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Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS from Daredevil: Born Again, season 1, episode 7.With only a few episodes left ofDaredevil: Born Againseason 1, the stakes are only getting higher in theMarvel Cinematic Universedrama. Matt Murdock’s return has allowed Marvel Studios to cast a new spotlight on the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen after his Netflix series, which was already a standout due to its massive stunts and impressive battle sequences.
DuringDaredevil: Born Again’screative overhaul, Marvel Studios looked to bring back that impressive level of action found in Netflix’s version. To do that, they joined forces once again with Philip Silvera, who serves as the supervising stunt coordinator and second unit director for the Disney+ show. Silvera worked on the first two seasons of Netflix’sDaredevil, and while he didn’t work on season 3, his credits also includeThe Punisherfeaturing Jon Bernthal.
ScreenRantrecently sat down with Silvera to talk about his return. Having experience with the hero, Silvera opened up about raising the bar forBorn Again, and meeting fan expectations, especially for those who followed Netflix’sDaredevil. Silvera also breaks down some of the biggest challenges of season 1 while teasingDaredevil: Born Againseason 2.
Philip Silvera On Returning To The Daredevil Legacy In The MCU
Silvera was surprised to be asked to work onDaredevil: Born Again,saying, “I didn’t realize how much I missed the world and the actors in it [until] the moment I got the phone call to come back and play in the world again. I went to go do Deadpool 2, so I wasn’t coming back for season 3.”
WhileNetflix’sDaredevilTV showbrought some of the darkest and most gruesome stories to the Marvel world, many wondered if that was going to be possible forDaredevil: Born Againto do on Disney+. When asked if that sort of concern was something he and his team paid attention to, Silvera said they had nothing to worry about.
“When I was coming back, knowing that Dario [Scardapane] was part of the show was a huge treat for me,“he said about theBorn Againshowrunner. Silvera continued by referencing both of their time withThe Punisher:“He and I both came from Netflix and I got to play once or twice, covering that show.
They set a really, really dark tone and I think there’s still things fans haven’t had a chance to see that are yet to come.
“And I love Jon [Bernthal],“Silvera says.“I loved what he did over there. I had no concerns about the tone or the direction we were taking. I think Marvel knew, in the creative pivot of it all, that they really wanted to lean into the darkness of the show.”
With Marvel Studios specifically reaching out to Silvera, he also felt very confident that Daredevil: Born Again would be able to continue the tone the Netflix series set up,“I don’t do PG action! [Laughs] It was amazing - [executive producer] Sana Amanat knew exactly what she wanted to do. She’s our boots on the ground, [an] amazing producer, and Dario, they set a really, really dark tone and I think there’s still things fans haven’t had a chance to see that are yet to come.”
Silvera went on to praise MCU vets Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson -“I love them too, because they also bring something very unique to the world, and I think a lot of those moments do come from them. So it’s a huge collaboration across the board with these guys.”
SinceDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 had to halt production and restart under a new creative team, the 9 episodes that are ultimately airing on Disney+ are a combination of elements from before and after the creative overhaul. With that in mind, we asked Silvera if there were any particular fights or stunt sequences that had to be either re-done, re-designed, or even scrapped altogether.
While they had to make"a whole new episode 1,“Silvera added that"There was one sequence we had to redo for logistical reasons and then Dario tied it very cleanly and clearly to the opening of the show.”
Silvera continued:“It’s the cause and effect, which was the Muse sequence that also intercuts with the Kingpin sequence, which is one of my favorites. One of my top choices in the series and of all of my time on Daredevil, this particular sequence [is] now tied to the new opening, and we wanted to feel like Daredevil [was] going to kill again. So it tied back to the heartbeat, it tied back to the moment of him going through blind rage. It ties to where [he is] strangling a man on a ladder, and you hear the heartbeat.”
From a character perspective, Silvera emphasized how “either it’s going to push him over the edge again like he did when he was losing Foggy, or he’s going to find himself again.”
“This is him holding back his rage…”
“I think, ultimately, [Matt] found himself and the beautiful juxtaposition of that is that you have Fisk, who’s becoming Kingpin again, but doesn’t want to break a promise to his wife [about] killing Adam.”
But for anyone who knows Fisk, Silvera adds that"you saw how he simply got embarrassed in front of Vanessa and decapitated a man with a car door. So this is him holding back his rage, which I think the beats were designed to really see them struggling specifically through that rage and through that emotion.”
“I think that’s something that I’ve taken pride in always doing, and always wanted to with Daredevil, was design the sequences around their emotional state, rather than just being punches and kicks that are cool,“Silvera shared.“With what Dario writes, it’s really easy to do that. [Laughs]”
“He’s Like Daredevil’s Version Of The Joker”
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
In season 1, the MCU has introduced Muse, a newer villain for the title hero.Daredevil: Born Againepisode 7got to the bottom of the Muse mystery, as his time in the MCU came to an abrupt end. Given the nature of Muse being a wild card, Silvera explained how they designed his fighting technique to contrast against Daredevil, who uses many different types of combat.
“We wanted [Muse] to fight more with a sense of brush strokes, so we gave him this fencer-type of style, even with a knife,“Silvera says.“There’s a psychoticness [sic] to him, where he almost enjoys the pain, and [we leaned] into that a bit more.”
Silvera looked to DC for comparison and, in his opinion, declared Muse to be"like Daredevil’s version of The Joker for Batman. I love the juxtaposition, the confrontation these two have in that moment, because it’s such an emotional one for Daredevil running headlong, and then you’re playing with the psychotic character.”
Frank wouldn’t hold back [from] trying to kill him, and Bullseye has no reason to not follow through with that.
Silver also theorized what a fight between Bullseye and Frank Castle would look like:“I don’t know how either one of them makes it out alive.“Characters like Punisher and Bullseye"would not hold back.“He continues,“So there needs to be some type of outside circumstance [to] it from going that far.”
“As a fan and knowing the characters and knowing how they approach things, Frank wouldn’t hold back [from] trying to kill him, and Bullseye has no reason to not follow through with that.”
“Marvel Has Just Evolved”
Image via Disney+
Something that is getting a bigger spotlight inBorn Again, especially in comparison to the Netflix series, is Matt’s acrobatic side. Wwith another style of stunts to take into account, Silvera explains how that factors into the fights they are designing now.
However, the freedom to explore Daredevil’s acrobatic abilities came naturally, according to Silvera, who said,“Marvel has just evolved, which you get to see, and they don’t do too much of it. It’s the right balance of him just [doing] parkour through the city, doing a swing or two that is big, but more grounded movement than you think.”
“It’s just the shots having more scope and beauty, and we still do performance capture for it all. So it is based on our stunt doubles movement as well. I think it’s a beautiful balance.”
“Season 2 Is Probably Going To Be My Favorite Storyline”
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
Even thoughDaredevil: Born Againseason 1 still has two episodes left, season 2 filming is already underway. One of the big reveals for the next season isthe new black Daredevil suitthat Matt will be donning, as set photos recently revealed Cox with a fresh look. While story reasons will be revealed in due time, Silvera was asked if the new suits affect how they coordinate the fight sequences.
“The writers at Marvel give a lot of consideration to the visual aesthetic.“Silvera went on to praise the creative team, adding,“I think that’s one of the things I appreciate so much about this particular cast and crew and team overall. Behind the scenes, every little thing is thought about, as far as how it makes sense to [the] show and the character. There’s nothing but respect for just being able to view it as a fan and then read it and bring it to life.”
WithDaredevil: Born Againseason 2in production, Silvera revealed that he is conflicted over picking which fight stands out to him the most from season 1 and whether that will be topped in the new episodes.“It’s like asking me which one of my children is my favorite! You love each one of your children in different ways.”
“I have so many favorite moments [with] each one of our sequences,“Silver says."[One of] my favorite moments was the exhaustion in the staircase. That, for me, was tying it back to what we did in episode 1 in the hallway. I got to to bring Vincent back to that place where you felt like he was going to slam a guy’s head into a car door again, or Charlie returning to being Daredevil and letting the rage out.”
I will say this, season 2 is probably going to be my favorite storyline in the Daredevil series, that’s it! Knocked it out of the park.
When teasing what is to come, though, Silvera said,“Anytime you get [Daredevil and Kingpin] together, it’s explosive and that’s all I can say without giving too much away.”
With Kingpin and Daredevil returning to their old ways, Silvera said,“There’s something beautiful about each interaction, each scene, that has a moment that is so unique that I love being able to design and be part of with everyone.”
Philip Silvera Reveals The Most Complex Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Fight
“Bullseye Is Far More Lethal & Daredevil Is Blunt Force Pain”
Daredevil: Born Againseason 1 is filled with elaborate stunts and fight sequences, so we asked Silvera what was the most difficult to pull off and he immediatrly went to the stairwell fight between Bullseye and Daredevil.“We didn’t want to do anything that was very punchy-punchy, and we [had] a confined space where we’ve now established who Bullseye [is] and how he can bounce and ricochet things.”
“On the opposite side of it, so can Daredevil - we’ve established that many times over the years, but now you have these two opponents in a staircase at close enough range, but far enough [that] they can cut loose and be who they are, because Bullseye is far more lethal, and Daredevil is blunt force pain. Designing the beats for that one with my fight team, they did an amazing job.”
“We had to design every moment so strategically: ‘Okay, he’s going to block these two blades, but the third one gets him here and then that comes from this direction and pushes them down that way, or the can bounces behind him and gets him in the back of the head.’ So, after we figured all that out, now we have to train Charlie and Wilson to understand the cause and effect of each moment.”
Silvera made it clear that this was never an easy task, as he referred to one of Cox’s previous interviews, describing how a fight is usually designed:“You see a punch and react to a punch. You see Wilson throwing two knives. I’ve got to block two knives and get caught on the third one, because he just threw three. And then Charlie, there’s a moment where he’s almost got him, and the knife Wilson threw three seconds ago has now caught up to Daredevil. And then you get that moment of exhaustion.”
However, once they got through all that, Silvera explained,“That was such a fine tuning design of cause and effect between the two of them.“As great as the fight came out, Silvera says with a laugh,“I don’t want to have to do anything like that again anytime soon.”
Daredevil: Born Againdrops new episodes on Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on Disney+.
Check back soon for our otherDaredevil: Born Againinterviews, as well as our previous ones with:
Daredevil: Born Again
Cast
Daredevil: Born Again follows blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who uses his heightened abilities to pursue justice in New York. As he manages a bustling law firm, former mob boss Wilson Fisk navigates political ambitions, leading both men toward a confrontation as their pasts resurface.
