The second season of Daredevil: Born Again has reportedly seen a 50% drop in viewership compared to its already troubled first season.
While the revival of the former Netflix-era MCU series was positioned as a strong addition to Disney+, third-party streaming analytics suggest that Daredevil: Born Again has struggled to create any momentum.
Production Challenges and a Reworked First Season
Season 1 launched with strong interested fueled by the return of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. The series also leaned heavily on nostalgia for the original Daredevil show. However, its development was marked by significant production challenges.
Daredevil in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 – Disney+
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Showrunners and head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman had reportedly completed nearly half of the season before the 2023 writers’ strike disrupted production. According to reporting, Marvel executives, including Kevin Feige, felt the series was not coming together as intended. At that stage, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Ord and Corman were let go before Marvel had secured a replacement.
Dario Scardapane was later brought in as the new showrunner and tasked with reworking the series—shooting new material to shift the narrative direction while also salvaging as much of the existing footage as possible. He has since described the resulting first season as a “cobbled-together Frankenstein.”
Tracking data from Luminate indicates that Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 viewership came in 8.3 million views. In total, Daredevil: Born Again recorded around 24 million watch hours and 1.44 billion minutes watched.
Jon Bernthal as the Punisher and Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again – Disney, Marvel Studios
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While promoting Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Scardapane promised a more unified vision. However, viewership indicators suggest that has not translated into sustained audience momentum.
Season 2 Viewership Decline
Comparatively, Season 2 has reportedly accumulated 4.5 million views, along with 10.8 million hours watched and 652 million minutes viewed. According to Luminate’s data, this represents a decline of roughly 46% to nearly 55% compared to the first season.
However, it is not only third-party tracking that suggests the Disney+ revival is struggling. According to Nielsen’s streaming originals rankings for the week of March 23–29—the week of its premiere—Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 did not break into the Top 10.
Nielsen ratings for March 23-29, 2026 – Nielsen
Instead, it reportedly fell below the 449 million minutes viewed threshold set by Netflix’s Peaky Blinders, which occupied the number 10 position. It also trailed behind Amazon’s Invincible (a superhero animated series) and Netflix’s One Piece (a manga adaptation), undercutting arguments that audience decline is driven solely by “superhero fatigue.”
Interpretation and Creative Direction
Critics suggest the decline in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 viewership may stem from what they describe as the show’s heavy-handed political messaging. Ahead of the second season’s debut, showrunners and cast members frequently emphasized the real-world inspirations behind the story.
Charlie Cox as Daredevil in the Daredevil: Born Again trailer – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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At the red carpet premiere, Vincent D’Onofrio, who portrays Wilson Fisk, said, “Being a New Yorker, what we are doing in the second season would truly be frightening for a New Yorker.” He reinforced the point by adding, “There are aspects of what we do now in the second season that are scary to think about if they were real.”
With a third season already confirmed, it remains to be seen whether the showrunners will pursue another creative adjustment in response to audience reception—or continue refining the direction they’ve set in place.
Are you surprised by these Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 ratings? Let us know in the comments!
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