayed this time around. His controlled outbursts carry a new, unsettling darkness, making his presence even more terrifying.
A key storyline in DBA centers on Fisk’s attempt to become mayor of New York, a transition that forces him to navigate the subtleties of political maneuvering, something far different from his usual, blatant corruption.
Given his criminal past as Kingpin, many viewers have naturally drawn parallels between his political rise and Donald Trump’s presidency. A corrupt figure rising to power despite a controversial history—on the surface, the comparison seems inevitable.
Return of Fisk
As a result, some reviews and op-eds have either praised Disney for tackling such a theme or criticized it for being an oversimplification.
However, despite these apparent similarities, there’s little evidence that DBA was designed as direct political commentary. In fact, the allegory falters on one key point: Fisk is highly intelligent.
Fisk is a brilliant tactician, a master manipulator—traits that don’t align with Trump’s often erratic and nonsensical approach to leadership. Dario Scardapane, showrunner for Daredevil: Born Again, has openly denied the allegory, explaining that the script was written and mostly filmed “long before” 2024.
Scardapane further clarifies that Fisk’s success in the election is more about New York’s growing resentment toward superheroes and his positioning as someone willing to oppose them. Fisk’s victory stems from his reputation as a calculated, dangerous figure—qualities that don’t align with Trump.
While I remain somewhat skeptical of Scardapane’s claim that Trump’s political rise wasn’t a consideration, I do believe he understands that Fisk is far too intelligent and self-aware to serve as a genuine allegory. And he’s shrewd enough to avoid saying this outright in an interview.
Looking at the show itself, Daredevil: Born Again ultimately explores the internal struggles of two men fighting against their darker impulses.
Every plotline revolves around their efforts to suppress their alter-egos while external forces continually push them toward their violent, destructive natures.
Both characters are brilliant in their respective fields, yet both are trapped by a primal urge for violence that threatens to consume them.
Trump, by contrast, is simply an idiot. This isn’t intended as a provocative statement—it’s simply an observable fact. Trump is a man who rode a wave of populist sentiment, relying more on instinct than strategy.
He leveraged his wealth to capitalize on an international political shift to the right. His leadership lacks the intelligence or forethought that defines Fisk.
Trump is someone who claims that Ukraine possesses a stockpile of “raw earth,” and that the human body has a finite supply of energy. Fisk, on the other hand, is a calculated tactician.
Imagining Kingpin making statements like Trump’s infamous “one of the wettest hurricanes we’ve seen” or referencing “airports” in the Revolutionary War would be laughable.
Ultimately, Daredevil: Born Again is far too nuanced to be reduced to simple political satire. The show is far more interested in exploring Fisk’s internal battle with his violent nature than making an obvious political statement.
If DBA were truly a Trump allegory, Fisk would be bumbling around, watching TV. Thankfully, it’s much more compelling than that.
