Vincent D’Onofrio Says Daredevil: Born Again Will Still Be Violent: ‘We Will Bring It On’

It seems Disney+’s version of Daredevil isn’t going to pull its punches on its brutality, whether that violence be physical or emotional.

The upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again, which will finally turn the spotlight back on Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, will once again see everyone’s favorite blind vigilante taking on crime in New York City’s seedy underworld. Vincent D’Onofrio, too, is returning for the series as Wilson Fisk, AKA criminal mastermind Kingpin.

While both D’Onofrio and Cox’s returns are exciting for fans of the original Netflix series (which wasn’t technically tied to the MCU), some fans have wondered if Disney will be willing to match the gritty, violent tone and aesthetics of the original show. However, in a recent interview with Newsweek, D’Onofrio quelled those fears.

“It was a concern of mine too because the Netflix show was so raw and brutal, you know?” D’Onofrio said. “But then I started to look at what Marvel’s been doing lately with their series, and the direction that they want to go in. All I can say […] is that if you look at the most brutal stuff that Marvel is doing, which is few and far between but it’s there, it will be there for us too.”

The Netflix Daredevil series, which first premiered in 2015 and ran for three seasons, was never afraid to show some gore. From brutal beatings with hammers to stabbings with an ice pick, Daredevil’s willingness to not back down on the violence resulted in a unique, widely well-liked show.

“I think one of the things that the fans loved with the original show was that it wasn’t just violence to be violent,” D’Onofrio said. “It was, at times, a bit shocking to see but it was all based in emotional stuff, from Charlie’s part and mine. These are two very emotional characters caught up in this life of theirs, so it will answer all of that for the fans.”

The actor went on to talk about the new series, saying: “We will bring it on, and we will have emotional violence as well as just out-and-out physical violence. But it’s a long game, this series, and for actors that’s so much fun because you get to plan out and bring it. I think that if people have watched everything that Fisk has been in, my character’s been in, they know that it actually is going to go there, and I think in Echo there’s a lot of that.”

Warning: Spoilers for Disney+’s Hawkeye series are below.

The last time D’Onofrio was seen on screen as Kingpin was in 2021’s Hawkeye. There, we saw Alaqua Cox’s Echo supposedly bid farewell to her adoptive father after she shot him off screen. However, seeing as Kingpin will have significant roles in both Daredevil: Born Again and Echo, we know Echo didn’t really finish the job.

D’Onofrio also went on to tease more about Echo, saying that the upcoming show will dive into the emotion behind Kingpin and Echo’s relationship.

“It’s quite something, there’s a big, strong father-daughter type relationship in Echo and it’s super, deeply emotional, and it’s not a joke,” D’Onofrio said. “It’s not a wink to the audience or anything, it’s deep stuff and we’re going to do the same [in Daredevil: Born Again].”

Daredevil: Born Again is currently in production and is set to premiere in 2024 with 18 episodes in total. D’Onofrio also recently revealed that Season 2 of the show has already been planned. Meanwhile, a release date for Echo has yet to be announced.

Carson Burton is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @carsonsburton.