“You’re guilty. That guilt, that shame — that’s my home, Red. And I can see it on you. I can smell it on you. It’s all over you.”

Guilt, particularly the Catholic variety, is a living, breathing thing in “Daredevil: Born Again.” The new TV show — a revival and continuation of the three-season Netflix series now streaming on Disney+ and officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — is drenched in it, the emotion serving as both a reckoning of the past and a harbinger of what’s to come. But instead of drowning under that soul-crushing weight, “Born Again” faces it head on in formidable fashion, tackling meaty subjects — disability, loss, justice, power — while offering up the fantastically crunchy action you’d expect from the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

In “Born Again” (the first two episodes of which are now streaming), it’s been years since the events of Season 3 of the Netflix series, in which blind superhero Matt Murdock/Daredevil puts a stop to mob boss Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, respectively, both reprising their roles in the new series). Now, Matt, a devout Catholic, has stashed away his devil-inspired, blood-red crime-fighting suit and is sticking to his day job as a defense lawyer. However, that reprieve from using his training (both in fighting techniques and honing his other senses to supernatural levels) is short-lived, with a gasp-inducing opening sequence that shatters any illusion that this revival wouldn’t be as gritty and brutal as its predecessor.

“Born Again,” named after the 1986 comic book arc written by Frank Miller (but not actually adapting that comic), originally was meant to be an 18-episode season only loosely connected to the Netflix series, with a lighter tone and a more episodic structure. Thankfully, that didn’t end up happening (honestly, who wants a cheerful Daredevil?). Marvel brass stepped in, hired new writing and directing talent — including showrunner Dario Scardapane — split the season into two (nine episodes for this one, eight for Season 2) and reverted “Born Again” to being more serialized and connected to the previous series. It was the right call: Despite seeing some of that original vision seep through at times (multiple episodes were already filmed before the creative pivot), the overall tenor of the revival feels appropriately mature, weighty with consequences and surprisingly patient with its plot.

Speaking of, “Born Again” is a bit of a slow burn. We know Matt doesn’t want to be Daredevil anymore, that he wants to help people from inside the system. We know Wilson is out of jail and running to be mayor of New York City. We know they’ll eventually clash; Kingpin, like Thanos, is inevitable. It takes a few episodes for the story to really get up and running (especially because there are some strange narrative off-ramps, like a way-too-long bank robbery sequence that brought the story to a halt), but once it does, “Born Again” becomes engrossing. Without spoiling details, it dives into the moral quandary of the value of vigilantism in a violent world, the difference between justice and vengeance, how power and access to it is a corrupting force, how a disability colors others’ perceptions of you, how guilt eats at you until there’s nothing left but grief and rage.

But it’s the talent of Cox and D’Onofrio that elevates “Born Again.” Cox cloaks himself in the guilt that smothers Matt; he can shatter your heart with a rueful grin. D’Onofrio, on the other hand, can unnerve with the calmest of voices; you never know what to expect from him, and it’s disorienting. When they’re both on screen, the chemistry simmers with tension.

Visually, “Born Again” is a step up from the Netflix series. (I will say, though, that I’m disappointed the opening title sequence was changed; the original one was a masterful execution of symbolism, while the new one feels a bit on the nose.) Creative camera work abounds: a close-up of bloody knuckles, first Wilson’s, then Matt’s; a crimson filter as a bullet pierces someone; taillights reflected in a pair of eyes. Then there are the action sequences: When Daredevil and Co. do brawl out, it’s glorious (and very appropriately rated TV-MA).

The quote that opened this review happens early in “Born Again,” during an unexpectedly cathartic conversation between Matt and Frank Castle (aka the Punisher, played once again with gruff charm by Jon Bernthal), but it speaks to the heart of the revival: How do you move forward when all you can see is the past? Thankfully, while this first season ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (which, no surprise), we do have a sense of what’s to come in Season 2. But while we wait for that, this season delivers — and that feels like justice.

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'DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN'

Rating: TV-MA

How to watch: Disney+

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