Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+)

[Silver Nemesis]

I don't know if we'll get anything that comic accurate in Born Again, but I'd love it if we did. I've always liked the visual dynamic between Daredevil and Bullseye in the comics. They're a similar height and build, evenly matched, with similar looking costumes. It just looks so cool whenever they fight.

There's really no excuse not to have Bullseye don his classic suit in the new show. They've got a massive budget by all accounts, and if anything Bullseye's costume should be easier to translate into live action than Daredevil's. It's similar to one of the all-black batsuits, minus the pointy ears and cape, with some white markings painted on and a gun strapped to his thigh. It could look great in live action.

I really like how Cox's new costume looks in these early pics. It's probably the best live action DD costume we've seen so far. If they can do as good a job with Bullseye, I'll be thrilled.

[thecolorsblend]

Meanwhile here are some pics of Charlie wearing his new costume. Those markers on his suit suggest digital effects work. Possibly areas of the costume that'll get damaged by Bullseye's projectiles?

I'd like to take another look at these images if I may.

Obviously, Matt Murdock has a long and established history of being Catholic. Certainly, the Netflix shows made no effort at all to shy away from that fact.

If those markers are for visual effects work and if they represent wounds inflicted by Bullseye (or anyone else), then their placement is very suggestive. Specifically, the crucifixion. Two wounds on the wrist and one on the side. Those are probably Christ's most well known wounds during the crucifixion.

The marker over the heart is actually what convinces me that the markers/injuries are an allusion to the Passion. Many modern day doctors have suggested that Christ's ultimate cause of death was a ruptured heart. The posture that tradition teaches that Christ was attached to the cross combined with (likely) dehydration would've very likely resulted in heart failure.

Obviously, that's absolute conjecture and it's sort of unprovable. Still, it's widely accepted as fact even tho, to my recollection, scripture doesn't directly mention cardiac arrest, ruptured ventricles or anything else.

The reason I'm mentioning this at all is because Christians in general and Catholics in particular obviously attach a gigantic level of importance and significance to Christ's crucifixion. And as per the above, Catholicism is a central aspect of Murdock's moral universe.

Plus, the entire born again aspect of the story has metaphorical significance to Murdock in general and this storyline in particular. Born again is obviously Christian terminology. But Murdock is also symbolically born again in the story.

What better way to bring that across than by metaphorically "crucifying" Murdock, presumably at the start of the storyline? Giving him approximations of Christ's own wounds has obvious symbolic power in the story as well as to Murdock's arc in the story.

I say all of the above to say those injuries are yet another reason to be hopeful about this season. Because it looks to me like someone REALLY had their thinking cap on and added peculiarly Catholic doctrines/symbolism to this story about a Catholic character.

Maybe everyone else already noticed this and I'm just spinning my wheels. But if we're passing out copium prescriptions, well, here's your daily dose then.

[Silver Nemesis]

I hadn't considered the significance of the placement of the wounds, but that would be in keeping with the allegorical subtext of Miller and Mazzucchelli's original comic. When they adapted plot points from Born Again in the third season of the Netflix show, they made it more of a Job allegory. But the original book heavily referenced the Passion.

Matt is betrayed by someone close to him who sells him out to his enemy. Instead of pieces of silver, Karen sells him out for a fix of heroin. Judas Iscariot killed himself after he betrayed Jesus, and Karen tries to kill herself after betraying Matt.

Matt is falsely accused of a crime and publicly defamed. The scene where Kingpin beats him to a bloody pulp could be seen as a metaphor for the scourging.

The Stations of the Cross depict Christ falling three times on his way to Calvary. Matt falls three times in Daredevil V1 #229 as he's staggering around New York. Firstly when he's hit by a car.

Secondly when he's knifed by Turk. This also evokes Christ being pierced with the spear.

And thirdly when he collapses in Fogwell's Gym.

This leads to an image evoking the Pieta, with Matt's mother cradling his body as Mary held Jesus after the crucifixion.

And of course we have the themes of resurrection, forgiveness, hope, redemption and virtuous suffering. I suppose you could interpret the empty taxi cab as a metaphor for the empty tomb.

Much as I love The Dark Knight Returns, Born Again edges it out for me as Miller's best work. It blows my mind that he wrote both of those books in the same year. Say what you will about Miller's later work – and he's certainly produced his share of rubbish – but back in his prime he was an outstanding writer. I consider Born Again to be his deepest and most layered work, not to mention the single best graphic novel Marvel ever published.

Born Again also established the superb team of Miller and Mazzucchelli, who the following year reunited to create Batman: Year One. Both books were edited Denny O'Neil, who also edited The Dark Knight Returns. That was a legendary time for superhero comics.

[thecolorsblend]

I really like how Cox's new costume looks in these early pics. It's probably the best live action DD costume we've seen so far. If they can do as good a job with Bullseye, I'll be thrilled.

I agree about it being the best. But I don't have a problem with most of the Daredevil suits we've seen in live action.

I even like Affleck's. It's very much a product of its time, sure. But it has a lot of charm in it for me.

The only outfit that I've come to hold in low regard is the gold/red suit from She-Hulk. And I've been trying to figure out if I dislike the aesthetic or if the She-Hulk stink is simply ruining it for me. Tough to say.

But this BA suit looks great. The black trim offsets the bright red in an effective way. I'm no costume designer. But in some other thread about an early Nineties live action Daredevil show, I suggested the possibility of a red/black costume because I thought those two colors would blend well with each other. So far, the BA suit is bolstering my case.