Devil Inside: 1on1 with Charlie Cox & Vincent D’Onofrio (DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN)

Finally, the ‘Devil has finally returned to Hell’s Kitchen.

After Disney took back the rights from Netflix’s super series, Daredevil, questions arose as to whether or not Matt Murdoch would survive in the more light-hearted MCU. But with the arrival of the absolutely incredible Daredevil: Born Again, Disney+ proves that they understand this vision of New York as the series returns with a vengeance.

In Daredevil: Born Again, blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) returns with an eye for justice at his law firm. But his world is shaken with the news that former mob boss (and old adversary) Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has resurfaced, this time with new political agendas on his mind. As the two men’s lives begin to collide, they must battle their past selves in order to keep New York standing.

Although series star Charlie Cox admits that their version of Born Again differs substantially from the original comic storyline, he also insists that the world they’re bringing to life will push Matt Murdoch to dark places.

“We’re not doing the Born Again story. The name of the show is really just a reference to coming back after so many years. Of course, [it’s also] an homage to Frank Miller’s iconic run. Obviously, yes, we’re always trying to find the best version of the best Matt Murdoch, aka Daredevil. But, in finding the best version, we also seek out the worst version. I think that’s what makes him such a compelling character and so relatable, actually… When you play that character, you’ll get to see the best version of yourself. And you’ll get to see the absolute worst version of yourself, which is fun.”

However, while Cox’s Matt Murdoch may have a dark side, the man who truly brings it out of him remains Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk. Having worked together now for over a decade, the two have developed a genuine love of one another that makes for compelling onscreen interactions.

“Over the last 10 years, obviously, we’ve become very good friends,” begins D’Onofrio. “And the good news is that it does feel like the better friends we become, the easier it is to hate each other. With no consequences. Because we’ve known each other for so long and we love playing these roles, we have a lot in common. I’ve fallen in love with Charlie. And the more I love him, the more I love to hate him. You know, it’s great. It’s great. I mean, and, you know, to be serious about it, you know, the other thing is trust.

“You know, we trust each other a lot,” he continues. “I know that when we’re shooting this thing, it’s usually he’s in one side of the studio. I don’t even know what they’re doing. And I’m on another side of the studio doing something else and… I know that that side of the show is going to be fine. Like, I never have to question. I have complete confidence in whatever is going on that I have nothing idea about. And it gives me a lift on my side to know that knowledge. And that’s because of our team and, I think, Charlie in a big way.”

“We sort of have a developed shorthand, you and I,” Cox echoes. “We think very similar about our notes. And, if they’re not, we just fall into a collaboration without even thinking about it.”

Of course, resurrecting a series from another network can be a difficult thing. Show creators usually want to chart a new path while still keeping the world familiar to fans of the series that came before. Part of that familiarity stems from the inclusion of Matt Murdoch’s (literal) partners in law, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page (Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll). As part of the key building blocks of the Netflix series, Cox believes that they are an essential part of Matt’s journey up to this point and necessary to include once again.

“It was important to us to start out the show with feeling how these characters have evolved since we last saw them,” he explains. “And it feeling like a big warm hug. Because when the big thing happens, it’s in contrast [to] that big warm hug. You feel the tragedy even more and you feel that event as something that shakes the faith of Matt Murdoch / Daredevil in such a way that he would question everything about his place in the universe. And that that grief would ripple out all season long. By doing that, we would amp all that up. On top of that, there’s the obvious thing that we love those characters and we love those actors and just can’t imagine the show without them.”

What’s more, another welcome return from the original series is Jon Bernthal’s beloved vigilante Frank Castle (aka The Punisher). As Bernthal sets foot in the MCU for the first time, Cox highlights the fact that the return of Frank continue to push Matt where he’s afraid to go.

“Anything that Jon Bernthal is in, I will watch,” Cox grins. “I just think he’s such a talented actor. He’s got such amazing charisma and energy. And we are so fortunate to have him be part of this show. Whenever he shows up, it’s an absolute delight. Both in terms of his performance and as a human. He brings such fun to the set. Those are fun days. Yeah, they’re really, really fun days. He has a couple of… really great scenes, you know, potentially iconic moments. They’re an absolute joy to shoot. And I feel like John and Charlie are very different people. So, it’s really fun. They’re very great friends. We’re very different people.”

“And often when I’m in a scene as Daredevil with Frank, he pulls me closer to a Daredevil that… I’m frightened of and excited by. You know what I mean? And I think it’s in baked in the material as well. So yeah, I get excited for the fans to see what he’s going to do. You know what I mean? And hopefully we can keep having him pop up.”

Nevertheless, Cox and D’Onofrio’s desire to keep telling stories with these characters ultimately comes down to their love for the fans. Asked what they hope audiences take away from the series, the two men focus on their hope that the high standard and expectations that fans have for these characters are met.

“I just hope they’re as excited about it as we are,” D’Onofrio beams. “That it’s totally entertaining for them and that they’re happy that they just finished the series because we all worked really hard on it and. We all believed in the fans and we worked towards what we felt they wanted the whole time. So, my hopes are that they just thoroughly enjoy it.”

“There’s a thirst when we speak to fans, when we have that interaction,” Cox reiterates. “There is a there’s a thirst. For quality and identity, a fabric of the show that we’ve had in the past that you can’t necessarily articulate it or put your finger on it. But you get this sense of like a worried desire for ‘is it going to be there?’ And I hope they feel that it is. I think it is. And every now and again, I meet a fan and they go, you know, is the show dark? You know, is it going to be… And when I hear that, I have a smile.”

The first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again is available on Disney+ on March 4^th, 2025, with new episodes streaming weekly.