Daredevil: Born Again actor Vincent D'Onofrio teased plans for the Disney+ reboot to continue into Season 2.
Since Marvel Studios brought the MCU to Disney+, the studio has been somewhat cautious about which shows get a second season. For now, the only live-action show to formally be renewed for Season 2 has been Loki, which is returning soon.
But that's not to say there haven't been whispers about shows like Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, Hawkeye, and She-Hulk having multi-season aspirations. Although Marvel Studios seems to be leaning more into pseudo-sequels to continue its stories in spin-off projects.
Disney+'s Daredevil Actor Teases Season 2 Renewal
Speaking with Newsweek, the MCU's Kingpin actor Vincent D'Onofrio announced plans for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 as the series' 18-episode run is set to premiere on Disney+ in Spring 2024.
D'Onofrio revealed Born Again will have "gigantic, gigantic payoffs" particularly in the second season, promising fans will "really get what they want:"
“... By the second season, there are gigantic, gigantic payoffs—in the first season, too, but I can’t say much about that—but the fans are gonna really get what they want. It’s really quite cool to be doing it.”
This marks the first official confirmation of Born Again returning for Season 2 down the line. Although there have been signs pointing to a potential renewal before as one of the series' newcomers Michael Gandolfini was rumored to have an option in his contract for more appearances and seasons with Marvel Studios.
Bernthal went on to note how Born Again will be "very, very different than the Netflix show" while also mentioning the recent star to production which is currently "a couple weeks in" after beginning in mid-March:
“We’ve only just started shooting. I think we’re a couple weeks in, and the show is going to be very, very different than the Netflix show, and it’s so exciting because what we’re doing is quite something.”
D'Onofrio promised Born Again will be "something that people are not going to expect" and potentially teased links to Marvel's "old comic stories:"
“I think it’s something that people are not going to expect. But, always with these Marvel old comic stories that are being revisited and reinvented by us actors, and the writers, the main thing is to answer the fans."
Lastly, the MCU star called the series "an original way to look at this" before also calling it "really deep, really emotional:"
“To give them what they want but try to be original in some way at the same time, and so that’s what we’re doing on the show. It’s definitely an original way to look at this, and it’s really deep, really emotional.”
Marvel Studios Planning Major Street-Level Event?
To some extent, Marvel Studios has been teasing Daredevil: Born Again as a multi-season project for a while now. Even going as far back as the original announcement at D23 2022, studio president Kevin Feige announced the Disney+ reboot as having an "18-episode first season," implying plans for more than one.
After how long fans have waited and fought to bring Daredevil back to the MCU, it's not surprising Marvel Studios would want to keep him around for a whole. The studio clearly sees his importance with the Man Without Fear set to appear in Echo, Born Again, and maybe Spider-Man 4 after roles in She-Hulk and No Way Home.
Another exciting detail from Vincent D'Onofrio's comments is his confirmation Jon Bernthal's Punisher will be a key player in the show. When his return was first announced, fans had no idea the extent of his role, but clearly, he will be central to whatever is going on in the Disney+ reboot.
Previous rumors claimed Born Again is "re-introducing the Netflix characters to the mainstream." Punisher's role was even supposedly planned to go to Jessica Jones who had to be swapped out for Bernthal due to a scheduling conflict with Netflix actress Krysten Ritter.
Perhaps those of the Netflix characters who don't get re-introduced to the MCU in Born Again will ultimately show up in Season 2, thereby bringing back the whole Netflix Defenders family eventually. But that's not to say there won't be differences, as Marvel Studios is clearly eager to put its own spin on these heroes.
Clearly, the MCU has plans for a larger street-level crossover story that may have begun with Kingpin's return in Hawkeye and could center around Wilson Fisk's mayoral campaign and term. This story will likely span across Echo, Daredevil, and possibly more non-Multiversal projects such as Spider-Man 4.
Daredevil: Born Again is currently set to premiere on Disney+ in Spring 2024.
