Daredevil: Born Again is one of the most highly anticipated shows of this year. Scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on March 4, the series serves as the continuation of Netflix’s original Daredevil series, which ran from 2015 to 2018. While the hype for the series is real, the ultimate question is how dark and brutal Born Again will be.
Given that Born Again is a product stemming from Marvel Studios and Disney, we should not expect too much darkness in terms of its storyline.
Yes, the series has gone through a major creative overhaul to maintain a more seamless alignment with the original Netflix series. But we all know how Marvel has played the game so far under Disney’s reign.
One of the major concerns bothering many die-hard Daredevil fans is how willing Marvel is to push the envelope when it comes to embracing the darkness of its religiously-driven protagonist and the source material.
By source material, we mean the legendary Born Again comic book series (1986), written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. It is a heartbreaking and tragic portrayal of our beloved hero, who finds himself on a path of psychological and emotional descent, thanks to the evil plot orchestrated by Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.
Matt Murdock’s world is turned upside down after Karen Page sells his secret identity for drugs! Whoa! Right? If you haven’t read the comic book series, it’s okay to feel shocked.
In the Born Again comic book run, Karen leaves Matt to pursue a career in acting. However, her ambition falters when she struggles to find work. Soon, we see her succumbing to drug addiction, which leads her to make increasingly desperate choices.
She even becomes dependent on heroin, which ultimately drives her to act in pornographic films.
Out of desperation, she sells Matt’s secret identity for drugs. It is later revealed that Fisk is pulling the strings, emerging as the man responsible for wreaking havoc on the lives of both Murdock and Page.
Despite her betrayal, Karen’s arc in Born Again is also one of redemption. She reunites with Matt after fleeing Paulo and returning to New York. Though initially ashamed and fearful of Matt’s reaction, she finds compassion and forgiveness in him, which begins to restore her sense of self-worth.
Now, here’s the issue: Will Marvel and Disney really go down this road for Karen’s arc, especially considering how strongly Disney has supported women’s empowerment and “woke” themes in many of its recent projects?
Yes, Karen’s death is certainly a possibility, but we should not expect the creators to throw the character into a pit of darkness like in the original comic book series. To be honest, it would be really shocking if Marvel stays true to the source material, but we all know that’s unlikely to happen.
Although Karen’s death could fuel Matt’s rage in Daredevil: Born Again—a scenario that could force the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen to cross the line one more time—killing off Karen would be a bold statement to show that being on Disney+ won’t compromise the show’s gritty tone.
On the other hand, Karen’s death could upset a large portion of the Marvel fanbase, especially since both she and Foggy Nelson are returning after eight long years in the MCU. Both characters are beloved by the fanbase. Imagine reviving a beloved character after nearly a decade, only to have one of them meet their end—it would spark outrage among fans.
Let’s see how Dario Scardapane and his team have handled Matt Murdock and Karen Page in the Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series. Stay tuned for more updates.
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