Disney is a studio that produces content of such a particular type that calling something a “Disney Movie” usually tells people everything they need to know. Those with a Disney+ subscription tend to have a certain understanding of what to expect when it comes to its television and movies. It’s family-friendly entertainment that will rarely be objectionable to most viewers. And yet, Daredevil: Born Again is now on Disney+, and quite simply, this show is not for everybody in the family. Not even close.
It would be difficult to gauge what the “most violent” movie or series on a given streaming service would be. Most of the best streaming services have a much broader variety of content that changes fairly frequently. However, considering where most Disney content falls, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that Daredevil: Born Again is the most violent show on Disney+. It might even be the most violent thing on the entire platform.
Mature Content Is A Fairly Recent Addition To Disney+
Disney has certainly dabbled in more mature content over the years. Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures were started to give the studio an outlet for more grown-up films without dirtying the Disney name by having movies where people used foul language. However, for the majority of Disney+’s existence, that content could not be found on the streamer.
It was only three years ago that Marvel Studios gained the rights to all of the series that had been originally produced for Netflix. When these shows debuted on Disney+, the streaming platform had to introduce entirely new systems to manage content, as it simply hadn’t been necessary before.
A few months later, the first rated-R movies arrived on Disney+ in the form of Logan and the first two Deadpool movies. For the most part, mature content has still been kept to a minimum, unless of course, you have your Hulu account tied to your Disney+ subscription.
Still, while the first three seasons of Daredevil that were produced for Netflix are on Disney+, that didn’t mean that Marvel Studios, under the Disney umbrella, was going to produce something as grim and violent as that. And yet, they absolutely did.
I’ve Seen Daredevil: Born Again, And You Are Not Prepared
If you are reading this, you may have already seen at least a few of the early episodes of Daredevil: Born Again. I have actually seen more, and while I promise there will be no spoilers here, let me assure you that if you’re not already convinced that Daredevil: Born Again embraced its freedom to go dark, you will be before the show is over.
I didn’t count the number of times Matt Murdoch gave somebody a compound fracture on screen, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t another series or movie on the platform that exceeds it. The violence is visceral in a way that we just don’t see on Disney+.
Certainly, other shows on Disney+ are not like this. Star Wars has always been more family-friendly and the other Marvel series have remained firmly in the same PG-13 space as the rest of the MCU movies. Even the Deadpool films, including Deadpool & Wolverine, while certainly violent and deserving of their R-ratings, blend the violence with humor, which softens it in a way that Daredevil: Born Again simply does not. You feel the violence of Born Again in a way you don't in Deadpool & Wolverine because it's handled so seriously.
I cannot find a single series that was created specifically for Disney+ that has even close to this level of violence, or language for that matter. Only the other seasons of Daredevil and the other Marvel/Netflix projects even come close. Maybe it's the fact that Born Again is more recent, but I do feel like the level of violence in the new show even exceeds those. They really went hard.
There Are Elements Of A Less Violent Daredevil In Born Again
One of the more interesting things about the production of Daredevil: Born Again has been the fact that the version of the show we are getting now is essentially the second bite at the apple. The drama originally went into production as something different before some, including stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, argued it was the wrong direction for the show.
What seems clear after watching all of Daredevil: Born Again is that one of the changes that was made had to do with the level of violence. For example, there’s an episode midway through this season that probably has the least blood of any episode, and has the most direct connection to the previously established MCU. It also has the fewest connections to the other episodes of Born Again. It feels like it’s from another series, and maybe like the original version of Born Again.
I fully expect the episode will be divisive, but I actually loved it. It shows that Daredevil: Born Again maybe didn’t need to go so hard with the violence. It still could have worked as something more in line with the rest of the PG-13 MCU.
Time Will Tell If This Means Even More Mature Content On Disney+
It will be interesting to see how Daredevil: Born Again does on Disney+. While there will certainly be people for whom the more mature content isn’t appropriate, and those for whom there is just little appeal, the studio is obviously looking for a large swathe of people to identify with the content and hopefully want more.
We already know that Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is happening, and there’s certainly no reason to expect that it will pull any punches when it comes to content. But what will happen after that? We could very well get more seasons of Daredevil, but the real question is, will we get more shows like Daredevil?
Other characters who got their start on Netflix Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are potentially getting returns of their own. I certainly would love to see the Defenders return. If Born Again is a massive success, that all certainly becomes more likely. It's not the most interesting piece of the success puzzle though. I’m most curious to see if we could see a significant increase in TV-MA and R-rated content on Disney+ in general.
Could entirely new Marvel series or movies be conceived as more violent takes on the material? Could we see a more adult take on Star Wars? (Please.) Could Disney start considering acquiring original shows that wouldn’t otherwise fall into what we consider to be “Disney” entertainment?
I’m not particularly in favor of that, though I’m not particularly against it either. I thoroughly enjoyed Daredevil: Born Again, violence and all, though I’m pretty sure my wife will never watch it.
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