Marvel Cinematic Universe fans’ excitement for Daredevil: Born Again continues to grow, especially after the sequel series’ first trailer suggested that it will have a dark, intense tone similar to that of Netflix’s acclaimed original Daredevil show. But Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane recently made some comments about the earlier series that most fans will likely object to and which raise concerns that the new show may not be of as high quality as the trailer suggests. While comparing the two shows during an interview with SFX Magazine, Scardapane said, “The earlier show, at its best, was fantastic,” but also asserted that, “At its worst, it was two characters in a room talking about what a hero is. I felt that had been done.” He elaborated that, “I just didn’t want to hear characters grousing about their lot in life. I wanted to see them doing things.”
While this alludes to an understandable desire to have an energetic narrative with active characters, it also suggests a misunderstanding of some of the original show’s appeal. The cast of Daredevil is anything but passive, and while some of the most memorable scenes from the series are its unique superhero action sequences and explosive confrontations between Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and the villains he faces, the quieter dialogue scenes in which the characters reflect on their experiences and question their next courses of action are equally important, sometimes even more so, and are generally very well written and performed. This is shown in the second scene in the overall series, a lengthy dialogue in which Matt questions his morality, which establishes many of the themes and emotional challenges the character will deal with throughout the show in a highly efficient manner.
‘Daredevil’ Is Full of Memorable Dialogue
Daredevil devotes significant attention to exploring themes of religious faith (one of several aspects of the show that make it fairly unique among superhero adaptations), with the Catholic Matt often turning to local priest Father Paul Lantom (Peter McRobbie) for advice about moral quandaries he finds himself dealing with during his work as a crime-fighting vigilante, and, less often, about his official work as a lawyer. The first of their dialogues is also the first scene in the show’s present-day narrative, coming after only a flashback cold open depicting the car accident in which Matt lost his sight and gained superpowers. While sitting in a confessional, Matt muses about his deceased boxer father, Jack. He explains to Father Lantom how his especially religious grandmother would often say, “Be careful of the Murdock boys, they’ve got the devil in them,” alluding to a kind of inner darkness Jack and Matt possess that they are not always able to control. Matt confirms that he believes she was right and notes that he saw Jack, “let the devil out,” during particularly fierce moments in some of his boxing matches.
Matt says that during these moments in his childhood, “I didn’t understand it, what he was feeling, deep inside, I didn’t understand it. Not back then,” leading Lantom to ask if he understands it now before noting that their discussion might make more progress if Matt tells him specifically what he’s confessing to. This leads Matt to reply with the now iconic line that, “I’m not seeking penance for what I’ve done, Father. I’m asking forgiveness for what I’m about to do,” referring to his imminent decision to begin regularly fighting crime as a vigilante.
An understandably confused Lantom notes that this is not how confession normally works, establishing one of the many contradictions that drives the series, namely that Matt feels compelled to take the often violent action he does as a superhero vigilante due both to his desire to bring justice to New York City and his more disturbing need to “let the devil out,” even though he acknowledges that many of his actions could be considered immoral (often even doing so before he actually acts). Despite the brevity of the scene (which is only a little over three minutes long), McRobbie and Cox efficiently begin to establish the dynamic between their characters, which becomes one of the most nuanced and compelling in the series, with Cox also immediately demonstrating how immensely complex a character Matt is. There’s a wistful quality to his descriptions of some of these aspects of his childhood, with Matt smiling and chuckling at times throughout the monologue, even as the memory of his father’s eventual death and the disturbing implications of the idea of the devil inside them also make him shed quiet tears, and this complicated assortment of emotions allows Cox to quickly demonstrate his impressive range as an actor, which was further highlighted throughout the rest of the series.
‘Born Again’ Would Benefit From Scenes Like ‘Daredevil’s Confession
There are many more thrilling conversations like this throughout Daredevil, both between Matt and Lantom and other characters, and they serve as the series’ backbone, making it the thoughtful, comprehensive take on superhero storytelling that it is. Given this, it’s natural that Scardapane’s dismissive appraisal of such scenes has made fans doubt whether Born Again will be a similarly nuanced story. Hopefully, his comments will prove to be misleading, and the new series will feature quiet moments of similar quality to its predecessor’s, in addition to the explosive action scenes and face-offs already teased by the trailer.
Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ on March 4. You can watch Netflix’s Daredevil on Disney+ in the U.S.
Daredevil
- Release Date
-
2015 – 2017
- Showrunner
-
Steven S. DeKnight
- Directors
-
Phil Abraham, Stephen Surjik, Peter Hoar
- Writers
-
Drew Goddard
- Franchise(s)
-
Marvel
Source link
