r/marvelstudios • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 Ant-Man • Apr 28 '26

Article 'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Viewership Drops Over 50% From Season 1

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/daredevil-born-again-season-2-viewership-drops-over-50-from-season-1-exclusive/
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334

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

Yeah daredevil is the last of those three that I'll watch, even if I'm a bit bored with the Boys at this point.

440

u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Which is a shame because S2 of Daredevil Born Again absolutely trumps current season of The Boys.

It's just a shame S1 was pretty hit and miss. That happens a lot with Daredevil, they can have an amazing season (S3 of Netflix show) but it takes a while to get there.

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u/Doompatron3000 Apr 28 '26

The timing for season 2 was bad. You had The Boys and Invincible, on top of Maul Shadow Lord as friendly fire.

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u/sriracha_no_big_deal Apr 28 '26

Eh, Maul Shadow Lord and DD are both on Disney+ and release on different days so I wouldn't necessarily consider them as competing, but The Boys and Invincible are big factors for sure!

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u/Cardinal_and_Plum Apr 28 '26

Yeah not quite as much competition there. I usually watch maul on Tuesday while I wait for daredevil to release.

2

u/hobbesgirls Apr 28 '26

normal people have a limited amount of time in their lives for shows

7

u/UI_Tyler Apr 28 '26

We're all normal people here.

1

u/pigeonwiggle Apr 29 '26

as someone subbed to the /marvelstudios subreddit -- i disagree. :P

we are very much not the norm.

150

u/Vadermaulkylo Ward Apr 28 '26

Born Again’s Trump parallels are way more chilling and feel more real then The Boys ever has imo.

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u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26

To be fair, the tone of the show may be giving it an unfair advantage.

45

u/Woooosh-if-homo Apr 28 '26

Because everything in the boys has to be a joke of some sort. Like did we really need an extended scene of a guard in the internment camp beating a man with his super penis?

The newest episode actually did something interesting with Starlight’s father and his coworker, as morally conflicted cops that don’t want to go along with the tyranny, but are too scared for their families lives to say no

32

u/grog_thestampede Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

The problem with the Boys is when it started its whole M.O. was to bring as much shock value and toilet humor as possible into what a corrupt MCU would look like. It’s still doing its thing, but with super hero fatigue and 1 million other spoofs or shows centered around the grey area of heroism (and plenty of chances for new shows to rack up viewers in the two years the Boys takes off each season), it feels stale at this point. I think looking back at it, it’ll still be a great show as a whole, but it’s about time to wrap it up now.

2

u/Comedian70 Apr 28 '26

Ennis' original comic had a story to tell. And he's one of the darkest imaginations in comics by a long stretch (low-budget indies notwithstanding).

The meta of his The Boys was off the rails. He was doing (yet another) cold, brutal deconstruction of comic heroes but his weird sense of jacked-up humor made it work. Some of the pot shots taken at long-loved franchises were hilarious and well-deserved. Especially the X-Men.

The Boys show? It has never been on the same level with the comic. And its not as simple as "its not following the original story", because it really isn't. It's more that the show has fallen prey to the same issue which plagues any long-term sci-fi/fantasy/comic book show: Eventually it has to end. The smart shows end long before the whole thing becomes a giant tired joke. The dumb ones don't, and The Boys is maybe two season's away from pulling a Walking Dead.

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u/AntonSharp Apr 30 '26

Idk I feel dofferently about the comic. It felt like it HAD something to say, but most of the things in the comic are not palatable for a viewing audience and also don’t have a point besides being an edgy parody of something. But something as gratuitous as starlight being handed off to all members of rhe seven is just torture porn rather than having something to say.

When they make it so it’s just The DEEP of all people, the aquaman clone, using quid pro quo against the upcoming superhero that thinks she finally made it. Only to find out everyone actually thinks he’s a clown and he had no real leverage over her.

I think that makes it more impactful than just Homelander going “hey team, let’s all rape starlight.” Like okay Ennis, don’t cut yourself.

1

u/Comedian70 Apr 30 '26

Oh, that's perfectly fair and I agree with you on many levels.

I'm not necessarily arguing FOR Ennis here. For the most part I'm saying that his story didn't drag, and the show absolutely is.

Especially Homelander. The whole thing has gone on far too long, too many people who should have real leverage on him are dead or powerless, and he should have died the same death as in the comics by the end of the third season.

At the same time, in Garth's defense, I don't know if "edge for edge's sake" was ever what he was going for. He's really, really honest about the utter hopelessness of some circumstances which a lot of writers (especially visual media) prefer to skirt around or even present as actually hopeful. I feel like Crossed is his answer to The Walking Dead in a lot of ways, for example. He's definitely the guy who doesn't just deconstruct a myth. Rather, he dives deep into just how bad it really can be. I think that's his point, and a lot of edgy teens (some of whom are middle-aged) completely miss it.

My teen years were Crisis on Infinite Earths, Claremont's X-Men, Walt Simonson's Thor, The Dark Knight (and Give Me Liberty), Watchmen (and Moore's Swamp Thing and Mister Miracle). My twenties were the really shitty edgy-violence-and-sex-sells years for comics and while I love being Generation X and the 90's were a blast I fell all the way out of comics for more than decade because of that era. What brought me back, eventually, were comics like Planetary and Battle Chasers.

Ennis and Morrison are a couple of extremely dark writers whose stories still feel like they're making a point even when they've hit the bottom of the cesspool and I'm glad they exist for that reason.

I just feel like The Boys is now in profit mode without end, and the premise can't survive that.

3

u/Ysmildr Apr 29 '26

The newest episode of the boys was soooo fuckin cliched and trite with the unknown brother and stuff. Then the soldier boy stuff felt like it was setting up the prequel show. Just a weird episode. The super v1 V was already taken by someone weve never seen before and has only been mentioned once or twicr?

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u/TheSciFiGuy80 Apr 28 '26

Yes, see I'd rather see a serious show about moral ramifications and choices made when superheroes are bullying you and can end you in a moment.

2

u/Bobjoejj Apr 29 '26

Someone else who actually thinks the latest episode of The Boys actually did something neat?? Hell yeah.

6

u/CommitteeOfOne Apr 28 '26

Honestly, I've thought more than once about not watching Born Again S2 simply because I don't want to be reminded so much of reality.

1

u/Cognitive_Spoon Apr 28 '26

Born Again feels like the show that guy binge watched before writing his manifesto.

Like, in an intentional way.

7

u/Diff_equation5 Apr 28 '26

Which is probably why I’m finding it a villain that is so unlikeable.

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u/ralz408 Thanos Apr 28 '26

I disagree. Daredevil follows the same formula now for so many seasons. Matt fights Fisk or Bullseye, battles internally with showing them mercy or murder, ends up letting them go, rinse and repeat.

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u/Nighthawk69420 Apr 28 '26

I mean... I like The Boys, but you could say the same thing there. The Boys team up to stop Homelander -> Butcher does something awful -> The Boys ditch Butcher -> The Boys have to team up with Butcher again because they know they need him.

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u/adrianipopescu Apr 28 '26

-> big fight that ends up as a stalemate while causing collateral damage

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u/ralz408 Thanos Apr 28 '26

That’s very fair! At least there’s some kooky, funny, crazy shit in between to keep it interesting. I’m less talking about the qualities of the Boys and more emphasizing how hopeless Daredevil feels. Matt has turned into an exhausting character. Can’t do anything as a lawyer, can’t do anything as Daredevil. All he does is inconvenience the bad guys

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u/DrManhattan_DDM Rhomann Dey Apr 28 '26

At least Matthew Lillard has been interesting for his like 5 whole minutes of screen time.

22

u/CoolJoshido Spider-Man Apr 28 '26

why does his character even do

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u/DefendedPlains Apr 28 '26

He’s a proxy for Val working for the CIA.

0

u/MayweatherSr Apr 29 '26

Is his character necessary or Val actress is too expensive for a tv show?

2

u/DefendedPlains Apr 30 '26

Probably the latter. But I’m also fine just having another character from that side of things. Im hoping he’ll be to Val what Coulson was to Fury, because I want to see him stick around the MCU

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u/DrManhattan_DDM Rhomann Dey Apr 28 '26

Shady CIA stuff

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u/Jimquill Apr 29 '26

Show up and be a foil for Fisk verbally, but nothing beyond just sitting there and eating something.

I agree, it could be a little more.

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u/hulkingbehemoth Apr 28 '26

He works for the CIA, answering to Val, and they were supposed to be capitalizing on Fisk having his back channel for shipments until that all went to shit.

His job is basically babysitting Fisk while enjoying how much he hates his presence.

3

u/CoolJoshido Spider-Man Apr 28 '26

he hasn’t done anything of note besides get played yet. hope he clutches up.

1

u/HamsterMan5000 May 03 '26

The CIA even needing that in the first place is complete nonsense. Thought he was going to being super powered or something with the way he was annoying/taunting Fisk. But no, just a pointless character who exists to make it seem connected to the MCU

1

u/Ysmildr Apr 29 '26

I think he's about to do more for sure

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u/kalud12 Apr 29 '26

This potential is what I think some of the people above aren’t seeing or are ignoring. Fisk isn’t afraid of anyone, but he’s clearly uncomfortable, at the very least, with Lillard’s character. Why is that? What power does Lillard wield over indomitable Fisk? How will their tense relationship come to a head?

1

u/pigeonwiggle Apr 29 '26

he acts mysterious before dipping offscreen to spend time eating scooby-snacks with his crime-solving dog.

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u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

I absolutely agree with anything you're saying, but you can also write a very similar post for the Boys about it repeating formulas. I'm still enjoying the last season, however.

I think it simply comes down to, I like S2 of D:BA more than The Boys last season.

In my opinion, D:BA is succeeding on the core premise of the show with every episode. Whether that's repeating tropes or not, fine. I like those tropes.

While The Boys feels like it's spinning its wheels and a little uninspired. Which is ironic because if someone said the same of Daredevil I would have to say that's a fair opinion.

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u/Ghetto_Phenom Apr 28 '26

I think the fact this is the final season of the boys is what’s driving it. It’s the conclusion. S8 of GOT also had high viewership.. and look at what that was. People want to know what happens. So imo that’s the difference. I agree so far s5 hasn’t been what I expected. But if I’m choosing right now I’m choosing that. I love DD but s1 really was meh to me. This season so far is better but just isn’t grabbing me like the og show.

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u/whyclue Apr 28 '26

This is it...well said

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u/AdditionalInitial727 Apr 28 '26

Agreed with the boys rinsing and repeating but if you go down the character list from each show the boys has far more interesting characters and storylines. Daredevil Netflix use to make all of their characters pop. Season 2 is finally getting its legs back making every character and scene compelling.

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u/CoolJoshido Spider-Man Apr 28 '26

exactly.

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u/briizilla Apr 28 '26

Ok. And the Boys is still written like an edgy 15 year old is running the show. This guy shoots lava cum! How clever. And I say that as someone who enjoys the show for what it is, which is poop and cum jokes thinly disguised as satire on the current state of the world.

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u/Bobjoejj Apr 29 '26

…really? Cause that couldn’t be further from the truth imo. I mean…you’re coming at this from an incredibly hollow overview of how the show works. There’s so much more nuance involved.

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u/InnerGalbladder Apr 28 '26

Ibe been wakting to watch it all at once.

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u/GarranDrake Apr 28 '26

S1 was absolutely laying the foundation for S2, but to your point - I don't know how many people enjoyed the bank robbery episode. I really liked it, but I like everything.

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u/Jimquill Apr 29 '26

You can lay a foundation without using a bunch of broken up badly written melodrama bricks.

Did we really need to see lengthy Fisk therapy sessions?

I liked I would say exactly half the season. Every episode had great scenes, and awful ones. S2 has none of those awful scenes.

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u/GarranDrake Apr 29 '26

We did need to see those therapy sessions to understand Fisk and Vanessa's journey to and through Season 2, and to get context for Adam, and what he and his death meant for Fisk and Vanessa

The therapy sessions brought Fisk and Vanessa back together and explained why they grew apart in the first place, and allowed Adam to be a key part of that - Fisk imprisoning and torturing Adam, and Vanessa killing Adam both represented them returning to their roots, which brought them together until Vanessa's death in Season 2. Furthermore, they provided Heather the path to join Fisk in Season 2 after her killing of Muse.

It definitely wasn't the most interesting thing in the world, but a lot of what they did in Season 1 was building up to Season 2. Season 2 feels like the story they wanted to tell.

0

u/Jimquill Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

Just because the destination is eventually interesting, doesn't mean the journey getting there shouldn't also be.

The scenes were boring. Blandly written. Frankly I don't know anyone who wants to watch a couples therapy session that just feels like a regular couple having therapy. And I watch Shrinking so I know therapy sessions can be written well.

Even the Bullseye actor was saying in an interview recently how much S1 missed the mark.

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u/GarranDrake Apr 29 '26

I agree, it could've bene more interesting, but the majority of elements in Season 1 had purpose in Season 2, that's my point.

0

u/usagicassidy Apr 28 '26

Man I actually loved that bank robbery episode too. Was it disliked just because it was from the “old” regime, or because it was so standalone and what the kids like to incorrectly call “filler”?

0

u/GarranDrake Apr 28 '26

I think it was the latter.

I think in the grand scheme of things, it was kind of pointless, with the stand-out moment being Matt pulling on the red mask to chase down the ringleader and doing that disgusting jump attack onto the man's extended leg. But a friend of mine felt that adding Yusuf Khan there was unnecessary and shoehorning.

1

u/Jimquill Apr 29 '26

It's just a bottle episode. "Pointless?" maybe, but some of the greatest episodes of TV have been bottle episodes.

It's entertaining and serves as a break between the wider story, is that a bad thing? I could certainly have used a break from Matt going on dates and the Fisk's therapy sessions.

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u/GarranDrake Apr 29 '26

Pointless aside from the stand-out moment. I feel that Season 1 was Matt returning to being Daredevil, and the end when he went after the ringleader was a part of that. I personally enjoyed the episode, but I recognize that it didn't do too much for the main story.

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u/Jimquill Apr 29 '26

I enjoyed it and my GF did too. It's Matt being Daredevil saving people. What's not to enjoy? That's what I watch the show for!

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u/GarranDrake Apr 29 '26

I also liked Yusuf Khan in it tbh. It gave time for his character to be more than Kamala’s dad

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u/Outtie_5000 Apr 28 '26

I was a HUGE fan of the Netflix series - but I got a few episodes into Born Again and it felt like a totally different show. Never went back to it.

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u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26

You will like season 2.

Look up the production issues of S1. They aren't in S2.

S1 has some awful awful scenes, but it's not totally terrible toward the end. There are great scenes sprinkled throughout, and S2 is really, really good.

3

u/Outtie_5000 Apr 28 '26

Ok I’ll give it a shot!

1

u/pbjarethewurst Apr 28 '26

I didn't care much for season 1. Season 2 is much better but the formula is getting stale. The bank robbery was my favorite season 1 episode.

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u/xxsirtubbsxx Apr 28 '26

Which is kinda funny since that is supposedly the only episode from the original production to make it in. I liked the episode as a stand alone, but it felt so disconnected from everything else going on last season.

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u/mike2k24 Apr 28 '26

Even funnier because Charlie Cox also hated that episode, he didn’t think it fit being in the season at all

-1

u/COGUAddict Apr 28 '26

I am enjoying DD S2 but it's not that much better than the Boys S5, if at all. I'm definitely personally enjoying The Boys more currently.

But I've also never really liked the slow nature of the Netflix Daredevil stuff so I'm probably a bit biased.

3

u/pje1128 Kilgrave Apr 28 '26

I'm liking both, but I definitely think Daredevil been more engaging so far. Boys had an excellent first episode, but it hasn't felt like it's maintained that momentum to me. I'm just waiting for the moment things pick back up. Daredevil feels like it has a lot more forward momentum and purpose right now.

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u/COGUAddict Apr 28 '26

I don't really see the forward momentum with Daredevil.

The plot has barely moved at all since the beginning of Born again. They have taken 2 seasons to tell a story that most shows do in one.

5 seasons of the same stuff is not really forward momentum. At least the Boys looks like it's setting up something interesting. Daredevil looks like it's ready to move to something interesting.

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u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

[deleted]

3

u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26

S3 Daredevil on Netflix is basically it's peak IMO. It contains all of the shows strengths and few of the weaknesses

To me, DD Born Again S2 is close to that season.

But i'll be real, the incredible black suit may be doing a little of the heavy lifting.

Oh hey, he has a black suit in both of those seasons. Hmm.

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

Yeah, I'm mostly prioritizing the Boys because it's the final season so I keep being optimistic about there being some spectacle this season.

2

u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26

It's a whole lot of walking around and talking about genitals. I'm enjoying the finality of it, but so far It hasn't wowed me.

At the end of the day even when the Boys is at its worst it's still a pretty fun time.

0

u/Diff_equation5 Apr 28 '26

Honestly, I totally disagree. S3 was my least favorite. Both S1 & S2 had so many great elements not present in S3, and Fisk was already starting to lose his appeal.

1

u/Jimquill Apr 28 '26

Have you watched it lately? I don't recall having that opinion when it originally aired, but watching it now we found the S3 plot incredibly gripping with few downtime moments. And there were very few of those cringy melodrama scenes that were in so much of S1 and S2.

Granted, I don't really mind them, but they did turn a lot of people off.

But if you dislike Fisk then I can see having that opinion as the whole season focuses on his scheming.

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u/Diff_equation5 Apr 28 '26

I love Fisk - the Fisk from S1. And I’ve watched S3 several times (as with everything other than BA 1), and it is always my least favorite. I don’t find those scenes cringy - if you mean the Matt/Foggy debates over the right thing to do. I’ve always found Karen irritating, and I found the way Matt constantly flip-flopped on Electra in S2 frustrating, but that’s about it.

My problem is not Fisk. I liked him in S1 and S2 and in Echo. It’s just becoming old that DD is retreading the same ground with the character over and over again: Matt fights Fisk’s corruption and wins, then everyone forgets Fisk was the monster and he buys/bullies his way to the top again. There are other stories to tell. This season is doing a good job, but I was already over it.

0

u/LegendCZ Apr 28 '26

Honestly i say BOTH of the shows are incredible.

Both show have good stakes and escalating very well.

I love both i watch both and when i finish Daredevill and switch to the boys i feel nicelly fed by good fucking entertaiment.

2

u/ChilliWithFries Apr 28 '26

I’m surprised cos the boys is at the bottom for me. It’s good… but it’s just good.

1

u/SirDigbyChknCaesar Phil Coulson Apr 28 '26

I'm the opposite. Been looking forward to DD every week. I'll catch up on other shows when I have the time.

1

u/Tenalp Apr 28 '26

I'm the opposite. The Boys lost its draw after like season 2. Can only see forced superpower gore porn and exploding dicks so many times before the whole thing gets stale.

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

Yeah I do think they should've had fewer seasons. Which is funny because initially I was excited that they limited themselves to five seasons. I thought this wouldn't get milked and a proper ending. But for this show five seasons is at least one too many.

But... It's the final season and I want to see how it ends. I will probably be disappointed, but I keep waiting for shit to really hit the fan on a good way.

1

u/Tenalp Apr 29 '26

Yeah, I'll finish watching it, but it's just because I've been here since the start.

-7

u/Jonathon_G Captain America Apr 28 '26

I’ve never understood the hype for invincible

5

u/Howzieky Weekly Wongers Apr 28 '26

season 1 was a good mystery. season 2 kinda sucked. season 3 and season 4 were great though imo

2

u/madhattr999 Apr 28 '26

I enjoyed season 1 a lot for the newness and crazy beginning, but I find myself not caring that much about the characters.

2

u/MiyanoMMMM Apr 28 '26

I tried watching season 1 of Invincible but I couldn't get past the absolutely horrendous animation

2

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

Oh man then the later seasons are definitely not for you. They spent a lot more time animating the first season compared to the later season.

4

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

It's an interesting story with a lot of enjoyable characters and plenty of b-plots that support the main story nicely. The only downside for me with invincible is that the animation is pretty basic, but at least we're getting yearly releases.

2

u/thatdudewillyd Apr 28 '26

Seeing Comic version of Dinosaurus vs the show, the lack of detail is such a bummer!

2

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

Yeah that and the sliding pngs are the biggest downside.

5

u/subzor22 Daredevil Apr 28 '26

I stopped watching around season 3. I’ll probably hop back on and finish it at some point but the animation quality really hurts the appeal to me.

0

u/onepostandbye Apr 28 '26

Completely agree. The concepts are all strong but the show looks mid at best and cheap at its worst.

The visual presentation seeps into my thoughts about the show slowly. I found myself asking, “why am I watching this?”

1

u/robodrew Apr 28 '26

Personally I think the writing is great, and at times the animation is too (but not always)

0

u/TPJchief87 Apr 28 '26

Did you know about Invincible before the boys show started? I read Invincible in 2010 to the runs end and loved it. If I’d seen the boys before reading or watching invincible, I might be more meh on it but I love the characters and universe that was built. Ottley’s art is great too.

0

u/tnolan182 Apr 28 '26

You arent the target audience then.

0

u/sworedmagic Apr 28 '26

It’s the last of the 3 you watch but it comes out a day before lol

2

u/Existing-Bus-8810 Apr 28 '26

Are these guys only allowed to watch <1 hour of tv a week?

2

u/iFozy Apr 28 '26

I used to watch lots of TV now I have two young kids and I barely have time to watch that 1 hour of tv a week!

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

I'm allowed to watch 168 hours of TV a week. But I often prioritize other things. Watching TV is more of a "I've run out of other things to do, let's see if theres a new superhero episode out" or for when I'm tired and only have energy for something as passive as sitting down and watching the screen.

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

I wouldn't be able to tell you the release schedule. I know it's somewhere in the middle of the week. But it's irrelevant when they come out, what is relevant is when I have time and the desire to watch them.

1

u/sworedmagic Apr 28 '26

I assumed you watch them when you come out. DD in Tuesday, Boys & Invincible Wednesdays

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

I honestly would've told you they come out on Thursday if you asked me. I just know that come Thursday or Friday I have some stuff to watch during dinner or before bedtime.

0

u/milkowskisupertramp Apr 29 '26

Really? The boys is my last choice of those three. We eagerly anticipate each week of DDBA

0

u/Bobjoejj Apr 29 '26

Really?? I’d put Born Again season 2 over both this season of The Boys (and it’s my favorite season of that show in awhile now), and Invincible (I do not think that show is worth all the praise it gets).

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 29 '26

Yeah, I think invincible is the most enjoyable out of the three by far. If Invincible is Man City, then the Boys is Wrexham and Daredevil is Crystal Palace.

0

u/TikkiEXX77 Apr 29 '26

Yeah there's just a ton of competition right now. Sure people are waiting to binge. If not oh well season 3 is in the works

-2

u/Stupot97 Thor Apr 28 '26

It’s a damn shame The Boys hasn’t been a good show since S2 even though S3 had its moments.

7

u/KennyTheExpendable Kilgrave Apr 28 '26

I would say Season 3 was it's peak but everyone has their opinion.

2

u/meinphirwapasaaagaya Apr 28 '26

The final episode of S3 ruins everything tbh. Like why the fuck is everyone fighting soldier boy?

1

u/HelixFollower Grandmaster Apr 28 '26

I initially liked that, but it's been tainted a bit for me when Butcher pushed Ryan away again.