‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Tops Disney+ Streaming Charts, but the Numbers Tell a Complicated Story
Few Marvel shows have had a more turbulent journey than ‘Daredevil: Born Again’. It arrived as a revival of a fan-favorite Netflix series, went through behind-the-scenes retooling, and spent much of its run battling headlines about falling viewership. Now a fresh set of streaming data gives fans something to celebrate, and critics something to debate.
The second season ran for eight episodes on Disney+ from March 24 to May 5. Critics saw it as an improvement over the first, praising the action and the performances of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. Krysten Ritter’s return as Jessica Jones was also a major selling point.
According to Luminate data, season 2 was the most-streamed Disney+ original TV season in the U.S. for the first half of 2026. It racked up about 2.3 billion minutes watched between January and June. That put it ahead of every other original on the platform.
The rest of the chart shows how big the lead was. ‘Wonder Man’ season 1 came second with 1.9 billion minutes, followed by ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ season 2 with 1.8 billion. The first season of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ logged 1.3 billion minutes, and ‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ season 1 had 1.1 billion.
‘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 milestone comes with a catch. The series has never landed on Nielsen’s streaming originals chart across either of its two seasons, going 0-for-17 on that ranking. Disney+ also didn’t place a single original in Nielsen’s mid-year top 20, where shows like ‘Fallout’ reached 8.0 billion minutes and ‘Paradise’ and ‘One Piece’ each pulled in 5.7 billion.
Luminate and Nielsen use different data sets and methodologies, which helps explain the gap between a chart-topping total and a missing Nielsen entry. Still, early Luminate figures also showed a decline from season 1, with the first five episodes of season 2 drawing 4.5 million views and 652 million minutes compared with 8.35 million views and 1.44 billion minutes for season 1, a drop of roughly 46%.
For Marvel, the title of top Disney+ original is both good news and a warning. It proves the character still has a loyal audience, and it gives the studio something to point to as it looks for a strong streaming slate. Reports also say Marvel is developing multiple live-action Disney+ series, which puts a long-rumored ‘Heroes for Hire’ project back in play.
At the same time, the numbers show how modest the platform’s originals can look in the wider streaming landscape. Being the biggest Disney+ original of the year doesn’t necessarily mean the show is a mainstream hit.
The third season has been confirmed as the last. It is in production and expected to arrive on Disney+ in March 2027, though no premiere date has been announced. Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum has said the plan was always to end after three seasons, matching the three seasons of the original Netflix series.
He compared the two runs to a pair of three-volume collections, after which Marvel will take a breath and figure out what’s next. That framing came after earlier talk of annual seasons and a ‘Season Infinity’, and a report that showrunner Dario Scardapane parted ways with Marvel during post-production on season 3.
The final trailer for ‘DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN’ has been released. Premiering March 4 on Disney+ https://t.co/aFxVNAa4N4
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 3, 2025
The final season is staging a full Defenders reunion. Cox is joined by Ritter’s Jessica Jones, Mike Colter’s Luke Cage and Finn Jones’ Iron Fist for the first time since ‘The Defenders’ in 2017. Winderbaum has described the season as hitting great heights, and the story is said to draw on ‘The Devil in Cell-Block D’, with Bullseye and big surprises teased.
That gives fans a strong reason to keep watching, even if the broader numbers remain mixed. It also leaves open the question of what comes next for Matt Murdock once the three-season arc ends.
The 2.3 billion minutes figure is a real achievement, and it shows that the show’s core fans have stayed loyal. But it also shows how different streaming metrics can tell very different stories. Whether it will be enough to shape Marvel’s plans for Daredevil beyond season 3 remains to be seen.
Is Daredevil: Born Again a Streaming Success?
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