Daredevil: Born Again Needs to Avoid This 1 Controversial Storyline from the Comics

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With the brand-new Daredevil: Born Again Disney Plus series on the horizon from Marvel, certain aspects of the comic book era and storyline of the same name have made some fans anxious about how the live-action series will handle the adaptation. The original Daredevil series that premiered on Netflix in 2015 gave fans one of the most beloved adaptations of a Marvel hero ever, and hopes are high that the DIsney Plus continuation will keep the same quality.

The original Daredevil series featured some of Matt Murdock’s most iconic and engaging supporting characters from across his long comic book history — most notably his best friend and law partner Foggy Nelson, and his longtime love interest and close ally Karen Page. The series adapted both characters with gravitas and immense respect, and Born Again seems to be moving along that same trajectory — but there is a large part of Karen Page’s comic book counterpart that should be left in the past instead of being adapted.

Karen Page’s Comic Book Counterpart Suffered From Shock Value Storytelling

The Iconic Daredevil Love Interest Was Torn Down For The Sake of Shocking Readers

While writer and artist Frank Miller’s time on the Daredevil book is one of the most iconic eras ever for the character, the run was not without its faults. A major aspect of the book’s story was the fact that Karen Page, Daredevil’s longest-running love interest and one of the closest allies of both Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock, was going off on her own to pursue a new career in acting. Eventually succumbing to heroin addiction, Karen Page’s storyline spiraled. She became less of an important pillar in Matt Murdock’s life and more of a means of telling the audience that anything could happen in Miller’s Daredevil stories.

Miller’s portrayal of Karen was demeaning to a character who had served as such an integral part of the hero’s stories for so long, and it seemed as if the writer and artist simply didn’t care about her as a character. She was used more as a plot device leading into the iconic Born Again storyline than as an actual character with her own interior conflicts and character arcs. Eventually, Karen’s drug addiction and withdrawal led her to sell Daredevil’s secret identity to Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. This shocking betrayal felt incredibly out of character for Karen Page, and it seemed that it was simply there to keep propelling the story forward.

Though the comic book version of Karen Page was eventually redeemed and made good with Matt Murdock after betraying his trust, her story ended in tragedy at the hands of Bullseye, Daredevil’s greatest physical nemesis. Karen died in Daredevil’s arms after being impaled by Bullseye during a face-off in a church. The shocking moment was just more salt in the wound that was Karen Page’s previous treatment years prior. While the stories involving these controversial choices were actually quite good overall, the aspects of Karen’s treatment within them are something that should certainly be handled differently with adaptations.

Karen Page’s Live-Action Adaptation Is A Complex, Three-Dimensional Character

Deborah Ann Woll’s Portrayal of Karen Page Is Full of Depth and Genuine Development

While Frank Miller’s time on Daredevil is nothing short of groundbreaking, the live-action adaptation of characters like Karen Page have continuously outshined the somewhat antiquated versions from the comic book stories. Deborah Ann Woll’s confident and complex portrayal of Karen Page is one of the highlights of the original Daredevil series on Netflix, and her character’s growth and change over the course of the series was something that fans connected to and loved. At almost every turn, the live-action version of the character has avoided the trappings of being another “damsel in distress” or a simple plot device. She has agency and gravitas, and that is something that the comics’ Karen often unfortunately lacked.

While many fans at the time of the original Daredevil: Born Again comic’s release grew resentful of Karen Page, fans of the live-action iteration remain pleased with her quality of character development and depth. Doing away with that now in the interest of adapting the controversial aspects of her character from the comics would be incredibly foolish, and it would go against everything established in the earlier seasons of Daredevil. She is just as integral to the story of the live-action Daredevil adaptation as Foggy Nelson, and she should continue to be treated with that same respect. The original series went to great lengths to flesh out and expand on her character, and destroying all that development just to shock fans would be unfortunate.

Fans have grown to love the entire cast of Daredevil, and with Daredevil: Born Again bringing all of them back, viewers simply want more of the character dynamics that they know and love from the past series. There are so many other Daredevil stories that the series could adapt for Karen and the other supporting characters. There were decades of excellent Karen Page stories before her downfall in the 1980s, and the live-action series could incorporate more of those aspects rather than the darker, more shocking ones. Deborah Ann Woll deserves the same level of respect and admiration for her version of the character as Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Daredevil: Born Again Is Already Primed To Be Different From The Comics

The New Daredevil Live-Action Series Is Sure to Diverge From The Story of The Same Name

One of the most important aspects of the original Born Again story by Frank Miller, and Karen Page’s involvement specifically, is that she was the catalyst for the Kingpin discovering Daredevil’s secret identity and subsequently tearing down his life. In the Netflix Daredevil series, Wilson Fisk already knows who Daredevil is, so there’s no reason for Karen Page to betray the Man Without Fear’s trust and lose the respect of fans.

With Kingpin already knowing Matt Murdock is Daredevil, the showdown between the two nemeses can be more rooted in their own hatred for one another, as well as their own push-and-pull relationship. Karen Page should remain a steadying force for Matt alongside Foggy Nelson. She shouldn’t be used as a pawn in the ongoing game between Daredevil and Kingpin. She shouldn’t be used as a plot device to further motivate the hero or influence the villain. She should be her own character with her own conflicts and thoughts on the events unfolding before her.

Involving Karen Page in the core events of Daredevil: Born Again is inevitable, but her character should remain steadfastly on Daredevil’s side—on the side of goodness. Fans already saw the horrors of Karen’s past in Daredevil Season 3, and allowing her to evolve and continue striving to be better in live-action is something viewers could easily latch onto. With Daredevil: Born Again promising to be just as brutal and intense as the previous live-action iteration of the character, there are sure to be devastating consequences for any supporting characters existing in Matt Murdock’s social sphere — but the least the MCU adaptation can do is give the proper respect to these versions of the supporting cast.

Daredevil Season 3 already adapted many aspects of Frank Miller’s original Born Again story, so the new Disney+ series is sure to differ from the comic of the same name. This can actually be a positive for die-hard fans, as it allows those familiar with the comics to be surprised and refreshed by new adaptations and changes in the live-action Born Again series. The show could easily stand toe to toe with the original Netflix series, and refining elements like Karen Page’s characterization would be a step in the right direction.

It’s an uphill battle for Daredevil: Born Again—the original series was one of the most beloved live-action Marvel adaptations in decades, and if the new series doesn’t measure up, fans will make their disappointment known. So much of the MCU’s future and audience interest hinges on Born Again’s success, and avoiding outdated storylines from the comics would be in everyone’s best interest. Daredevil deserves more, Karen Page deserves more, and fans deserve more.

“}]] With Daredevil: Born Again fast approaching, fans are hoping not to see certain aspects of Karen Page’s comic book story adapted for the new series.  Read More