Charlie Cox Reveals How Daredevil Born Again Will Be "Darker" Than Netflix Seasons

Daredevil actor Charlie Cox teased that fans should prepare for an even darker take on the character in Daredevil: Born Again than seen before. 

Cox previously starred as Marvel's Man Without Fear in Netflix's R-rated Daredevil series, which ran from 2015 to 2018. The series became known for its dark tone, a stark contrast to the hyper-saturated, family-friendly fare of the MCU at that time. 

While it has been teased that the upcoming reintroduction of the character would be similarly mature, some have wondered how much connective tissue from the Netflix series will make its way over to Born Again. 

Charlie Cox Teases 'Darker' Daredevil

In the lead-up to Daredevil: Born Again, star Charlie Cox let slip that his upcoming Marvel Studios series will be darker than Netflix's Daredevil.

Cox, set to reprise his role as Marvel's iconic protector of Hell's Kitchen, told Entertainment Weekly (EW) Born Again hopes to capture that "dark and sinister" feeling of the character's Netflix series:

"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."

"We really pushed for the show to remain geared towards an older audience," Cox admitted that he thinks Born Again is "even darker than a lot of the stuff we’ve done in the past:"

"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."

Daredevil: Born Again was previously reported to be tackling a lighter tone than the Netflix series; however, that was before the show went through significant behind-the-scenes changes, which seemingly included bringing it much closer to the original Netflix show. 

Now, Born Again has firmly planted its flag R-rated territory, serving much more like a true Season 4 of the Netflix series rather than a reinvention of the character. 

With projects like Echo and Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel Studios has proven it is not afraid to go there regarding mature content. Indeed, audiences can expect visceral R-rated moments when Born Again arrives on Disney+. 

How Much Darker Can Daredevil Get?

Daredevil is notoriously one of Marvel's darkest characters. While DC has Batman, Marvel has Daredevil. But how could the character get darker for something like Daredevil: Born Again?

Netflix's Daredevil has been heralded as beautifully bloody by its fanbase, featuring severe violence and gore, moments of sexuality and nudity, and profanity-a-bounty. 

The Netflix series was a mature show made for mature audiences. And according to Charlie Cox, Daredevil: Born Again will try to lean back into that and tell another dark and gritty story centered on the iconic character. 

The brief glimpse fans have gotten off the series (read more about the short Daredevil: Born Again teaser) offered a taste of this even darker tone, showing off some brutal and bloody violence being dished out at the hand of Cox's visually impaired vigilante. 

What fans should expect from Marvel's next R-rated series is more of what the Netflix series offered in three seasons on the streamer. 

Where the Netflix show may have hidden some of the violence for budgetary reasons or to appeal to a wider audience (which was not often), Born Again will likely hold nothing back, showing off every bone-crunching detail. 

Daredevil: Born Again is set to come to Disney+ on March 4, 2025.