Catholicism comes with a lot of heavy burdens whether you understand them or not. One of the heaviest doctrines is that of the Original Sin. The belief is that all humans are born with a fallen, sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Eden. That guilt is instilled in you from birth, and those questions of the good and evils of man always hang over your head like the Sword of Damocles. Daredevil is the most Catholic superhero there is, so when religious dogma wasn’t an inherent theme in season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again, the show didn’t ring true. That ever-present darkness was absent in the corners of Matt Murdock’s mind, but it looms heavy over Season 2. Daredevil has returned to the stained glass glory of the battle between heaven and hell. Matt carries the weight of the world on his shoulders in order to stop the devil himself, Kingpin.
Mayor Wilson Fisk crushes New York City underfoot as he hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil. But, beneath the horned mask, Matt Murdock will try to fight back from the shadows to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home.
Daredevil: Born Again‘s first season had a lot of inconsistencies in tone, storytelling, and overall structure due to major overhauls made before release. Season 2 is helmed by Dario Scardapane as showrunner, with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as directors, resulting in a show that now more closely resembles the original series’ tone. While Scardapane was attached to Season 1, he was brought in towards the end when the overhauls began. With Season 2 fully in their hands from the start, the show has a much more consistent tone, allowing it to build toward a grand finale. The themes of the season are given time to boil over to the explosive conclusions that they deserve. But what they did best was to bring God back into the equation. There are multiple scenes in which Matthew Murdock (Charlie Cox) sits in a pew, having conversations with God. It’s an element that is essential to this character, and it is at the pulpit for all of Season 2.
The other major thing back this season is Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). She isn’t just a cameo or in a few scenes but a major character through the entire season. With Foggy and Karen missing from the first season, there was a gap in Matt having no true friends other than the new ones introduced. With those side characters, it still felt like Matt was alone in ways that didn’t strengthen the storytelling. Deborah Ann Woll has as much chemistry on screen with Charlie Cox as Vincent D’Onofrio does. Her absence was felt as much as her return to a main character. Her performance this season is spectacular as she helps Daredevil try to reclaim New York from the devil’s grasp.
Lucifer began his existence in Heaven, a stern angelic disciple of God. Lucifer’s love of God twisted into the cardinal sin of Pride when he refused to bow to humanity. He was of the belief that his stature lifted him above the rest of God’s creations, and for it he was cast from Heaven. If Daredevil were a biblical story, Kingpin would be the stand-in for Lucifer. Wilson Fisk is a man who, in his heart, believes he is doing good while also holding the belief that he is above those who are weaker than him. In Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, Fisk has taken control of NYC as its Mayor. D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Kingpin is one of the greatest villainous performances in a comic book adaptation. He is a vast ocean of contradictions, with a beating heart full of love for his wife and home. But the ways he tries to improve the world around him involves fear-mongering and crime. It’s a display of a man who is steadfast in his beliefs, even if they are skewed towards a hellish finish. A lot of the tactics of Mayor Fisk resemble things we are seeing in the United States right now with a fascist in the seat of power. Unfortunately for us, there is no archangel in the form of a lawyer in a costume.
Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are Daredevil and Kingpin. There will never be a recast or anything that will unseat them as the ultimate portrayals of these characters. They are the vision of good and evil, Cain and Abel, David and Goliath, and every other parallel in the bible. As the Archangel Saint Michael was tasked by the divine to cast Lucifer from Heaven, Daredevil is tasked with casting Kingpin from the throne of power over New York City. Each scene where they are face-to-face is captivating in ways that no other foe and nemesis has been before. Both of these powerful men want nothing but the best for their home but have very different paths to their end goal. It’s a fascinating study of two diametric foes locked in a battle for good and evil. Their final confrontation in the season reaches the same heights as Seasons 1 and 3 of the Netflix series. But the fallout of this clash is seen through the shows side characters.
The very soul of New York City hangs in the balance as Fisk warps the world around him to fit his goals. The season’s best example of the crossfire is Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini). Daniel wasn’t an evil person before coming under Fisk’s thumb. The audience watches as he grapples with the pursuit of power at the expense of his soul. It’s a stellar performance that is too wrapped in spoilers to dig into, but watch Daniel’s path closely to see a true fall of man and the moral questions of good and evil.
There is a scene of Matt praying in a Catholic church, and his thematic red lighting is cast over him. When I saw it, I couldn’t help but notice that this internal conflict between good and evil was permanent in this season, unlike in the first. While the real-world comparisons of everything going on are palpable, this heavy looming of good and evil hangs over everything. Matt struggles with his own morals of right and wrong a number of times. It’s what anyone dealing with that inherted Catholic guilt does. We question everything we do because it is what we are taught. Original Sin says we are born with the pox of sin on us but Daredevil questions if using that evil to fight for good is enough.