As Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk's new chapter in the Daredevil season 4, the Marvel Television division gave the Devil of Hell's Kitchen a new series with Daredevil: Born Again.

Getting to this Phase 5 series was a challenge for Marvel Television, as Daredevil: Born Again was initially conceived under a different creative team and direction that had very little to do with Netflix's Daredevil TV show. Following a massive creative overhaul, Daredevil: Born Again found a sweet spot between honoring the Netflix show while still building out a new corner of the MCU.

One of the reasons Netflix's Daredevil was so successful was because of the two leads at its center - Charlie Cox as the title character and Vincent D'Onofrio as his longtime nemesis, Wilson Fisk. Ahead of their return, ScreenRant's Liam Crowley caught up with the MCU veterans to discuss what the Phase 5 installment will add to these beloved characters.

Charlie Cox & Vincent D'Onofrio Reflect On Daredevil: Born Again's Creative Overhaul

"One Of The Great Honors Of My Career"

D'Onofrio does not hold back when discussing the state of the series prior to its current iteration: "We were desperate, actually," wa feeling that almost prompted Cox and D'Onofrio to discuss taking a step back from Marvel Studios. "It put [us] in a very vulnerable situation. We thought, 'This is not going on the course that we wanted it to.' Everybody agreed with us, so we switched up."

Cox, while looking back at his initial audition in which he read for Foggy Nelson (a role that ultimately went to Elden Henson in the MCU timeline), shared, "For whatever reason, this character was put in my path, and I knew from the moment I read the first sides, without even knowing that it was Daredevil, being allowed to go and sit in Disney and read the first two episodes, that this was a special, special character."

Cox goes on to say he "really [would've done] anything to have the opportunity to bring it to life." He continues, "It's been such a gift [and] one of the great honors of my career, of my life, to play this character."

"There is a quality to Matt which is very defiant, and maybe I've had to draw upon some of that in order to play the character," Cox says, "But I also have to say that, from start to finish [in] this entire journey, I felt so ed and so championed by everyone at Marvel, Disney, and Netflix, when we made it there. It's just a gift that keeps on giving."

Kingpin's War Against Vigilantes Explained By Wilson Fisk

"No Matter How Hard Each Of Them Try, They Can't Seem To Rid Themselves Of This Bug"

Fisk's continued rise to power in Daredevil: Born Again is one of the main plots, with the villain running for mayor in New York City when the series begins. Part of the campaign revolves around Fisk's crusade against vigilantes. When comparing this to the Sokovia Accords and asking whether Fisk is trying to eradicate vigilantes or simply control them, D'Onofrio plays coy: "Anybody that gets in his way is going to be eradicated, period. So he needs to create a world in which that is known, and that's what he's doing."

Given their complex history in the MCU, Daredevil: Born Again is a new beginning for Matt and Fisk, with the ionate lawyer essentially giving Kingpin a second chance - or as Cox jokingly put it, "Third chance, fourth chance." Looking at why Matt would even give Fisk another chance, Cox stressed that "I think that they both hold power over one another, and that power, on both sides, is undeniable. One of the things that Wilson has over Matt is he knows his identity and he can put [out] his life in a whole new way."

It does remind people that we have this power over each other."

However, for longtime fans of the MCU, Daredevil has continued to emerge victorious, something Cox took into . "When they have come to blows, Matt has come out on top, and I don't think it's lost on Fisk that he might not be willing to kill him. He might not be willing to go to those lengths, but he can certainly mess things up for him, quite royally."

In the end, Kingpin and Daredevil will never be free of one another, as Cox stressed: "No matter how hard each of them try, they can't seem to rid themselves of this bug, this annoying element in their lives and in New York. So you do what you can to try and keep on top of it."

On Daredevil and Kingpin's rivalry, D'Onofrio responded to Cox, saying, "I like what you said about having power over each other. It's true," before explaining that he "think[s] that this first season of [Daredevil:] Born Again [will remind] people of that in a big, very complicated, [and] chaotic [way.] It does remind people that we have this power over each other."

As Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is "about to start shooting," D'Onofrio teased that "is where that is going to be tested, big time."

Will Charlie Cox Reject This One Potential Avengers Offer?

"The Street-Level Heroes Always Knew That..."

Even if Cox's Daredevil is not in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars - at least for the time being - the Devil of Hell's Kitchen seems destined to cross paths with other MCU heroes at some point. As many fans are aware, the MCU has a tendency to give their heroes regular costume upgrades, including the mixed concept of nanotech helmets.

ScreenRant posed a question directly to Cox, asking if he would make the promise to decline that specific Avengers upgrade, leading to the British star asking, "Why?" As we broke it down to Daredevil himself, whenever Matt is wearing his mask, it always stays on, but whenever he takes it off, there is a power in itself that comes with physically unmasking.

However, that magic wouldn't really be felt if it was suddenly a helmet that could glitch away. It didn't take long for Cox to agree with that explanation, as he stated, "You're right. That's a good point. The street-level heroes always knew that, we always knew that..."

D'Onofrio jokingly chimed in to tell his Daredevil: Born Again co-star to "not make any promises you can't keep" while also agreeing with ScreenRant that "I get what you're saying, that's a good point." To round it off, Cox shared that Daredevil's unmasking process isn't always the easiest, as fans "don't get to see it sometimes. When that comes off, it's a bad hair day [laughs] and we have to fix that."

Daredevil: Born Again premieres with the first two episodes on Tuesday, March 4 at 6pm PT/9pm ET, followed by weekly releases only on Disney+.

Check out our other Daredevil: Born Again interviews with:

• Brad Winderbaum
• Dario Scardapane & Sana Amanat
• Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

Source: ScreenRant Plus

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