DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN parents guide

vdeetee

20 Jan, 2024

Daredevil: Born Again is an upcoming Disney+ streaming series based on the popular Marvel comic book superhero, Daredevil. As parents, it's important to have an understanding of the show's content and themes to determine if it's appropriate for your kids. This parents guide provides a summary, review, and analysis of Daredevil: Born Again to help inform your viewing decisions.

Overview and Background

Daredevil is a Marvel superhero who first appeared in comics in 1964
His real identity is Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer by day who fights crime at night
Charlie Cox reprises his role as Daredevil/Matt after appearing in previous Marvel Netflix series and MCU projects
Show is a reboot of the character aimed at a wider audience on Disney+

Main Characters

Matt Murdock/Daredevil (played by Charlie Cox) - lawyer by day, masked vigilante hero by night
Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (played by Vincent D'Onofrio) - criminal mob boss, Daredevil's arch nemesis
Karen Page (played by Deborah Ann Woll) - Matt's close friend and former secretary
Foggy Nelson (played by Elden Henson) - Matt's best friend and former law partner

Themes and Approach

As a street-level Marvel hero, Daredevil tackles gritty subject matter like crime and corruption head-on. Given the show's edgier approach, here are some key things for parents to be aware of:

Violent action sequences and fight scenes: Daredevil engages in close combat battle using martial arts and acrobatics against criminals and ninjas. Fight choreography is intense with hand-to-hand blows exchanged.
Dark tone: The show explores moral ambiguity in battling crime and corruption. Daredevil sometimes employs questionable methods while trying to save his city from descending into chaos.
Language: Sporadic uses of stronger swear words like "shit" and "bitch" are peppered into dialogue. These reflect the show's attempt at a certain grounded realism in language.
Adult situations: As a street-level vigilante, Daredevil deals with seedy criminal elements like drug dealing, human trafficking, and prostitution rings which are depicted to varying degrees. Some sexual references exist but no extensive sexual content is shown.

Parents Guide Content Summary

Below is a broad overview of potentially objectionable content by category across the scope of Daredevil: Born Again to be aware of:

Violence

Intense hand-to-hand combat scenes with martial arts, acrobatics
Daredevil engages with multiple attackers using rapid blows and kicking
Criminals use guns, knives, bats, and other weapons
Significant blows are landed and blood is periodically shown
Bones are broken and injuries occur but graphic wounds are rarely focused on

Language

Sporadic uses of "shit", "bitch", "dick", "ass", and "hell"
Stronger profanity is infrequent overall

Sex and Nudity

No extensive sexual activity depicted
Costumed characters shown in skin-tight outfits
Occasional sexual references made in dialogue

Alcohol and Drugs

References made to drug and prostitution rings
Alcohol consumption periodically shown in bars and clubs
Daredevil not shown consuming drugs but battles criminals participating in drug trade

Frightening and Intense Scenes

Threatening interrogations occur with menacing villains
Hostage situations and abductions depicted
Significant peril exists for main and supporting characters

Common Sense Media Review

Common Sense Media is an independent non-profit that provides reviews and age-based ratings for media content including movies, shows, apps, and websites.

According to their review of Daredevil Born Again, they gave the show a 3/5 star rating and recommend it for viewers 15+. Their justification cites intense action violence, injury detail, language, and some mature references for the teen rating.

By comparison, the original Marvel Netflix Daredevil series earned a TV-MA mature rating from most review sites for its darker content. So while still gritty, the Disney+ version appears mildly toned down.

Parental Controls

Disney+ offers several parental control options to restrict access to mature content:

Profiles - Create separate kids profiles to restrict shows/movies by rating
Profile PIN - Pin protect kids profiles to prevent override of restrictions
Content ratings - Shows and movies are labeled by rating like TV-PG or TV-14

Enabling these controls allows you to customize Daredevil viewing permissions for younger viewers. Note parental discretion for teens is still advised given the edgier themes.

Discussion Guide

If allowing teenage viewers, some key discussion questions to consider include:

Why does Matt Murdock hide his Daredevil identity and activities from friends? What risks does it pose?
Daredevil struggles at times with the morality of vigilantism pursuing justice - how does this relate to real world ethics?
How are the methods/motives of Daredevil and Kingpin similar and different? Who actually helps the city more?
Which supporting character did you most relate to and why? What advice would you give them?

Having open conversations around dilemmas posed can help reinforce positive lessons from the show.

Verdict

While staying true to its comic book roots with intense action sequences, Daredevil: Born Again brings the gritty street-level hero to Disney+ for a wider audience. Parents will still want to exercise caution in allowing pre-teens to view given dark themes, sporadic profanity, violence and adult references throughout. But for mature teenagers who can thoughtfully discuss moral implications, the show offers an engaging look at one man's quest to save his city as both a lawyer and a masked vigilante.

Parent Resources

Scene Type	Level of Concern	Description
Violence	Moderate/Intense	Frequent hand-to-hand combat with weapons, injuries detail
Language	Mild/Moderate	Occasional stronger swear words like "shit"
Sex/Nudity	Mild	Skintight outfits but no extensive sexual content
Drug/Alcohol Use	Mild	References made to drug trade rings
Frightening/Intense Scenes	Moderate	Threatening villains, perilous situations