Just when we were excited about Daredevil’s return to the MCU, it may be time to manage our expectations. And by manage, I mean bury them and walk away. The same can be said for any hope that your Born Again key issues will turn a profit.

The latest news on the DD front is that Kevin Feige has hired a pair of writers to spearhead the next iteration of the Man Without Fear. For anyone hoping for a Frank Miller-inspired Born Again in the vein of Netflix’s Daredevil, that doesn’t appear to be the case. According to Cosmic Circus, Feige dipped into the CW’s Arrowverse, hiring Jill Blankenship and Grainne Godfree. If you have enjoyed the corny sitcom stylings of Phase Four, you’ll be happy with the choices. The rest of us will want to muffle our screams of frustration into pillows. 

Who are the new additions? While both served on the Arrow writing team, Blankenship was the co-writer and executive producer for Naomi, which was famously canceled after just one season. Godfree wrote for The Flash and was a producer on the recently axed DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

This isn’t to say that DC’s various shows on CW don’t have their fans, with Arrow and The Flash having built large followings over the years. However, even the most dedicated viewers will attest to the shows relying heavily on cliche plots and dialogue that make these glorified, campy kids’ shows. Of course, Phase Four has been geared towards a teen/pre-teen audience, so the pair should fit right in. 

HAS MARVEL LEARNED NOTHING FROM PHASE FOUR’S FAILURES?

Thor: Love and Thunder has been getting all the heat from disappointed MCU fans. While it stands as the shining representative of what disappointed audiences hate about Phase Four, it’s certainly not the only silly entry into the current Marvel slate. 

Virtually all of this phase with few exceptions have been filled with sitcom-style humor better suited for Friends than a Marvel adaptation. Whether that can be blamed on Feige or if it’s a mandate handed down by his Disney overlords is a mystery. In either case, it has been the reality for viewers, and judging by the new hires, things aren’t about to change.

When it came to She-Hulk, the Disney Plus show was one entry where the sitcom silliness was warranted. After all, the fine tradition of She-Hulk comics as self-aware comedy was established way back in 1989. Presenting her in a lighthearted fashion and even twerking with a trendy celebrity was fitting. Then, they had to drag Daredevil into it.

SO MUCH FOR DARK AND GRITTY

Drew Goddard set the bar astronomically high with his love letter to Frank Miller. Taking heavy cues from the writer’s iconic work that took Daredevil from goofy, Adam West Batman ripoff to a dark and gritty crime story, Netflix’s adaptation remains the standard in how to adapt a serious comic book. When Charlie Cox made his cameo as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it induced cheers from theatrical audiences. By the time Marvel teased us with Cox appearing in full DD costume in She-Hulk, fan expectations were high. 

Reality came crashing down. As soon as Feige and company dialed back the costume from the more popular red attire that we saw on Netflix to something closer to DD’s original ‘60s threads, it was the first clue as to what was planned. The Disney Plus Daredevil would be based on Stan Lee’s creation, not the beloved noir-influenced and perfect Miller run. 

After Marvel announced that Cox would be taking the character to Daredevil: Born Again, visions of Goddard’s Netflix series danced in our heads. After all, Born Again was Miller’s return to the title with another impressive run that has since become legendary among DD fans. If Cox’s time on She-Hulk wasn’t enough of a hint that we’re not getting another grounded, brutal, and dramatic show, the recent news of Marvel’s hires all but confirms that Born Again will be another action-comedy aimed at teens and pre-teens.

Who knows? Maybe they’ll surprise us all, but the writing's on the wall. At this point, maybe it should be renamed Daredevil: Please, God, No.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.