‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Tops Disney+ Originals in the First Half of the Year

Few Marvel heroes inspire as much loyalty as Matt Murdock. After moving from Netflix to Disney+, ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ brought back Charlie Cox’s blind lawyer and vigilante, along with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, giving longtime fans the continuation they had campaigned for.

The second season arrived on March 24 and ran for 8 episodes through May 5. Its finale set up big things for the future, including the return of Mike Colter’s Luke Cage. Debate over the show’s audience size has followed the series throughout its run.

New data is now giving fans something to celebrate. According to Luminate, season 2 of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ was the most-streamed Disney+ original season between January and June, with about 2.3 billion minutes watched.

That put it ahead of ‘Wonder Man’ at 1.9 billion minutes and the second season of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ at 1.8 billion. The first season of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ added another 1.3 billion minutes over the same period, while ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ reached 1.1 billion.

Many fans on social media saw the milestone as proof of the character’s lasting appeal, pushing back against earlier claims that the show was underperforming. The ranking comes with some important context. Season 2 started slower than its predecessor, trailing the first season by roughly 55% at the same point in April.

‘DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN’ was the most-streamed Disney+ original show in the first half of 2026. (Via: Luminate) https://t.co/d8asppVUxc

— Marvel Updates (@marvel_updat3s) October 29, 2026

The show also never broke into Nielsen’s weekly Top 10 originals chart across either season. Nielsen’s mid-year report showed bigger streaming hits like ‘Stranger Things’, ‘The Pitt’ and ‘The Boys’ far ahead, and no Disney+ original reached its top 20. Even so, leading Disney+’s originals for the first half of the year is a meaningful win. It shows that The Man Without Fear remains one of the platform’s most reliable draws.

The good news is bittersweet. The series will end with its third season, which D’Onofrio has confirmed and which has already finished filming. Production on the final season began in early March and wrapped on July 21. The 8-episode season is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in March 2027, and showrunner Dario Scardapane’s contract was not renewed during post-production.

The official trailer for ‘DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN’ has released Streaming on Disney+ March 4 https://t.co/741bdFVs2H

— ScreenTime (@screentime) January 15, 2025

Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum has explained that the show was always meant to wrap up after 3 seasons, mirroring the length of the original Netflix ‘Daredevil’. He compared the 2 series to collected comic book volumes that fans can put on the shelf side by side. That message differs from what Winderbaum said before the first season premiered. Back then, he talked about releasing the show every year for the foreseeable future.

Some outlets have suggested the plan may have changed during development, though Marvel hasn’t connected the decision to viewership. For now, Winderbaum says the studio will take time to decide what comes next for the character, with no new project announced.

The first trailer for ‘DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN’ Season 2 has been released. Releasing March 24 on Disney+ https://t.co/VsUJEgtrfq

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 27, 2026

The final season gives fans plenty to look forward to. Krysten Ritter returns as Jessica Jones and Colter is back as Luke Cage, with Finn Jones’ Iron Fist and Élodie Yung’s Elektra also returning from the Netflix era.

Set photos from April hinted at a full reunion of ‘The Defenders’ characters, something fans have wanted for years. The final chapter looks set to be a major celebration of Marvel’s street-level heroes.

The streaming numbers suggest audiences still care deeply about Matt Murdock, which could matter as Marvel plans his future. With strong viewing on Disney+ and a passionate fanbase, a goodbye may not be permanent. For now, fans will have to enjoy the final season and hope that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil returns somewhere in the MCU.

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