Despite any allusions to the contrary, there will never be a truly standalone Marvel story. Every piece of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe builds upon another, with characters and storylines echoing throughout the franchise. At this stage of the MCU, anything (or anyone) from Marvel’s 15-year history could come back at any time. The limits of that strategy have been tested a lot in recent years — but Daredevil: Born Again might take the brief to its fullest extent. The Disney+ series is set to merge elements of Netflix’s previously non-canon Marvel universe into the MCU at large. But it will also continue a story set up in a string of MCU shows: Hawkeye, Echo, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Marvel is taking a massive gamble with this new show, but if its two-episode premiere is any indication, the MCU might have finally cracked its riskiest formula. Born Again synthesizes years of disparate storylines with true finesse, crafting a sequel that reveres its predecessors and simultaneously betters them. That said, it’s very much in conversation with the original Daredevil, and with recent Marvel series. The first two episodes don’t hit as hard without knowing the characters’ history, but the same could be said for other Marvel shows. Though it might be wise to return to the Netflix universe before tuning into Born Again, one Marvel project stands out as a crucial piece of homework: Echo.
