Importance Score: 45 / 100 🔵
Daredevil: Born Again Explores Mature Marvel Themes, But Not a Trump Allegory
Daredevil: Born Again marks a significant departure within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), presenting itself as a project genuinely crafted for adult audiences. Its startling intensity is particularly unexpected coming from Disney. While Deadpool & Wolverine may feature graphic content and adult language, its comedic nature diminishes its claim to be truly “adult.” The maturity of Born Again extends beyond visceral fight sequences and strong language, delving into thematic depths where the relentless pull of violence ensnares its protagonists. This is all executed with sharp, intelligent writing and nuanced storytelling. However, it is crucial to clarify that the series is not intended as a political allegory for the resurgence of Donald Trump.
(Spoiler Note: This analysis avoids specific plot spoilers, including widely discussed events from the premiere, but necessarily addresses general thematic elements.)
Compelling Narrative Despite Pacing
Currently airing its initial season, Daredevil: Born Again (DBA), streaming on Disney+, has released six of its nine episodes. While the series exhibits the common Marvel television challenge of expanding a concise narrative across an extended run, it remains undeniably captivating television.
Charlie Cox’s Subtly Powerful Daredevil
Charlie Cox’s portrayal of lawyer Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil, has evolved since the earlier Netflix seasons. He delivers a more nuanced performance, radiating a deliberate and profound calmness. This composed demeanor imbues his speech with the same focused energy he applies to his superheroic combat skills. Whether addressing a jury in court or asserting authority during a bank robbery, his voice maintains a measured, quiet tone that compels attention. His performance is undeniably mesmerizing.
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Restrained Yet Ominous Kingpin
Vincent D’Onofrio masterfully reprises his role as Wilson Fisk, the formidable Kingpin, adopting a similarly tempered approach without diminishing the aura of power and intimidation he commands. Fisk, recovering from injuries sustained in the MCU series Hawkeye, returns to New York City seeking to transition into politics. Simultaneously, he confronts a failing marriage and the erosion of his control over the city’s criminal underworld. Every pillar of his stability and power is threatened. Yet, both D’Onofrio and the creative team exhibit restraint in depicting this turmoil. The subdued intensity hints at the volatile outbursts inherent to Kingpin’s character, but this time, the underlying menace is far more unsettling, and the contained rage feels significantly darker.
Mayor Fisk and Political Parallels
A central plot point in the first season of DBA involves Fisk’s mayoral campaign in New York City, highlighting the inherent tensions for a figure accustomed to blatant corruption and violence operating within the political sphere. This notorious criminal, widely recognized as Kingpin, adopts a populist stance in a politically charged urban landscape to acquire political influence. However, his victory necessitates fulfilling the expected duties of office. This scenario has understandably led many to draw parallels to Donald Trump’s ascent to the presidency—a publicly known figure with a history of open corruption gaining political power. The connection seems apparent.
Debating the Trump Allegory
Consequently, numerous reviews and opinion pieces have explored these thematic overlaps, with some lauding Disney’s perceived boldness in directly addressing these issues and others criticizing it as an overly simplistic observation. However, despite the likely awareness of this comparison among writers and producers, it is doubtful that the series intends to be a direct commentary or satire on this specific political figure. The analogy falters in a critical aspect: portraying Fisk as a Trump surrogate would suggest a lack of insight on the part of the creators that is demonstrably absent elsewhere in the series. Wilson Fisk is unequivocally intelligent.
Showrunner’s Perspective on Fisk’s Political Rise
It is pertinent to note that Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane has already refuted the Trump allegory interpretation, citing the somewhat tenuous argument that the scripts were written and filming largely completed “long before” 2024. (It is worth recalling that Trump’s presidency was not a singular event.) In an interview with IGN (containing spoilers), Scardapane posits that Fisk’s electoral success, despite his established criminal past, stems from New York’s growing distrust of superheroes and Fisk’s positioning as a powerful figure who vows to oppose them. His credibility as a dangerous, cunning individual gave him an advantage, characteristics not typically associated with Trump.
Nuance Beyond Simple Allegory
While skepticism remains regarding Scardapane’s assertion that Trump’s initial political rise was entirely absent from consideration—especially given that it arguably mirrors a plotline conceived in 2016—it is plausible that he is astute enough to recognize that a character as shrewd and manipulative as Fisk would not serve as a credible Trump allegory, and equally wise to avoid stating this explicitly in an interview.
Focus on Inner Turmoil, Not Political Satire
Examining the narrative directly, without relying solely on authorial intent, Daredevil: Born Again emerges as a narrative centered on two individuals struggling against their inherent natures, resisting the urge to embrace their masked identities. This internal conflict forms the core of the storyline. The series portrays two individuals battling addiction, striving to overcome their darker impulses while the external world actively pushes them back towards those very paths. Both Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk are exceptionally intelligent men, equipped for success in their respective domains, yet bound to alter egos that offer not only shortcuts to their goals but also gratify a deep-seated, malevolent craving.
Intelligence Divergence: Fisk vs. Trump
In stark contrast, Donald Trump is demonstrably unintelligent. This is not a provocative statement, but a factual observation. He is characterized by a lack of intellectual depth, whose rise was facilitated by a convergence of societal factors, propelled by a base level populism, utilizing his inherited wealth to capitalize on a wave of anti-establishment sentiment coinciding with a global shift towards right-wing ideologies.
Illustrative Examples of Disparity
Trump’s intellectual limitations are evident in pronouncements such as Ukraine possessing “raw earth” resources and the notion that human bodies have a finite “reserve of energy” from birth. While acknowledging Fisk’s fictional nature, it is difficult to imagine him uttering phrases like describing a hurricane as “one of the wettest we’ve ever seen, from the standpoint of water” or claiming George Washington’s army “took over airports.” Such pronouncements would be incongruous with Kingpin’s established character.
Shared Tactics, Divergent Intellect
The fundamental similarity between Fisk and Trump is their exploitation of public prejudice to gain power. However, a critical distinction lies in their methodology: Fisk is characterized by calculated deception and manipulation, whereas Trump often articulates views and then embraces the reactions that garner the loudest approval. Fisk adopts anti-hero rhetoric strategically to serve his agenda of eliminating threats to his criminal enterprise. Trump, conversely, shifts his stated positions—for instance, on abortion—based on which stance elicits greater applause from his base. Fisk is directive and strategic; Trump is reactive and instinctual. One is intelligent; the other is not.
Conclusion: Beyond a Superficial Political Reading
Interpreting Daredevil: Born Again primarily as a satirical commentary on Trump’s presidency necessitates assuming a similar lack of intelligence on the part of the show’s creators. This is a demonstrably flawed premise. The narrative’s focus demonstrably lies elsewhere, particularly on Fisk’s internal struggle to suppress his Kingpin persona to achieve broader objectives. The revelation at the culmination of episode five gains significant depth precisely because it transcends a simplistic “scamp” portrayal. Instead, it illustrates the externalization of Fisk’s primal urges, effectively imprisoning his consuming need for violence and vengeance. A simplistic Trump allegory would likely involve a portrayal of ineptitude rather than this complex internal conflict.