Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | April 28, 2026
For the most part, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 has been a vast improvement over Season 1. That endeavor was handicapped by a creative overhaul that Frankenstein’d together an aborted reboot with a more faithful return to the Netflix canon. The effect was a disjointed season that didn’t start cooking until its final few episodes.
Season 2 has had a much stronger start. Matt (Charlie Cox) practically lives in his Daredevil suit, Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) is an integral part of a more cohesive narrative, and Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) has already stomped her way back into the MCU. It has everything fans could want, and yet, the numbers are in the toilet.
In a first for a Marvel series, Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 failed to crack the Nielsen Top 10 streaming charts. Not only has that legacy continued with Season 2, which has yet to chart as of this writing, but its viewership is reportedly a bloodbath.
Via Comic Book (emphasis mine):
According to exclusive Luminate data through the first five episodes of each season, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 has accumulated 4,515,000 season views, 10,867,000 hours watched, and 652,000,000 minutes watched. Season 1, tracked across the same five-week window, generated 8,357,000 season views, 24,000,000 hours watched, and 1,440,004,000 minutes watched. That represents a decline of approximately 46% in total views and over 54% in total hours watched. The week-by-week comparison underscores the severity of those numbers: Season 1’s premiere week drew 1,904,000 views and 3,491,000 hours watched, while Season 2’s opening week produced 927,000 views and 788,000 hours watched. Every subsequent week follows the same pattern, with Season 2 consistently tracking at roughly half the engagement of its predecessor.
In a nutshell, Born Again has seemingly lost half its audience. Although, it should be noted that these are not official metrics from Disney+, but none of these trends look good. What’s even stranger is Marvel is full steam ahead on Season 3, which is currently filming. There’s also talk of bringing back Jessica Jones for her own show, so Marvel seems to be unbothered by its viewership numbers. Why? The answer lies in two unlikely sources: She-Hulk and The Acolyte.
Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum recently revealed that, despite the very loud and obnoxious backlash, She-Hulk has been one of its best performing shows. Over at Star Wars, there’s been a flurry of activity around The Acolyte, which has reportedly seen a boost in its already strong numbers from Maul: Shadow Lord. What does that all mean? Disney appears to be playing the long game, and it may have an ace up its sleeve to funnel fans back to Daredevil: Born Again.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will introduce Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to general audiences, but the movie’s connections to Born Again may go even deeper. A Daredevil cameo is practically a given at this point, but we may see the big man himself make an appearance. I’m talking, of course, about Kingpin, who also has a long comic book history with Spidey.
If Brand New Day takes place in a New York City that’s still under the Kingpin’s boot, that could easily funnel curious theatergoers back to Disney+ to find out more. It’s a pure comic book move, but also, a very risky gamble because we’re already seeing Marvel hobble along thanks to giving audience’s too much homework. Not to mention, the dicey prospect of encouraging young Spidey fans to watch the MA-rated Born Again…
Maybe they’re not doing that! I’m just spitballing here.
