Marvel Studios will be reversing course on one key aspect of its Netflix Marvel reboot. In 2025, Marvel Studios officially revived the dormant Defenders TV universe after Netflix canceled each of its shows, starting with a new Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again. The MCU show has since become a gateway for all of the Netflix Marvel characters to return, but after two seasons of Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios is looking to change some things with the third season.
Daredevil: Born Again has had a rocky road to streaming success. Season 1 was paused and rewritten mid-way through production, resulting in a tonally incohesive debut that was part superhero show, part courtroom drama. Season 2 was stronger under the vision of showrunner Dario Scardapane, though it leaned further into political themes than the previous Netflix Daredevil series had. Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is currently the next planned release in Marvel Studios' Netflix reboot universe, with the new season already deep into production, but it will be shifting tactics in a key area.
Scardapane revealed to Games Radar ahead of Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again's debut that he had "mixed feelings" about the political energy of the show. The showrunner added that dealing with "huge archetypes," and "mythological characters," made for "fun writing":
"Stan Lee once said that he wanted to make his comic books a reflection of the world you saw outside your window. Then I also believe that what's fun about the genre, and definitely fun in working with superheroes, is you're dealing with huge archetypes, almost mythological characters, and that’s fun writing."
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 heavily reflected the modern day, introducing a corrupt political reign in Wilson Fisk's mayoralty and an Anti-Vigilante Task Force that bore similarities to real-world operations. Scardapane admitted that the "realm of New York politics" became almost "too topical," to the point that it pulled away from Daredevil: Born Again's "mythological genre," elements:
"Getting into the realm of politics, New York politics, the Game of Thrones intrigue behind the scenes… okay, that’s fun too, but as it becomes almost too topical it feels like it’s going away from the large, mythological genre stuff."
While Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again mirrored (often unintentionally) the real-world political landscape, Season 3 will move away from this tone and these themes. Scardapane outlined that "going forward feels more like a return to the [Frank] Miller-era comics," adding that he wanted something "a little more street level," for Season 3:
"So as we finish up the Mayor Fisk run with season 2, as that storyline comes to its inevitable conclusion, what we’re doing going forward feels more like a return to the [Frank] Miller-era comics. So yeah, it was fun to play in the realm of politics but I like something a little more street level, personally."
Scardapane's comments indicate that Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 will once again shift the tone of Marvel Studios' Netflix reboot, moving away from legal drama and political action thriller toward a more street-level superhero show, similar to Netflix's Daredevil.
Daredevil: Born Again stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. Season 2 premiered on Disney+ on March 24, 2026, and Season 3 is currently in production with a planned release in 2027.
Why Changing Marvel Studios’ Netflix Reboot Is a Good Idea
Daredevil: Born Again has only gotten stronger with each season, but if Marvel Studios truly wants to recapture the tone of the Netflix Marvel universe, which fans have been calling for, it needs to return to those darker, more mature, and grounded themes.
The potential for this was already set up at the end of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, which saw Matt Murdock thrown into prison after revealing his secret identity to the world. This sets the show up to adapt the infamous The Devil in Cell Block D comic storyline, which follows an introspective and tragic arc for Daredevil as he is imprisoned alongside the very criminals he's put behind bars.
Rooting Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 in this grounded style and genre will hopefully help reframe the direction of Marvel Studios' Netflix reboot and set it up for the more street-level superhero tone Scardapane is aiming for.
Another sure sign that Daredevil: Born Again will move away from its past political tendencies is that Season 2 ended with Wilson Fisk being ousted from office and sent into exile. While D'Onofrio will return in Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again, he won't be in the same position of power and could instead be headed back to his character's criminal underworld roots as the Kingpin. The show may also follow suit and return to its gritty crime roots, setting a new path forward for Marvel's Netflix reboot that is more akin to the old universe's tone and style.
