An acclaimed series canceled by Netflix has returned with a new chapter to one of its great rivals

The series “Daredevil” aired on Netflix for three seasons between 2015 and 2018, before being controversially canceled by the American streaming platform. Now, he's back with volume two of “Rebirth” on Disney+.

Few shows in the last decade have had such a tumultuous storyline as “Daredevil”, which revolves around Matt Murdoch – a blind lawyer who fights in court by day and is a masked vigilante who fights crime by night.

Like Bruce Wayne and his Batman, Daredevil (Murdoch's vigilante name) is a character from the comic book universe. If Batman is a character from the DC Universe of comics, Daredevil belongs to the great rivals from Marvel.

Comparisons between the two characters have persisted over the years, even though the late Stan Lee, the “father” of Marvel comics, has always denied taking Daredevil's inspiration from others and emphasized his differences from Batman.

What's certain is that Netflix executives wanted to make a “Daredevil” series so badly that in 2013 it ordered one from Disney, the entertainment giant that owns the Marvel franchise. It was the year that Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow's Iron Man hit theaters, which is considered to have ushered in the “golden age” of superhero movies.

Netflix's cancellation of 'Daredevil' a mystery to this day

The bet made at the time by Netflix executives was a successful one and could even be called visionary, considering the huge success they enjoyed in the years that followed superhero productions.

Streamed while Marvel and DC feature films were raking in billions of dollars in theaters, the “Daredevil” series received a warm reception from Netflix subscribers and film critics alike. Its 3 seasons have successively had approval ratings of 99%, 81% and 97% from critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Overall, it ended October 2018 with an average score of 92%.

On IMDb it has an average rating of 8.6 / 10 from over 500,000 viewer ratings. Part of the success was also due to the fact that, like Batman, it is not a traditional production with superheroes and their fantastic superpowers, but is more “grounded” in reality (for lack of a better term). The series was so popular that Netflix also released a “spin-off” miniseries called “The Defenders” in 2017.

As a result, Netflix's 2018 announcement that it decided to cancel “Daredevil” came as a complete shock to fans. As in almost all such situations, Netflix executives did not explain the reasons behind the decision.

Some speculated that the decision was made due to the fact that ratings for “Daredevil” dropped in season 3, although that is not at all clear since Netflix did not yet release viewing figures for its movies and series at the time.

The series “Daredevil” is back “home” on Disney+

What is certain is that, three years after the series was canceled by Netflix, Disney stepped in, took back the rights to the character, and gave the green light to a sequel. The new series, called “Daredevil: Rebirth,” was one of the first Marvel series commissioned by Disney following the launch of its Disney+ streaming platform in November 2019 in the United States.

Released in 2025, the new chapter of “Daredevil” picked up where the first Netflix series left off and convinced actors Charlie Cox (Matt Murdoch / Daredevil) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk / Kingpin) to return to their original roles. Along with them, other actors from the original series such as Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Jon Bernthal and Ayelet Zurer returned for the “Rebirth”.

The first two episodes released concurrently in March 2025 set a Disney+ viewership record for that time of year, with over 7.5 million views in the first 5 days of its premiere.

Critics weren't quite as enthusiastic, with the first season of “Daredevil: Rebirth” holding an 87 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 2, which premiered Wednesday, March 25, on Disney+ has a 94% rating. Overall, both seasons have an average rating of 8 / 10 on IMDb.

“In Season 2, Mayor Wilson Fisk rules New York City with an iron fist and hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell's Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil. But behind the horned mask, Matt Murdock fights back from the shadows to destroy the Kingpin's corrupt empire and take back his hometown. Resist. Revolt. Rebuild,” notes the official Disney+ description for the series.

A new episode is set to air every Wednesday, and the original 'Daredevil' series can now also be seen on Disney+ after the US entertainment giant took back the rights to the Marvel character.

PHOTO article: Rafael Henrique / Dreamstime.com.