Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Premiere Review

Originally published March 25, 2026. This article reviews the season 2 premiere of Marvel’s TV series Daredevil: Born Again.

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Are you ready to dance with the Devil? Daredevil: Born Again is back with a thoroughly entertaining season 2 premiere. “The Northern Star” picks up where season 1 left off, with Matt Murdock and his allies fighting tooth and nail to expose Mayor Wilson Fisk for the crook he is.

So much happens, and the episode maintains a steady clip on the pacing front. Here, we see what it’s really like when Kingpin gets to rule with an iron … wait for it … Fisk.

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All Is Not Well in New York City

“The Northern Star” is jam-packed with narrative action. There are no “filler” or “throwaway” scenes – everything means something, which is great. Right out of the gate, a dichotomy is established between Fisk’s carefully curated image in the media versus what we actually see on the streets. For starters, Fisk has BB Urich paint a pretty picture of NYC with The BB Report (before we learn that she’s a double agent and secretly working to depose him).

However, Fisk and his cronies are lining their pockets from their shady dealings in Freeport, and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force can inflict violence with impunity. Even worse, when the Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor attempt to reel him in, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (last seen in Thunderbolts*) ensures that Fisk can act without clearance and with zero oversight. Presumably, she also sends Mr. Charles, a CIA operative, to assist Fisk with his Safer Streets Initiative.

Dethroning the Kingpin

So, what do you do when one person has total power? When they’re essentially untouchable? Well, what goes up must eventually come down, right? Matt dons his badass new comic-accurate suit to intercept an illegal shipment of military-grade weaponry from Europe. The fight choreography in this show is top-notch, and the season 2 premiere doesn’t disappoint in that regard. If watching Matt kick butt is your thing, “The Northern Star” delivers with two big sequences at the beginning and end, serving as nice bookends.

This outing shows us that people of all positions of power are fighting in the trenches to take down Fisk, from McDuffie refusing to kowtow to Hochberg regarding the upcoming vigilantes trial to Cherry acting as an informant for Matt to BB using Daniel as her unwitting man on the inside. The resistance is here – a small but mighty coalition to dethrone the Kingpin.

Despite Fisk bending the rules to exert his influence, there’s an element of hope woven into this story. We already see Fisk’s façade cracking. It’s only a matter of time before he becomes like The Northern Star: a capsized vessel in the East River. There are real-world parallels in this episode, and that makes it all the more compelling and emotionally impactful.

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Reliving the Trauma

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 refuses to sweep last season’s events under the rug. As a viewer, the continuity is appreciated, and it shows a love for these characters and their respective growth. While Heather is now Team Fisk, her traumatic, life-altering encounter with Muse in season 1 still haunts her. She sees Muse linger behind Jack Duquesne, AKA Swordsman, as she questions him for his psych evaluation.

Then, Muse pops up again while she goes over Jack’s answers (before fudging them for Fisk). We rarely get this much nuance for characters on both sides of the moral fence. I think we could eventually see Heather return to Team Daredevil. She already appears to be struggling with the morality of it all on top of her PTSD.

Daredevil: Born Again explores the inner workings of these characters and their psyches, especially how Fisk’s tyranny affects New Yorkers on all levels. Matt relives Foggy’s death from the series premiere while listening to Cherry’s increased heart rate at the end of the episode. This sequence is done so well. Lately, Marvel has really focused on the mental health of these heroes. They’re mostly human, after all. It would be silly not to examine how their traumas affect their lives. Karen also reflects on Foggy dying in her arms, which would rattle anyone.

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Performances

The performances in “The Northern Star” are strong across the board, but show newcomer Matthew Lillard really stood out to me. Lillard tells us who Mr. Charles is right off the bat, even with only a handful of scenes. He’s brash, not-so-quietly confident, and unafraid of stirring the pot. He clearly doesn’t care who dies in the process: the ends justify the means. There’s an underlying maliciousness to Lillard’s performance; something ugly lurking beneath Mr. Charles’ even-keeled surface.

Margarita Levieva digs deep into Heather’s trauma. She never goes over the top in her performance. However, you get the sense that there are cracks in Heather’s typically steely composure. Muse shook her to her core. Levieva delivers understated work here.

Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll boast electrifying chemistry. As a fan of Daredevil from its Netflix days, it’s great to see Matt and Karen back together again. It feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. While Elden Henson is terribly missed (Nelson, Murdock & Page forever), “The Northern Star” honors Foggy’s memory in a brief but beautiful way.

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The Stakes Are Higher Than Ever

The premiere builds a strong foundation for the remainder of the season. It establishes the overarching narrative. Here, we see the stakes are higher than ever. Fisk seems above the law. NYC is under martial law. The Anti-Vigilante Task Force is arresting people and making them disappear. To top it all off, Matt and Karen are essentially “public enemy number one.”

And that cliffhanger? Absolutely bonkers. Cherry has a heart attack and falls off his chair, but we don’t see if he survives (I’m of the “no body, no death” camp since he disappears from the screen). Matt relives the trauma of Foggy via Cherry, which throws him off his game, allowing the AVTF agents to overpower him, remove his mask, and identify him.

Thankfully, those agents don’t live to tell the tale, thanks to, unexpectedly, Bullseye’s intervention. That “You’re Welcome” on the blade of his knife certainly seems like Bullseye might want something in return. Or perhaps this is his way of saying, “Sorry I killed your buddy.” It’s a fascinating full circle from the Daredevil: Born Again season 1 premiere.

“The Northern Star” is a thrill ride from beginning to end, and it never lets its foot off the gas. If this outing is anything to go by, we’re in for a wild season. Here’s hoping a certain private investigator shows up soon…

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What did you love about the Daredevil: Born Again season 2 premiere?

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