The MCU’s been a bit of a bore lately, gasping for air like a goldfish that leapt out of a fish tank and landed in the Mojave. But the gritty, violent “Daredevil: Born Again” on Disney+ resuscitates the cinematic comic book empire and delivers a riveting and eerily relevant story arc that speaks to the political upheaval and uncertainty of our times.

It’s a big surprise how great this series is given there was legit concern after showrunner/executive producer Dario Scardapane’s reboot was sent back to to the shop after Marvel honchos took a look at it. No matter what happened behind the scenes, the result is electrifying and pertinent, and advances the terrific previous three-season Netflix series about Hell’s Kitchen lawyer Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox), who is blind, and his alter ego, Daredevil. It even improves on it by not going way overboard on the violence and peppering in just enough Easter eggs and tangential storylines and appearances of other characters — including the Punisher (Jon Berthnal) — without overshadowing its central story that strikes so many chords about upheaval right now.

The big ace it waves proudly is the square-off between Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio, giving one of the best villain performances in any Marvel production) and Matt Murdoch.

After a horrific attack at Josie’s bar, Matt hangs up his Daredevil persona while Fisk re-enters the New York scene, goes on the couch for marriage counseling with his cunning wife (Ayelet Zurer) and runs for mayor. Matt and Fisk keep a wary eye on each other as Fisk plays on New Yorkers’ ‘fears of crime, and assures voters that once he comes in, there will be no pussyfooting around with the bad guys. “I don’t have much use for red tape,” he bellows. Chaos ensues as the psychopath blackmails and manipulates key critics — including a police commissioner — and demands all fall in line with his authoritarian ideas, or else.

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Matt, played with real passion and the right dollops of angst and moral complexity by Cox, falls for a therapist (Margarita Levieva) and defends in court Hector Ayala/White Tiger (played with enormous appeal by Kamar de los Reyes, who died of cancer in 2023). He got involved in a subway fracas that left a bad cop dead amid hints of police corruption. The writing on the series couldn’t be better, and the secondary characters — including a sharp video journalist named BB  Urich (Genneya Walton), Fisk’s right-hand guy Buck Cashman (a slithery Arty Froushan) and a villain (Hunter Doohan, in a creepy turn) bring more to the MCU.

The highlight, of course, is D’Onofrio’s raging-on-the-inside performance. He’s extraordinary here, especially in a stroke-of-genius sequence in which Fisk endures versions of Jefferson Airplane’s “We Built This City.” It’s an unbelievably funny moment, punctuated by the briefest of telling facial tics. The show also excels in its impressive urban production design, a mood-setting soundtrack and taut direction, particularly in the first episode helmed by the ace indie genre dynamos Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (“The Endless,” “Something in the Dirt.”). The duo were brought in for the redo and their influence as executive producers and directors (they helm episodes 8 and 9 too) and their energy and input remain undeniable. A highlight is a blistering, game-changing action sequence in the first episode involving Benjamin Poindexter (Wilson Bethel).

“Daredevil: Born Again” is easily one of the best series the Disney+ has offered and is also one of the best shows of 2025. It journeys into dark spaces with its  contemporary power struggle and grazes, but doesn’t surrender to, the morally blurry lines set forth in “The Joker” and “The Batman.” So keep the kids away. All of what unfolds does bode well for a second season (also nine episodes) coming in 2026. Hopefully, the excellence on display here will extend into Marvel’s upcoming theatrical releases. They sure need it.

Details: 4 stars out of 4; two episodes are available on Disney+, with one additional episode dropping every week until April 15.

 

If you’re just totally over the winter fruit scene, this recipe will lift your spirits and have you soaring straight through to summer.

This fruit salad features all the same seasonal fruits you’ve begrudgingly placed into your basket these past couple months — apples, oranges, pears, grapefruit — but the dressing injects new life into them. Honey, ginger, fresh lime juice and the irresistible crunch of poppyseed make these cold weather fruits sing such a sweet song that you’ll forget you were even waiting for summer.

Enjoy this fruit salad on a pillow of Greek yogurt or cashew yogurt for a zingy breakfast, or serve it as a simple dessert that will convert any nonbelievers to the joys of cold weather fruit leveled up with a flavor-packed, refreshing dressing.

It is worthwhile to properly section the grapefruit to avoid pithy membranes, but less important for the other citrus, if you want to save time and effort.

Waiting for Summer Fruit Salad

Serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

2 teaspoons poppyseeds

Greek yogurt, optional

1 blood orange, sectioned

1 grapefruit, sectioned

1 orange (or 2 mandarins), sectioned

1 banana, sliced

1 pear, sliced thinly

1 apple, sliced thinly

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DIRECTIONS

Combine the lime juice, honey, ginger and poppyseeds in a small jar and shake until the honey is completely incorporated.

Spread the yogurt, if using, across the bottom of a serving bowl. Arrange the fruit over the yogurt and top with half the dressing. Serve the remaining dressing on the side or save it for another day.

Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.

Officials with the Stillwater Area School District have deemed that two books recently acquired by the district can be checked out only by students who have their parents’ permission.

Funding for the purchase of the books, “Grandad’s Pride” by Harry Woodgate and “Call Me Max” by Kyle Lukoff, was recently donated to the district by a community member, district officials said in a statement posted on the district’s website.

“Grandad’s Pride” is about a man’s memories of attending Pride events and the importance of LGBTQ+ history; “Call Me Max” is about a transgender boy.

The community member donated funding for the purchase of more than 30 books to elementary media centers across the school district, officials said.

“As the books were being unpacked, district staff reported that one of the books contained an adult image that may be inappropriate for elementary school students,” according to the statement.

Staff also raised concerns about two other donated books, officials said.

District administration pulled the books for review and determined that “Granddad’s Pride” contains “an adult image (that) is inappropriate for elementary school students,” according to the statement. “‘Call Me Max’ also raises concerns given the age and maturity of the intended audience.”

District officials have decided that both books will be made available only to students with parental permission. “This approach allows for informed decision-making while ensuring continued availability,” officials said.

Later this spring, the school board will consider a new policy that specifically addresses media center resources and includes standards for determining the selection of materials for the media center and for determining when materials should be removed from the media center, district officials said.

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By SEAN MURPHY

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s top education official said he’s teaming with country music singer Lee Greenwood in seeking donations to get $59.99 leather-bound “God Bless the USA” Bibles into classrooms throughout the state, after a legislative panel rejected his $3 million request to fund the effort.

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State Superintendent Ryan Walters said this week that he’s partnering with Greenwood to help ensure the Bibles, which have been endorsed by President Donald Trump, get to Oklahoma schools.

“The Bible is indispensable in understanding the development of Western civilization and American exceptionalism, history, and all similar subjects,” Walters said in a statement. “The ongoing attempts to remove it from our classrooms is an attack on the foundation of our country.”

Walters’ push to require public schools to begin incorporating the Bible into lesson plans for students in grades 5 through 12 led to a lawsuit from a group of public school parents and teachers. Many schools simply ignored the mandate.

The directive is the latest salvo in an effort by conservative-led states to target public schools. Louisiana has required them to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, while others are under pressure to teach the Bible and ban books and lessons about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. Last year, the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the state to have the first publicly funded religious charter school in the country — a case that is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

A former public school teacher who was elected to his post in 2022, Walters ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.

There are signs that even his Republican colleagues are growing tired of Walters’ divisive brand of politics. Besides the legislative committee denying Walters’ $3 million request to pay for the Bibles, Gov. Kevin Stitt recently rejected Walters’ proposal to require schools to collect the immigration status of children.

When asked this week about Walters’ Bible mandate, Stitt mentioned a free, popular Bible app created by Oklahoma pastor Bobby Gruenewald, and said: “I’m sure most kids have the Bible app on their phone.”